Dial-up Configuration in Ubuntu ( was: ubuntu-users Digest etc)

[Peter Garrett]

On Thu, 8 Dec 2005 18:15:22 +0000
David Hart <ubuntu at tonix.org> wrote:

> Now, if you use the System -> Administration -> Networking applet to
> dial up you will have to grant full admin privileges to users.  To me
> that's not a problem as I'm the only user on this box and I rarely use
> dial up anyway.  If that's a problem for you then fine, don't use it.

I'm inclined to the opinion that a dial-up applet requiring a password
for every use is kind of inappropriate in most use cases I can think of.
It seems like a rather paranoid default setting, given that these days
most people who use dialup regularly are likely to be home users, and
that simply being in the "dialout" and "dip" groups offers sufficient
security.

Surely businesses and others who require this level of security can
configure it if they wish? 

As you say, it's quite possible to use, say, pppconfig to configure
dial-up - but this is "hidden" to the ordinary user, who usually has the
instinct to use a graphical tool.

I've had to talk quite a few new users through this issue on IRC, and
I'm firmly of the view that dialup configuration needs to be simplified
in Ubuntu. Sadly it seems not to be a priority, which is odd given the
philosophy of Ubuntu to be accessible to ordinary humans :)

There are many people in many countries who use dialup - surely Ubuntu
can provide a simple and obvious method for them to connect to the
internet? Kppp is a pretty good model for the kind of thing needed. A
sequential druid/wizard would be even better.

Peter

-- 

Linux User #343161