Well, i read an article on heise.de that responded to Linus response to
openSUSE security policy.
http://www.heise.de/open/artikel/Die-Woche-Linus-Tochter-1446576.html
sadly, this is in german only. You may translate it with google. But it
summarized in essence what linus said and the historical situation on
Linux regarding root versus sudo.
I do think that these ‘angry’ tones are justified but only if you see
them a ‘normal’ user.
If you come from an IT background you may dismiss them right off.
Here is what Linus said on Google+
Linus Torvalds's profile photo
Linus Torvalds - Feb 28, 2012 - Public
Venting.
I don't think I can talk about "security" people without cursing, so you
might want to avert your eyes now.
I gave OpenSUSE a try, because it worked so well at install-time on the
Macbook Air, but I have to say, I've had enough. There is no way in hell
I can honestly suggest that to anybody else any more.
I first spent weeks arguing on a bugzilla that the security policy of
requiring the root password for changing the timezone and adding a new
wireless network was moronic and wrong.
I think the wireless network thing finally did get fixed, but the
timezone never did - it still asks for the admin password.
And today Daniela calls me from school, because she can't add the school
printer without the admin password.
Whoever moron thought that it's "good security" to require the root
password for everyday things like this is mentally diseased.
So here's a plea: if you have anything to do with security in a distro,
and think that my kids (replace "my kids" with "sales people on the
road" if you think your main customers are businesses) need to have the
root password to access some wireless network, or to be able to print
out a paper, or to change the date-and-time settings, please just kill
yourself now. The world will be a better place.
... and now I need to find a new distro that actually works on the
Macbook Air.
*hope that is not copyrighted.
Anyway, i always wondered why you indeed need a root privilege to change
the date and time on your personal desktop. Or why you can’t just update
the update.
But in the above article it comes out clearly the two different schools
of operating systems.
Linux of course follows the one that you can not change anything that
will affect another user in any way. So therefore you can not change
date and time since that affect other users as well.
But that has lesser to do with security than with a ‘real’ network
environment.
But who own the pc or the desktop at home? Most people do not have a
network running or having multiuser environments (unless you are me and
can’t afford two pc’s).
Still i actually agree with Linus there and whished that Linus in
general would be a little more user friendly.
And its not like its written in stone and can not be changed. I mean the
security policy.
I believe that is one reason you see some users running there linux as root.
The article mentioned Android as an example that does it right. Where it
allows you to install, change whatever you want but at the same time it
limits you to what you can brake or change. Can’t confirm that since i
don’t use Android. So i take it like it is unless proven otherwise.
–
Windows, supports nearly all software, hardware, and viruses.
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