/bin/ids is setuid root, why ?

[Gaël Le Mignot]

Hello,
        Does someone know why /bin/ids has the setuid-bit set ?
        Since it works well without the bit too, why keep it ?

(kilobug@kesto, 5) ~/src/translators/src/hook $ l /bin/ids
-rwsr-xr-x    1 root     root        52925 Oct 31 12:15 /bin/ids
(kilobug@kesto, 6) ~/src/translators/src/hook $ ids
effective uids: 500(kilobug)
effective gids: 500(kilobug) 40(src) 43(utmp) 50(staff) 60(games) 100(users) 
518(friends) 515(family) 642(hurdfr)
available uids: 500(kilobug) 500(kilobug)
available gids: 500(kilobug) 43(utmp) 500(kilobug)
(kilobug@kesto, 7) ~/src/translators/src/hook $ sudo chmod 755 /bin/ids
(kilobug@kesto, 8) ~/src/translators/src/hook $ ids
effective uids: 500(kilobug)
effective gids: 500(kilobug) 40(src) 43(utmp) 50(staff) 60(games) 100(users) 
518(friends) 515(family) 642(hurdfr)
available uids: 500(kilobug) 500(kilobug)
available gids: 500(kilobug) 43(utmp) 500(kilobug)
(kilobug@kesto, 9) ~/src/translators/src/hook $ l /bin/ids
-rwxr-xr-x    1 root     root        52925 Oct 31 12:15 /bin/ids
(kilobug@kesto, 10) ~/src/translators/src/hook $ 

-- 
Gael Le Mignot "Kilobug" - kilobug@freesurf.fr - http://kilobug.free.fr
GSM         : 06.71.47.18.22 (in France)   ICQ UIN   : 7299959
Fingerprint : 1F2C 9804 7505 79DF 95E6 7323 B66B F67B 7103 C5DA

Member of HurdFr: http://hurdfr.org - The GNU Hurd: http://hurd.gnu.org