Root Logins in X...

[Brian Wheeler]

On Thu, 2009-01-22 at 08:35 -0500, Dr. Diesel wrote:
> 
> 
> On Thu, Jan 22, 2009 at 8:27 AM, Brian Wheeler <bdwheele at indiana.edu>
> wrote:
>         On Thu, 2009-01-22 at 13:13 +0100, Morgan Olausson wrote:
>         > Hi, I am a non technical user of Fedora.
>         >
>         > I think there should (and finally will) be two different
>         versions:
>         >
>         > (I) For non-technical users a version that just works. Easy
>         to install,
>         > all settings are default. Simply a for free Microsoft
>         Windows
>         > replacement. This is the Linux version that will be most
>         widely spread.
>         > Most users have absolutely no idea of how to use a terminal
>         window, and
>         > with this version they will not need to know it.
>         
>         
>         You don't want non-technical users logging into the machine as
>         root by
>         default no matter what because, as they say:  unix gives you
>         enough rope
>         to shoot yourself in the foot. These situations are much
>         better handled
>         with a non-privileged user logging in and then using sudo or
>         the gui
>         equivalent.  So the root login thing doesn't really apply
>         here.
>         
>         I think a minimal "yukky" root desktop for maintenance is
>         really the
>         right way to go:  it discourages unsafe usage, and it is
>         obvious that
>         you're there to fix something.
>         
>         Brian
> 
> Great, we are on the way to hundreds of "Are You Sure" pop up
> windows....
> 

Yuk, no.  More like a desktop where things not related to sysadmin
aren't immediately obvious.  Things like openoffice, media players,
games, etc could be hidden.  If you know what you're doing and you need
them, no problem:  you know what you're doing :)  But if you're the
"lazy" sort that has come up in these discussions, then you're going to
want to use a normal login to do your day-to-day tasks like you should.


> There is nothing wrong with root X IMO.
> 

Not in and of itself, no.  Of course, there's nothing wrong (in theory)
with logging into windows as administrator every time...

The problem comes in where people use root by default and there's a
security exploit which gives it control of the machine.  Or when a
newbie decides to clean stuff up with the file manager and gets carried
away.  Or accidentially "dials" the hard disk...

Making root logins unpalatable goes a long way to stop users from
complaining that Linux sucks...

Brian