> dr-xr-xr-x  11 234  netbsd    512 Nov 26 20:29 binary
> dr-xr-xr-x   2 234  netbsd    512 Nov 26 18:20 floppies
> dr-xr-xr-x   4 234  netbsd    512 Nov 26 19:46 security
> dr-xr-xr-x   2 234  netbsd    512 Nov 26 18:12 utils

> The i386 directories (dunno about the others) don't have write
> permission for the owner.  So if you go up to pub/NetBSD and go a
> "get NetBSD-1.1.tar.gz" [...], you'll end up with a (humongous (-: )
> tar ball that barfs if you try to extract it as a mere-mortal root
> user, when it goes to create the files that live under these
> directories.

If so, this is a bug in the tar being used to extract it.

My tar extracts it just fine (it always creates directories mode 700,
and chmod()s them when ascending out of them).  /bin/tar on my home
machine (a NeXT, release 2.1) also extracts everything, but it leaves
the directories mode 755.  (This is with a small test tar containing
files behind mode-555 directories, not with a tar actually pulled down
from the above ftp area.)

Of course, that's not to say the directories' modes shouldn't be
changed.  Installation tars should as universally compatible as
possible, and catering to this particular bug is easy and doesn't break
anything else.

					der Mouse

			    mouse@collatz.mcrcim.mcgill.edu