potato: linux/limits.h: Permission denied

[Lonnie Sauter <sauter@math.ukans.edu>]

(Please cc me in your replies.  I did search the archives for my answer)

I installed potato from scratch about 5/1/2000.  Every since
I am having trouble compiling programs as a normal user that
access system include files.  I can compile fine as root.  So of
course I thought it was a permissions problem.  It is not as far
as I can tell.  Here is a transcript:

[ sauter@lebesgue [~/download/memwatch-2.64] ]
(252) # gcc -o test -DMEMWATCH -DMEMWATCH_STDIO test.c memwatch.c
test.c:42: #error "Define MW_STDIO and try again, please."
test.c:113: #error "Hey! Don't just compile this program, read the
comments first!"
In file included from /usr/include/bits/posix1_lim.h:126,
                 from /usr/include/limits.h:30,
                 from
/usr/lib/gcc-lib/i386-linux/2.95.2/include/limits.h:117,
                 from
/usr/lib/gcc-lib/i386-linux/2.95.2/include/syslimits.h:7,
                 from
/usr/lib/gcc-lib/i386-linux/2.95.2/include/limits.h:11,
                 from memwatch.c:90:
/usr/include/bits/local_lim.h:27: linux/limits.h: Permission denied

[ sauter@lebesgue [~/download/memwatch-2.64] ]
(255) # ls -l /usr/include/bits/local_lim.h
-rw-r--r--    1 root     root         2172 May  1 13:25
/usr/include/bits/local_lim.h

(It looks like the user can read this file and in fact they can.
I tested it with more.)...

So why is permission denied?  I thought maybe gcc runs as 'nobody' or
something
like that.  But that does not seem to be the case.

Thanks for the help!

Lon