Linux chmod won't work

[Jepethiel]

Formatted according to the --help info but root steadfastly refuses to relinquish system ownership.

I need help, OS Zorin 15.3

[akiko-pusu]

Hi, @Jepethiel
I think it would be easier to get comments if you have the command you executed and the output results.
Could you please provide more details?
Example:

• Information about the file or directory you were trying to chmod
• The result of executing the chmod command (error messages, etc.)

[Jepethiel]

Screenshot of how help looks in terminal.
It is nearly unreadable.
So my understanding is that to chmod the ./root folder so as to gain ownership of the root directory tree is…
chmod -Rv y-pet-el:admin ./root
which replies with
ownership not changed
what am i missing?

Thanks Bruce, aka Jepethiel

[akiko-pusu]

Thanks for the above screenshot.
Please let me confirm. You hope to change the ownership of files under the /root directory. Is this correct? (Owner: y-pet-el, Group: admin)

In this case, how about the chown command?

[anon28508191]

Hello @Jepethiel ,
It looks “nearly unreadable” because of the font of the terminal. That’s something you can change without much trouble. Click in the terminal tab and see how to edit the fonts.

As a note:
If a file or directory belongs to the root user, then only the root user can change its permissions. You as a normal user cannot change the permissions for another user (like root).

[Jepethiel]

Can you recommend a site that has basic command tutorials in .pdf, .odf, or .docx formats for free download? The manuals is mot particularly user friendly.

Included in this is GCC have been a C++ programmer for more than 30 yrs, but not using the skill, so the changes are a steep learning curve.

I understand to way su works now, and the sudo command. do you have a glossary file of all Linux commands with a brief statement on the acronym for meaning and functionality? My problem is that i am the system admin but my OS (Zorin15.3 Core) refuses to change me into that group and i do not know why chown fails to change directory ownership. Further the instructions say for file or directory then have 0 information about how to alter folder’s permission status flags.
As with all new languages knowing where to find the necessary information is rather helpful as OS and programming language manuals tend towards the obtuse.

So i need something of a more thorough explanation, in ‘C’ speak is you could forward a tutorial other than man