root user

[Johnny Rosenberg]

2012/1/1 doug <dmcgarrett at optonline.net>:
> On 01/01/2012 01:47 PM, Johnny Rosenberg wrote:
>>
>> 2012/1/1 doug<dmcgarrett at optonline.net>:
>>>
>>>
> /snip/
>
>>> I'm trying to learn something here:  as I understand it, sudo
>>> gives you root privileges, so what's the difference between
>>> su (password) and sudo (password) except that sudo
>>> privileges disappear after 5 minutes, and su leaves you
>>> in root forever unless you type exit.  What am I missing?
>>> (I am mostly using a distro other than Ubuntu, which does
>>> not let me have sudo anymore 8-(   . I would really like to
>>> have it back!)
>>>
>>> --doug
>>
>> I guess the su-people means that it's a little bit annoying having to
>> type ”sudo” in front of every command instead of typing ”su” only
>> once. TO me it became a habit, so it doesn't bother me much.
>>
>>
>> Kind regards
>>
>> Johnny Rosenberg
>> ジョニー・ローゼンバーグ
>>
> sudo is supposed to remain in effect for 5 minutes, altho I
> understand that the timeout can be changed. So, if
> it remains in effect, you don't have to keep typing sudo
> for every command, if they're consecutive.

The password is ”in effect” for some time (I though it was 15 minutes,
but that doesn't matter much), but you still have to type ”sudo” for
every command, it's just that you are only asked for the password the
first time.

Example (UTF-8 is required to read this properly):
$ sudo command↵
Password: ··············↵
Command executed, OK.
$ sudo another_command↵
Command executed, OK.
$ command↵
You need to be root to run this command.
$ sudo !!↵
sudo command
Command executed, OK.

20 minutes later…
$ sudo command↵
Password: ··············↵
Command executed, OK.
$ sudo command↵
Command executed, OK.

…and so on… (↵ means the Enter key and those dots, ”·”, symbolise your
entered password).



Kind regards

Johnny Rosenberg
ジョニー・ローゼンバーグ

>  I used to
> have sudo in pclos, bu the more recent releases have
> made it impossible.  I found it was very useful, and I
> never corrupted my system using it.  (I have corrupted
> my system trying to get it back!)
>
>
> --doug