Re: [PATCH 2/2] config: clear the executable bits (if any) on $GIT_DIR/config

From: Junio C Hamano <gitster@pobox.com>
Date: Nov 17, 2014, 15:33 UTC
Message-ID: <xmqqfvdhzvsp.fsf@gitster.dls.corp.google.com>
In-Reply-To: <5469B134.1050306@alum.mit.edu>

Michael Haggerty <mhagger@alum.mit.edu> writes:

Show 11 quoted lines

> On 11/16/2014 07:49 PM, Junio C Hamano wrote:
> ...
>> So I would suggest not to spend any cycle or any code complexity to
>> "repair" existing repositories.  Having that bit on does not hurt
>> anybody.  Those who found it curious can flip that bit off and then
>> Git with "preserve existing permissions" fix will keep that bit off
>> from then on.
>
> I disagree. The point of "preserve existing permissions" was to allow
> people to make their config files more readable/writable than the
> default,...

s/more/less/, I think, was the original motivation. Having to limit more tightly than usual was what made the "config" unusual among files under $GIT_DIR. If it were to loosen, Eric's change should not have been done in the first place. The sharedRepository setting to defeat the default umask is there for that kind of thing.

> That being said, I still believe that executable config files are not a
> significant risk ...

It is merely an annoyance, to the same degree of annoyance we find when we see all files appear executable on a FAT floppy mounted on Linux ;-) I do not think it is a risk at all, and I do not see a point in going into people's repository and actively "fixing" it. People who notice can fix, and people who do not care do not care and are not harmed.