On 2010-10-14 09:36, otto oz wrote:
>
> Or to be correct, you need to include the section “in red”
All is black. >:-)
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)
please_try_again
This is rather a philosophical than a technical question. IMHO there should be comprehensive HowTos about everything.
fully agree
cheers Otto
Carlos
…you need to scroll …
I just installed a test 11.3 updated etc , the whole section for root login is missing.
and I agree, the option (maybe default set to “NO”) should be there
cheers
On 2010-10-15 05:40, Jim Henderson wrote:
> On Fri, 15 Oct 2010 03:06:01 +0000, caf4926 wrote:
>> The two OS function completely differently. If M$ employed a ‘User’ only
>> login, windows would be much less vulnerable but it’s users would be
>> clueless.
>
> Windows does employ a User only login in more recent versions - as I
> recall, with Vista (and probably with 7), the default login isn’t the
> Administrator account, but a user account, and you have to explicitly go
> into the user settings and tell winlogon to show the administrator user.
> I don’t use Windows very much, so I may have the details wrong, but
> that’s what I remember the last time I booted Vista.
You are correct.
I have two different users in my Win-7 Home, one is the admin, one is a normal user. And if I log as
plain user and want to install something, it asks for an admin password. Both users are shown on the
login screen, though - but there are several W7 versions with different capabilities. My home
edition probably doesn’t have all the customization fiddles.
And by the way, having used Linux almost exclusively for 10+ years, I was surprised by Win-7. It is
good. It is of course Windows, you have to use an antivirus, you have to pay for almost any thing
you want, but… people should not disregard the competition as not having a clue. They do. Of
course I prefer Linux, but… they are not dumb.
> The way I see it is this - OSS is about openness and freedom. Protecting
> users from themselves through the withholding of information, in my mind,
> goes against those principles. It’s better for users to be given all
> the information so they can make up their own minds.
Absolutely.
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)
On 2010-10-15 07:06, otto oz wrote:
>
> Carlos
>
> …you need to scroll …
Nope.
Hint: We don’t all use the forum as a forum, with a browser, graphics, etc… >:-)
–
Cheers / Saludos,
Carlos E. R.
(from 11.2 x86_64 “Emerald” at Telcontar)
I ran into a need to login to X as root just the other day. I updated my Nvidia drivers to a version not in the repositories (as user) and hosed my X windows with a bunch of errors like “you don’t have permissions” to update this file…blah…blah…So, I exited my user terminal…logged in as root in init 3 started X windows (which started just fine)…logged out. Went back to user and PRESTO. I could get X windows as a user again. It didn’t hose my system it FIXED it…unlike the user mode. Linux is about giving you just enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot…if root login to X had been disabled I’d have wasted a boatload more time…just say “no” to NO…
@dartefi. First I must admit that I do not understand all of what you tell above, but I doubt you understand why things worked after your action and why you were not able to get it running without login in as root in the GUI. As long as you do not understand that, you can not state that you “needed” to log in as root in the GUI to get done what you wanted. And that is what this is about: needing to log in as root in the GUI.
So sad to see people saying a post should removed for no good reason. It is most certainly within the forum rules and has not been rude or offensive. Of course many people here should reconsider their rude and offensive comments made to the OP.
That said of course it is a huge security risk, and of course it makes the system as bad a standard windows install, in fact it is worse than a standard windows install.
But that is not any reason for anyone to scream a post should be removed.
Open Source software is about freedom and choice, and if a user chooses to to run a system that way for whatever reason, it is a choice they freely make. Isn’t choice a wonderful thing?
Choice is why we use Linux, choice is why many left behind proprietary systems.
We don’t always agree with the choices others make. But because someone chooses differently then you I or goes against the best practices isn’t for anyone here to make ridiculous comments like remove the psot.
Break out your copy of the GPL and as was said so often in years past RTFM. 
If a person seeks a way to have purple gorillas bouncing around their screen god bless them, it their choice.
brucecadieux wrote:
> If a person seeks a way to have purple gorillas bouncing around their
> screen god bless them, it their choice.
i agree completely! not just completely but 200%, or more.
even if folks are warned that purple gorillas bouncing around their
screen pose a both a security risk and strangely upset file
permissions which are hard (to impossible) to sort out again, they
still have a right to enjoy all the purple (pink, orange and
whatever) gorillas they wish, bounce whereever and whenever they want…
no question about that freedom.
but, if they do let the gorillas bounce and have system problems
then they ought to fix themselves, and not clog up the net (or these
fora) with tales of woe brought on by known and warned risky behavior.
–
DenverD
When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD [posted via NNTP w/openSUSE 10.3]
I charge $75 dollars to remove purple gorillas.
God bless them send all of them my way rotfl!
Assuming God is already in their choice. >:)
Yes, the first one could be described as the “system” user, the latter just “user”. What’s wrong with that?
A very pertinent view. Well, I guess since Otto posted about the “virus threat in Linux” he wants to make sure that people learn how to surf in root (IRONY).
I do not think that we have to create the “PEBKAK” user and the “Geek”. Now here has been a tendency to tell you that you are a “slaughterer of the messiah” if you login as root to do tasks in root. If one knows that one may mess up one’s permissions if you access files in the user environment, that you better do all tasks off-line, then there are not so many reasons not to leave people, PROVIDED THAT THEY KNOW WHAT THE DO, the possibility to login as root. So the post #1 was IMO wrong because it assumed the latter “without seatbelt”.
I told once it would be nice to have a security section, it would probably also nice to have a “noop section” WIKI on permissions in Linux comparing them to the ones in Windows and about the worst case scenarios that you can create if you do not follow these advices (for the new users arriving from that side and that may need some extra advice). People do these things because they have no idea what the are doing (like a child playing with a grenade because it is looking like a nice pineapple).
Generally people say RTFM. But that is in my view to simplistic if we want people coming from windows to have a good experience. So on one hand the post was right, on the other it was a bad idea.
Good one Bruce LOL
Well I think you’ve gotta have root access for those special occasions. The default desktop background for the root user used to be fiery red with pictures of bombs scattered on it. That should be enough warning IMHO.
I think you have nailed it.
I think the information should be presented, but fully explained and in proper context. Otherwise people will go about bypassing it in other ways and get it wrong too.
Knurpht wrote
Yes, the first one could be described as the "system" user, the latter just "user". What's wrong with that?
Nothing wrong with that, as long as the option is available.
It’s the purpose of the wheel group.
It's the purpose of the wheel group.
…you lost me. Can you expand on that.
As usual, the rabid “commandliners” have hijacked a succinct post on how to enable local root logon capability.
Guys/girls, go peddle your views in the “Soapbox” section, and stop curtailing real progress by responsible users who need this information. Four pages of absolute BS. That’s the travesty … not the advice or information by the original poster!