findutils (4.2.31-2) unstable; urgency=low

  * locate is no longer included in the findutils package. It has been split
    off to a separate package "locate". (There are alternative implementations
    available, too; see mlocate or slocate.)

 -- Andreas Metzler <ametzler@debian.org>  Sat,  2 Jun 2007 10:53:46 +0200

findutils (4.2.25-1) unstable; urgency=low

  * The GNU-extension "find -perm +MODE"  has been withdrawn in GNU findutils
    4.1.22 because it is incompatible with POSIX. The new syntax
    "find ... -perm /MODE" has been introduced instead.

    Old usages will still continue to work, so long as they do not conflict
    with POSIX. However a big number of usages _do_ conflict.

    E.g. -perm +u+x used to be (and -perm /u+x still should be) treated as
    the mode "u+x", which maps to 0100, then returning true for ALL files
    that have the u+x bit set regardless of the state of their other bits.
    Now, per POSIX, +u+x is treated as the valid mode "+u+x" (which is
    identical to "+u,+x", and again maps to 0111 & 07777). Find therefore
    returns true on files that are EXACTLY that mode (ie a file that has NO
    read or write permissions, but all three execute permissions).

    The ONLY character that can appear in a valid mode but which cannot
    directly follow '+' according to POSIX is 'a'. So in terms of backwards
    compatibility, EVERY symbolic mode, except for those starting with a
    leading 'a', are affected by the change in findutils semantics to be
    POSIX compliant,
    
    [Large parts of this entry are quoted from a comment by Eric Blake in
    savannah bug #14619]

  * WORKAROUNDS:

    If you are using find -perm +... you have got the following options:

    - Use numerical instead of symbolic notation, e.g. "find . -perm +022"
      instead of "find . -perm +g+w,o+w". Symbolic modes are not affected by
      this change.
    - Specify the mode in a different way if possible. e.g. "-perm -u+x"
      instead of "-perm +u+x".
    - use the new syntax -perm /... instead of -perm +MODE. If you use this
      syntax in a Debian package, you'll need to depend on findutils
      (>= 4.2.25).

 -- Andreas Metzler <ametzler@debian.org>  Sat,  8 Oct 2005 11:16:45 +0200
