Do u use your root account on a regular basis?

[Roberdin]

Instead of using a non-root account, like ur supposed to :P

[Dani]

Not guilty! I always su to root whenever I absolutely need to.

[big_k105]

guilty :oops: . i have customized my root desktop the way i want it and dont want to have to recustomize my user. and it jst a pain to have to su into root when you need to use root. i dont know thats jst me :(

[odious face]

::raises hand:: like big said, im lazy and i dont wanna customize again or su all the time :oops:

[Roberdin]

guilty :oops: . i have customized my root desktop the way i want it and dont want to have to recustomize my user. and it jst a pain to have to su into root when you need to use root. i dont know thats jst me :(

same here.
So no-one likes cheese? ;) :P

[geocom]

not guilty I only use root at the command line never GUI

[spikes]

:: raise both hands and a foot:: its my system and I want absolute power!! even if it does corrupt absolutely.

root : like being superman in your own metropolis

spikes

[Tekmaven]

On linux, I am not guilty! I su whenever I feel like it, athough it sometimes is a pain in the ***. However, on Windows (Administrator account), I am 200% guilty.

[freebie]

On linux, I am not guilty! I su whenever I feel like it, athough it sometimes is a pain in the ***. However, on Windows (Administrator account), I am 200% guilty.

You can now do the su command in win2k/XP.
type 'runas /user:administrator "control timedate.cpl"
then type in the admin passwd and it would open up the time/date
you can only change time if you are admin.

[Dani]

Ooh, cool.

[Tekmaven]

Well, the runas isn't new.. its been there since NT. I just don't need the added effort. I know what I'm doing.

[root]

For security reasons I only use root if needed.

[motech]

I ran as root exclusively for about 6 years...

Nowdays I have the hardware to just
"startx -- :1" as root if I need a gui
90% of the time I just use the command line.

[subtronic]

Hm,

There wasn't an option for me. I very rarely run as "root", but you really don't have too. I run myself using groups (god bless groups) and users. God bless chmod g+s and god bless sudo :)

Also, from reading this thread, I'm taking it that most of you think that "su" is short for "super user", it's actually short for "substitute user", you can run as any other user in the system, ie:

su <username>

[freebie]

On linux, I am not guilty! I su whenever I feel like it, athough it sometimes is a pain in the ***. However, on Windows (Administrator account), I am 200% guilty.

The runas command was first introduced to Windows2k. There wasn't a runas command in WinNT4.0. There was a su.exe for WinNT4.0 , which was part of the NTresource kit.

[freebie]

Hm,

There wasn't an option for me. I very rarely run as "root", but you really don't have too. I run myself using groups (god bless groups) and users. God bless chmod g+s and god bless sudo :)

Also, from reading this thread, I'm taking it that most of you think that "su" is short for "super user", it's actually short for "substitute user", you can run as any other user in the system, ie:

su <username>

Thanks, I always thought su was super user.
And don't forget to use su - "hyphen"
if you want to run your own .login instead of the user you su to.

[Dani]

su is substitute user? I always thought it was switch user! :P

[jayant]

:eek:
what? I thought it was 'seduce user' :D

[)BIG"B"Affleck]

Definition:

SU (substitute user) The Unix command which allows you to become another user after entering their password su is most often used without arguments in which case it defaults to user Root Some versions of Unix only allows this command to be used by members of the Wheel group.

Ahhh Look at all the contributions to the aid of(XP) viruses guilty as charged. :lol:
I only run on Root when its a must do!

[himerus]

I ususally root my arse right on in there like I'm not supposed to do... but I'm a born rooter... maybe I'll have to work on that... :o

[knute]

I rarely use the root account for anything more than the occasional system update, or to reset my modem, and then I su into it.

Anything that I need to do including starting my dialup connection I have the group permissions set up accordingly. :cool:

[alc6379]

To those running as root all the time:

Running as an upriviledged user is one of the best security features available to a Linux user. If you're checking your email, surfing the web, or doing ANYTHING pertaining to the USE of your computer, there's no reason you shouldn't run as a regular user. The only time you should run as root is when you specifically need to do something pertaining to the maintainance or running of the computer, like installing a package, or changing system settings. As a matter of fact, you shouldn't really ever log in as root-- you should use su or some other tool and gain root priviledge.

One big reason is malicious code. One of the ways Windows virii do so much damage is because as a regular Windows 9x user, you have full power to do anything to your system, including trashing it. Even in Windows XP, IIRC, new users are automatically added to the Administrators group. If you open an e-mail with malicious scripting in it, the code can have its way with your machine if you're running as a priviledged user. In a properly configured Windows system, or in any other Unix-like system, the damage such a script could do would be limited to only the files the unpriviledged user had permission to modify. 9 times out of 10, that unpriviledged user won't have file permission to delete any important system files.

I'm not going to dissuade anyone from running as root all the time, but I will stand there and laugh when they accidentally delete everything on their system when they really meant to delete everything in an mp3 directory. :)

[Dani]

Not guilty! I always su to root whenever I absolutely need to.

Well said, alc

[mahdi]

Logon as root...all the time...???
That's how my boss thinks, even if he has a user account that can do everything needed...there's that feeling of power and total control that seems to bait it....

Being the admin on a machine with over 300 logged in at once, the less root users I see the better :)

At home I don't use root unless I'm updating or installing...there is just no reason whatsoever to logon as root all the time, being lazy is no excuse to logon as root...

"Shortcuts make the trips shorter, as long as you don't run out of road" - me

[twilli227]

I have read here and in other forums about what a pain it is or takes too much time to su to root. Oh common. If that is how you want to set up your box and not learn about proper file permissions, then so be it. Like alc6379 said, we will all get a good laugh out of your blunders. :cheesy: