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

[Steve Lamb]

On Thu, May 22, 2008 8:13 am, Florian Diesch wrote:
> "Steve Lamb" <grey at dmiyu.org> wrote:
>>     Nope.  Because sudo certainly isn't needed on a single-user system.

> If you don't want to work as root all the time you really want some
> simple way to run a command as root. Using sudo instead of su  makes
> it a little bit easier as you don't have to remember two passwords.

    There isn't many times that I want to run *a* command as root.  Often I
want to run a *sequence* of commands which require the elevated
privileges of root to remain for the entire sequence.  sudoing to root
and suing to root is functionally identical thus sudo is not needed.

    Also the matter of passwords is moot.  One can simply set the root
password to their normal account password and achieve the same effect. 
Again, functionally identical to sudo complete with the resulting weaker
security.

> By default Ubuntu gives sudo access to everyone in the admin group. No
> editing needed in your example.

    Presumes everyone is going to be in the admin group.  The point of sudo
is limiting elevated privileges to specific commands.  Since that is
going to be unique per user editing will be required.

    Look, I'm not saying that sudo should be removed or that the Ubuntu use
of sudo isn't convenient in some cases.  I am just pointing out that as
an example by Derek of a configuration tool "doing the right thing" it
is spurious precisely because it isn't needed in the vast majority of
installs where such niceties would be "needed".

-- 
Steve Lamb