From 698ac0e263bfe5a3cd1a6bd5081f29df57258ceb Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Michael Kerrisk Date: Sat, 13 Feb 2016 18:01:29 +0100 Subject: [PATCH] chmod.2: Clarify terminology (file mode versus file permission bits) Signed-off-by: Michael Kerrisk --- man2/chmod.2 | 12 +++++++----- 1 file changed, 7 insertions(+), 5 deletions(-) diff --git a/man2/chmod.2 b/man2/chmod.2 index ea37c4551..39e63a9a3 100644 --- a/man2/chmod.2 +++ b/man2/chmod.2 @@ -83,19 +83,21 @@ The .BR chmod () and .BR fchmod () -system calls change the permissions of a file. -They differ only in how the file is specified: +system calls change a files mode bits. +(The file mode consists of the file permission bits plus the set-user-ID, +set-group-ID, and sticky bits.) +These system calls differ only in how the file is specified: .IP * 2 .BR chmod () -changes the permissions of the file specified whose pathname is given in +changes the mode of the file specified whose pathname is given in .IR pathname , which is dereferenced if it is a symbolic link. .IP * .BR fchmod () -changes the permissions of the file referred to by the open file descriptor +changes the mode of the file referred to by the open file descriptor .IR fd . .PP -The new file permissions are specified in +The new file mode is specified in .IR mode , which is a bit mask created by ORing together zero or more of the following: