The "Sticky" Flag

• The "sticky" flag, is mostly meaningful when set for a File containing an executable program, or for a Directory.
• When set for a File, it means that the File should be copied into the swap device, rather than loaded from its original location. This could make the File load faster.
• When set for a Directory, it means that users cannot rename or delete Files in this Directory, unless they own these Files.
• This flag is normally set for Directory all users can create Files in, such as "/tmp" or "/var/spool/mail".

Originally written by guy keren