[OT] Debian mailinglists [was: RE: Debian or Ubuntu?]

[Steve Lamb]

On Tue, May 20, 2008 6:49 am, Derek Broughton wrote:
> Don't be a moron.  Of _course_ we trust programmers.  We trust them all the
> time, or we wouldn't even be using this OS.  We trust Open Source
> programmers even more because we can audit their code.  Anybody who thinks
> it's safer to edit a config file by hand than with a GUI isn't on my hiring
> list.  There's a very good reason that /etc/sudoers contains this warning:

    And you call me the moron?

> # This file MUST be edited with the 'visudo' command as root.

    Yes it *IS* a file edited by hand.  Furthermore there is a simple reason
why that warning is there and it isn't the sanity checks.

"visudo locks the sudoers file against multiple simultaneous edits, provides
basic sanity checks, and checks for parse errors. If the sudoers file is
currently being edited you will receive a message to try again later. "

    visudo locks the sudoers file *against multiple simultaneous edits*. 
That's the main reason it is there.  The rest is cake since you can
still shoot yourself in the foot by removing critical lines that let you
get back into edit it.

    Anyone who would put a blanket no-hire because people are competent
enough to do their job efficiently without tons of hand-holding is just
showing his own ignorance and fear.  So far all the FUD you've been
spreading has pretty much been shown as false.  Maybe you should stop
yelling at your betters and start learning from them.

-- 
Steve Lamb