file permissions: The attributes (read, write, execute) for any file on who can read, write and execute it. Each of these three attributes are given to three groups:

• The Owner (changeable with chown)
• Group(s) (changeable with chgrp)
• Everyone else(?)

Clarification: The owner can be changed with chown, the group can be changed with chgrp (or chown), but the permissions for any of these is changed with the chmod command.

Sometimes I (and others??) use the phrase "file permissions" to refer generally to both file ownership and permsissions. This can be somewhat misleading.

See:

• chmod
• file ownership
• file ownership and permissions in Linux

Contributors

• JasoK - 20 Jan 2002
• RandyKramer - 02 Feb 2002
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