Re: default privileges wording - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 1:20 PM, David Fetter <david@fetter.org> wrote:
> On Wed, Jun 29, 2011 at 11:50:38AM -0400, Alvaro Herrera wrote:
>> Excerpts from Andrew Dunstan's message of mié jun 29 11:21:12 -0400 2011:
>> >
>> > I was just reading the docs on default privileges, and they say this:
>> >
>> >     Depending on the type of object, the initial default privileges
>> >     might include granting some privileges to PUBLIC. The default is no
>> >     public access for tables, columns, schemas, and tablespaces; CONNECT
>> >     privilege and TEMP table creation privilege for databases; EXECUTE
>> >     privilege for functions; and USAGE privilege for languages. The
>> >     object owner can of course revoke these privileges.
>> >
>> >
>> > I had to read it several times before I understood it properly, so I'm
>> > not terribly happy with it. I'm thinking of revising it slightly like this:
>> >
>> >     Depending on the type of object, the initial default privileges
>> >     might include granting some privileges to PUBLIC, including CONNECT
>> >     privilege and TEMP table creation privilege for databases, EXECUTE
>> >     privilege for functions, and USAGE privilege for languages. For
>> >     tables, columns, schemas and tablespaces the default is no public
>> >     access. The object owner can of course revoke any default PUBLIC
>> >     privileges.
>>
>> Some types of objects [have/include/grant] no privileges to PUBLIC by
>> default.  These are tables, columns, schemas and tablespaces.  For other
>> types, the default privileges granted to PUBLIC are as follows: CONNECT
>> privilege and TEMP table creation privilege for databases; EXECUTE
>> privilege for functions; and USAGE privilege for languages.  The object
>> owner can, of course, revoke [these/any default] privileges.
>
> How about this?
>
> Some types of objects deny all privileges to PUBLIC by default.  These
> are tables, columns, schemas and tablespaces.  For other types, the
> default privileges granted to PUBLIC are as follows: CONNECT privilege
> and TEMP table creation privilege for databases; EXECUTE privilege for
> functions; and USAGE privilege for languages.  The object owner can,
> of course, revoke both default and expressly granted privileges.

Or, since I find the use of the word "deny" a bit unclear:

When a table, column, schema, or tablespace is created, no privileges
are granted to PUBLIC.  But for other objects, some privileges will be
granted to PUBLIC automatically at the time the object is created:
CONNECT privilege and TEMP table creation privilege for database, ...
<etc., the rest as you have it>

--
Robert Haas
EnterpriseDB: http://www.enterprisedb.com
The Enterprise PostgreSQL Company