How to Apply Chmod 777 to a Folder and its Contents in Linux

chmod 777I'm trying to change the permissions of temp_dir to 777. Why are these commands not accomplishing that? I'm using Linux by the way.You almost never need 777 permissions on any type of file, and you absolutely never need 777 on a non-executable file. – skiphoppy Commented Apr 4, 2012 at 10:51