Maybe that's just me, but I found that chmod was not only 000 -> 777, there is a forth number which does exactly that with permissions.
Sounds to me like you've set the "setuid" bit. Here's a page which explains a bit more, and includes some warnings: http://www.slug.org.au/secureFEST/unixtut/unixfs-9.html
But then what is the difference between chmod 4xxx and sudo ?
The main advantage of sudo is the tight control (and logging) it gives you over who has privileged access to what. It also lets to administer it centrally, with user groups, etc. It's possibly excessive for what you want to do but it's worth knowing about. -Andy -- Andy Gimblett - Programmer - Frontier Internet Services Limited Tel: 029 20 820 044 Fax: 029 20 820 035 http://www.frontier.net.uk/ Statements made are at all times subject to Frontier's Terms and Conditions of Business, which are available upon request.