System log

[RumorMania]

Hi there,

I try to access /var/log/system.log trough terminal, however it gives (permission denied).

As the only user of my MBP (2010), I should have access to this file right?

Does anyone know why I don't have access any longer?

 

[jbarley]

Your path (/var/log/system.log) fails for me also in Terminal, but I would normally never have attempted your method anyhow.
Why not do like millions of other users and access the system log using "Console" which does work?

 

[treekram]

On my system, the system.log file is read-write for the owner (root), read for the group (admin). My user belongs to the admin group and I can read it using Terminal. Maybe you're not part of the admin group and that's why it won't allow you to read it through Terminal?. (You can check using the "System Preferences" app under "Users & Groups".) I've never added my user to the admin group but I've always enabled the root user on my Macs (not suggested for everybody, but it works for me) so perhaps that's where it added me to the admin group - I don't know - but perhaps that's the case since the two posters observe the same behavior.

If you're part of the admin group and your system.log has read privilege for the admin group and you still can't read it, then something's amiss - unless you're trying to use an editor that is trying to open the file for read-write access.