Vote for new Ubuntu Feature---Let's try it again

[Scott Kitterman]

On Tue, 09 Jan 2007 02:40:00 -0600 mtyoung <tuxman at knology.net> wrote:
>I guess I wasn't very clear in the way I worded it the first time.
>
>I am the owner of this Ubuntu machine. It's a personal computer, and not a 
business desktop.
>
>So, if Ubuntu wants to make me think twice before it allows me to change 
something, then let it give me a warning message and ask for my root 
password; instead of making me do research, ask questions on a forum, and 
take a circuitous route in order to change what was already right in front 
of me.
>
>Ubuntu already does this, in some places. For instance, when you use 
Applications>Add/Remove Programs, it displays the following message when 
you try to apply a change.
>
>"Administrative rights are required to..." and then it allows you to enter 
your root password and continue.
>
>Yet if I've opened  /boot/grub/menu.lst, figured out what I want to 
change, then tried to save (save as actually) the changes, it tells me 
this...
>
>"Could not save the file /boot/grub/menu.lst.
>You do not have the permissions necessary to save the file. Please, check 
that you typed the location correctly and try again."
>
>...when it could just as easily given me the former response.
>
No it's not.  What you are asking for is for it to be easier for applications to be able to do 
priviledge escalation.  Not a good idea.

If you're so bothered by having to do it again, you can always run as root full time.  Just 
don't complain here were you screw up your machine or get hacked.

Scott K