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

[Scott Kitterman]

On Tuesday 09 January 2007 08:38, Wulfy wrote:
> Jeffrey F. Bloss wrote:
> > mtyoung wrote:
> >> 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
> >> password]
> >
> > It's not what "Ubuntu wants", it's called keeping a multiuser operating
> > system secure. If you want free and clear access to everything as a
> > user, then either run your system in a horribly insecure way by logging
> > in and doing everything as root all the time, or choose an operating
> > system that doesn't make any distinction between users and
> > administrators.
>
> How is asking for a password which must be correct and the user with
> sudoer having rights to do the operation in question (or the
> authorisation fails) granting "free and clear access to everything" or
> "run[ning] your system in a horribly insecure way by logging in... as
> root"?
>
> If a random user typed sudo <command> it would work only if the user
> had the privileges to do it.  As I understand what the OP is asking for,
> if the system finds that the user doesn't have the privileges for a
> particular operation, it runs sudo to authenticate.
>
That's what he thought he was asking for, but his example requires a running 
program to be able to escalate it's privileges.  A better solution for the 
problem he was asking about would be for the text editor in question (he 
didn't say which one he used) to indicate that it wouldn't be able to write 
back to the file it just opened.  That would get him avoiding the suprise at 
the end of not being able to save the file.

Scott K