Now that i enabled root login and routinely login as root, ubuntu is easy to use - and you should always have root login in case of need of system recovery.

You don't like sudo? I never had problems with it. However, I do prefer to have a separate root account with a separate root password.

I find, in general, that the idea of Ubuntu as "bad" tends to be a result of how most people who are attracted to linux (or more specifically, who are knowledgeble enough to write on the forums) tend to prefer configurability and power over ease of use. They therefore see Ubuntu as sharing similar flaws with Windows. This is a perfectly valid preference, and they're free to use Debian and Gentoo and LFS.

Anyone who comes out and says an open source distro or OS is "bad," unless that distro is specifically harmful or insecure, is (IMHO) a hypocrite. The beauty of open source is that people can take what has been created already and modify it into what they want or need. Freedom of software is not freedom to be only what a certain group of people wants, but whatever there is a demand for. Until Ubuntu has gaping holes or a history of frying peoples computers, I see no reason to call it "bad," just "not your particluar taste."


On another aside, Ubuntu out of the box is uuuuuuuuuugly! but that's just me...

Please explain why creating a root login makes Ubuntu any better.

In fact, you cannot do system recovery with a root login if you forget your root password. Don't set the root password, and you can do system recovery.

OK, I'll bite. You just put that in as a joke right? Best to explain in case anyone reads that and misunderstands. Logging in as root is a BAD idea. Especially if you login to the GUI that way.

What's wrong with sudo su -?

Or su, for those of us without sudo installed.

I say that's a *Good Thing*. Either I'm root and doing sysadmin stuff, or I'm not and shouldn't be able to do *anything* like that. Nothing in the middle. If a normal user can do system recovery, that user has way too much power.

Agreed.

If I don't set a root password, anyone can log in as root...

No--in this context (Ubuntu) noone can log in as root. When you set the password, you enable login.

It is possible to edit /etc/passwd so ANYONE can log in as root with no password, but you really don't want to do that.


The problem with Ubuntu with root enabled is that various admin tasks will continue to ask you for your prime-user password and not the root password.

Wrong!
insted of asking for user password it doesnt ask for a password at all.

Sorry, but I have tried Ubuntu many times/ many versions and the behavior is consistent.

When opening a system utility which needs admin privileges, it asks for the primary user password. Then enable root using "sudo passwd root", and that utility will still want the primary user password.

Has there been some recent change in this behavior?

If it has changed then it's only since 9.10, because in 9.04 behavior is as explained by pixellany. On an Ubuntu 9.04 I have running I have root enabled but when my wife is logged in and needs to execute a system utility it asks for her password.

Kind regards,

Eric

Seems to me the OP means,that you are logged in as root in the GUI

That's right, reading the original post, one can assume that he's logged in as root, and thus the system will not ask for a password when executing system utilities. But isn't this in contradiction to the advice of Ubuntu community/developers/etc....

I have it enabled too that wonderfull thing called root

Kind regards,

Eric