Normal users do not have access to ircomm devices. This is an issue as user tools that synchronize cell phones (for example) through IR like kmobiletools can't be used. My temporary fix is (file is /etc/udev/rules.d/50-udev.rules): -KERNEL=="ircomm*", NAME="%k", GROUP="tty" +KERNEL=="ircomm*", NAME="%k", GROUP="tty", MODE="0666" This is the best solution I've found out as adding a normal user to the 'tty' group is out of any consideration.
I don't see anything wrong w/ those default permissions. They are exactly the same like /dev/ttyS*, i.e. 0660 root:tty. If you want to give access to your users, add them to tty group or set custom rules as you wish.
In my oppinion, it is wrong for a Desktop OS to default to a configuration where a user needs to know about udev to use a simple syncing programme. This is simply too user-unfriendly. Adding by default all users to 'tty' group is a security hole in a server system because any user could access any terminal from any other user. About /dev/ttyS*. You are right it is conceptually the same case. In practise, though, some (mainly old) servers have terminals at /dev/ttyS* so giving permision to access those devices grants any user rights to play with them. Again, a security issue. This is not the case for /dev/ircomm* devices which, as far as I can tell, are only used for synchronizing and commanding mobile devices in a completely adhoc manner. Besides, they are only really used in Desktops where there is only one user anyway and who, again, should not really worry about how udev works. Summarising, IR devices are just too commonplace nowadays to need arcane system customizations to make it work from an average Joe point of view. Besides, there are in practice no real drawbacks by implementing this by default.
So what permissions would you suggest these device nodes have? I think we should be like everyone else and leave these alone. If you want to have local users have access to this, edit the proper pam module to have the nodes changed when someone logs in.
