Password question.

[Steven Vollom]

Eberhard Roloff wrote:
> Steven Vollom wrote:
>   
>> I would like to set a password that allows me to enter my system that is 
>> very secure, however, when I am in the system, I would like to have a 
>> very simple password to enter root, perhaps as small as a couple of 
>> letters.  Is this possible?
>>
>> Steven
>>
>>
>>     
> With Linux, genarally anything is possible.;-)
>
> While this is possible, I would not advise to implent it. The Ubuntu 
> concept of the first  user i.e. the admin user is that you use a rather 
> secure password to login and then use the same to "su" to root, as needed.
>
> You can alter this and there are howtos to separate root to use its own 
> password.
>
> It's actually quite simple but I would not advise you to do it since you 
> are already familiar with the "Ubuntu way" of doing things. This is 
> because, when you do it, your system will behave differently afterwards 
> and you will need to treat it differently.
>
> Kind regards
> Eberhard
>
>
>   
Dear Eberhard,

I have a very secure password that I am able to remember.  It is not 
easy to crack, because it is a combination of 37 upper/lower case 
letters, numbers, and symbols, that are embedded into my otherwise 
terrible memory.  They don't relate to anything as far as I know.  
Nothing relating to soc sec forward or backward or every other or every 
1, 2, 3, etc.  They are gibberish even to me.  Nonetheless, I was able 
to make them mine.  The trouble is that every time I use that password I 
have to type slow and careful.  I lost the last inch of one of my 
fingers so complex reaches on the keyboard as well as an inability to 
feel with that finger, and the fact that it is wider than an undamaged 
finger is at its end, cause me difficulties when using the upper two 
rows of keys.  With that finger in those rows, I make a mistake about 
50% of the time.  You can see by this that I have to slow down and be 
very careful when I do this.

I enter root often enough to make necessary the ease of this process.  I 
am totally alone in my studio/home.  Only a burglar has access to my 
computer without me being here.  Nonetheless, I have a laptop, not 
working at the moment, with I suppose less security than my PC.  If your 
apprehension is because people might look over my shoulder and see a 2 
digit password, that just isn't going to happen with anyone I don't 
trust with that password anyway.   Am I not understanding the reason for 
your apprehension?  Thanks friend.

Steven