Another reason to prefer a real root over sudo

Steve Lamb grey at dmiyu.org
Wed Feb 4 12:45:50 UTC 2009


Chris G wrote:
> On Wed, Feb 04, 2009 at 10:06:21PM +1300, Mark Kirkwood wrote:
>> The issue with 'real' root is that you will have to pass around 
>> *another* password - that in most cases will get written down - as non 

> No I don't and neither do 99% of home users, there is only one user.

    Two.

> OK, in the case in question there are two users but it's hardly a case
> of having to "pass around" another password.

    But it is the case of retaining another one for you.  So that's two
passwords, not one.

> In the typical home environment a computer has only one user.

    Two if you have root enabled.  Unless you're going to set both passwords
to the same in which case you might as well use sudo.

    Don't get me wrong, I agree with you.  I don't think in an environment
where a single user will be using root there's a need for sudo.  But honestly,
in Ubuntu that is easy enough for you to fix.

sudo passwd

    Me?  I just modified my alias for elevating to root to call sudo first.  I
still have the odd Debian server where I have to remember my root passwords
but for my normal boxes having to only remember my password when I have to
elevate is worth the impurity of sudo on a single-user machine.

-- 
         Steve C. Lamb         | But who can decide what they dream
       PGP Key: 1FC01004       |      and dream I do
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