Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

[Lobster]

I run as root
If using Ubuntu - I run as root - and I still don't have sufficient permissions.

Most people running Linux on standalone machines
run as if they are on an intranet.

If on a company network individual 'terminals'
that can access all hard drives on the system,
including personnel
and payroll would not be good.
Believe it or not some people are not good employees.

On my computer
in my home I want access to all of my computers components
Is that so strange?

Instead of dire warnings of penguin dogma
'Thou shalt not root'

I want to know why I should not be root
Until then I am rooting for root.

Thank you.

[Iguleder]

Wow, what a nice poem

I like being root and not because I have access to all my hardware, you can mount and use your sound hardware as an unprivileged user, things like PolicyKit and GNOME-keyring exist.

I just like livin' on the edge, it's fun to know you can destroy your whole hard drive in one command

By the way: I'm logged in as root only under Puppy.

[JustGreg]

Lobster,

The only reason (I know) for not running as root is one can make error that really cause problems. This based on my past experience. Having said that, I can also say that Puppy makes recovery fairly easy.

Another driver for the 'Thou shalt not root' dogma is the Window$ experience. If an intuder becomes an adminstrator (i.e. root) then there is no end to the problems that follow with a Window$ network. With Window$, one does not need administrator premissions to run the standard applications (mostly Window$ products). The Lord knows a mere user should not be able to make changes. Only the vaulted System Adminstrator or authorized Micro$oft downloaded changes should have such power. Once again, Puppy is not Window$, but it is better.

To me, to be root or not to be root is not a question. It is a state that I work with.

[Lobster]

Thanks guys

In order to know the console command to wipe the hard drive, I would have to look it up on the internet and then type it into the console.

Despite many efforts at stupidity + serendipity I have failed to do this.

The Network intruder, is not on my network.
Mainly because I am not running one.

These arguments apply to situations of running Puppy as a network distro (which it is not)
and a level of stupendous determination to wipe ones hard disk.

Neither of those arguments apply.

The only 'advantage; (not) to root is having to put in a password to do what I am trying to do anyway . . .

[Burn_IT]

As far as I can see the only reasons for not running as root all the time are to cause nasties difficulty and force the user (me) to think a fraction of a second more while I switch to root (actually this second one really does work - a bit like Windows "do you really want to do that")