[Nolug] "automatically" setting file permissions to -rw-rw-rw-

I am unabashedly a newbie to any flavor of Linux.

I need some help, information, instructions, something....

I want to 'automatically' set file permissions to -rw-rw-rw- instead of -rw-r--r--

Scenario: On a Linux box... => User01 creates & saves, then exits the program a word processing file using OpenOffice and saves it to a shared directory. User02 needs to open that same file from User02's machine on the network, do some editing, then save the changes to the same filename, close the file and the word processing program used for the edits (say for the purposes of this example, it is MSWord2k on a Windows box, but I really don't think it matters if it is a samba-share or an NFS-share).

 Right now, if User01 creates/saves the file permissions default to -rw-r--r--
 User02 can only open the file as read only, then must save as something else... and THAT saved file defaults to -rw-r--r-- for User02, which means User01 can only open it as read only, etc. etc. etc.

  I want to set the default file permissions so an anyone/everyone who accesses the shared resource directory can create, open, edit, and save any file found there.

  If possible I don't want to make this default to be 'global' in that it will apply to EVERY directory, just to the designated shared directory (directories?).

  I have played with UNMASK in etc/profile
  In the particular version of Linux I am currently using (Xandros [debian based]) the line in question reads
     unmask 022
I have tried modifying that to read
    unmask a+rw,a-x
and restarted the computer. The result is a verrrrry slooooow computer and it does not affect the newly created/saved file's permissions. I also (since I do not know what I am doing...) tried
    unmask 000
and restarted the computer. Computer speed is back to normal, but the permissions remain unaffected, still default to -rw-r--r-- .

  My potential users absolutely will not go the 'extra' step of chmod. They will not even 'right click' on the filename and change the permissions from within a GUI. My potential users (if I can solve this problem) are non-sophisticated Windows accustomed office workers, who know how to start a word processor, create (or open), edit, save, and exit a file. They are used to being able to open each other's files and being in a common directory.

  I refuse to believe that this problem has not already been solved by the Cobalt Blue Cube 'network appliance' people who run some flavor of Linux. It cannot be all that different. Unfortunately I lack the necessary experience and vocabulary (jargon?) in Linux to properly research the problem.

  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

  Please remember I am a newbie and basically need key-stroke by key-stroke explanations.

  Thanks!

Tom 18 FEB 03
Thomas E. Stirewalt Jr.
voice= 504-581-1974 [ans.mach]
email= TomS@ComputerBrain.net
  www.ComputerBrain.net

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Received on 02/18/03