can't run gnome as root - addition

[Ric Moore]

On 10/02/2012 07:16 AM, Lentes, Bernd wrote:

> I'm not used to sudo and all ist friends, and i don't like to use it.
> In a car the blinker is always on the left side, and no manufactur installed it on the right side, expecting that all the drivers will adapt.
> OS like suse, RedHat, fedora also don't use this way with sudo, so it can't be dangerous. I can't imagine that these distributors will provide a inherent unsecure OS.

When I worked at RedHat, you didn't run your machine as root ...ever. 
You and your hat would be on the sidewalk. Once you get used to using su 
it's no big deal. And, your machine will be safer for it. If you get 
something malicious as the user, all that can be attacked is user space. 
If you run as root, everything can be blown up to hell and gone. So, 
it's not a good idea if you use the Internet. It's a Debian thing to 
enforce good user habits. At one time I disagreed, now I don't.

Plus, if you acquire a trojan or a virus, running as root it will wreck 
havoc on the rest of us since it can do as it pleases with your network 
connection. Then when the cops haul you off for hosting kiddie porn, 
that you knew nothing about, don't say you weren't warned. :) Ric


-- 
My father, Victor Moore (Vic) used to say:
"There are two Great Sins in the world...
..the Sin of Ignorance, and the Sin of Stupidity.
Only the former may be overcome." R.I.P. Dad.
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