Kubuntu experience

[Peter Garrett]

On Sun, 2005-04-17 at 00:38 +0930, Brian Astill wrote:


>[later] I see aptitude was installed and fortunately that does work 
>(though capriciously, it demands MY password, not root's).
          ^^^^^^^^^^^
capricious: Governed or characterized by caprice; apt to change
suddenly;
   freakish; whimsical; changeable.

The behaviour you describe is not capricious: it's exactly what is
supposed to happen with sudo. The caprice was rather more in your
configuration changes.


> > > http://www.ubuntulinux.org/wiki/RootSudo
> 
> sudo is dangerous and also awkward for anything other than an
> occasional 
> need. 
>  
This assertion is highly debatable, and has arguments on both sides, as
I'm sure you are aware, since you (of course) read the link above, which
was pointed to by several people...

the sections headed "Security"
                    "Possible issues with the "sudo" model" and
                    "Misconceptions"

seem particularly pertinent.

> I want to be able to log in as root and do a number of things at 
> the same "sitting".  eg setting up a network can be a real nuisance
> if 
> you have to sudo all the time

Quite so: that's why you can use -"sudo -s" to get a root shell 

OR                               - use the root shell 
                                   (provided in the menu) 
OR
		                 - to quote the wiki again:

"If you want a real root prompt you can always do "sudo su -."

>  - especially as one faces (in ububtu) a 
> 15 minute time limit before you have to reaffirm your password.

This is also configurable, documented, and avoidable, as above.

> In any case this is linux, not Redmond_OS.  I should not be denied
> full 
> access to my own system. 

It is Linux; you haven't been denied anything; and you will not be.

To quote once again from the wiki:

"It's been good Unix practice for a long time to "su-command-^D"
regularly instead of staying in a root shell--unless you're doing
serious system maintenance (at which point you can still "sudo su").
(Jim Cheetham and Andrew Sobala)"

All this has already been pointed out in full to you by several list
members.

Sincerely,

Peter