The latest git version and snapshot now preserve the uid, gid, and file mode where possible, but things like ACLs, SELinux labels, etc. are still being lost. Preserving those things could be added, though.
As I understand POSIX here, this bug is not fully fixable for non-privileged users when backup files are used: in that case, the backup file and the patched file would have to retain the original owner, but a non-privileged user cannot create files owned by somebody else. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-bugs-dist-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org