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

[David Hart]

On Fri, Dec 09, 2005 at 04:03:25PM +1100, Peter Garrett wrote:
> 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.

If it were simply a dial-up applet I would agree with you but it isn't,
it's the main network config applet.  IIRC, it didn't even have the
facility to configure a dial-up link until the release of Hoary (I used
pppconfig/pon/poff on Warty and may not have noticed). 

[snip]
> 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.

Yes, I'm surprised that there isn't a more prominent dial-up applet
available.  I realise that I'm relatively fortunate to have ADSL (and
to have clean water to drink) and that dial-up is the only option in
many places in the world.

But I was arguing with the OPs repeated assertion that it was a
'huge security flaw' to require the root password to connect (when
it had been pointed out both that it wasn't the root password and
that there are many other tools available that don't require this).

If, as I suspect was the case, the OP was giving his grand-daughter
his own user password to connect to the net he is making security
problems for himself.  Why didn't she have an account of her own
or a guest account?  I generally won't leave anyone alone logged in
on my account, especially a young child who only needs to play with
Nautilus to do quite a bit of damage to my personal files that may
not be noticed for some time.

-- 
David Hart <ubuntu at tonix.org>