Re: Can't hardlink in different dirs. (BUG#826)

[Ed Hall]

Like it or not, Unix link() semantics have allowed links to unwritable files
from the very beginning.  There is no telling what you might break if you
changed it; historically, spooling systems of various sorts have used such
links for locking and queue manipulation.  And as others have pointed out,
allowing a link to a file can be an extremely useful way of sharing it
without (1) making a copy, (2) making it public, or (3) making it writable.

                -Ed