This will unlock the user account named "root", which in turn you can log into and then run plenty of administrative tasks without being harassed by gksudo or PolicyKit (which in my opinion both resemble WinBloze $hista UAC).

1 members found this post helpful.

You can achieve basically the same effect with su -c "<command here>", and it asks for the root password.

Personally I don't like the "sudo says" policy on Ubuntu, which is why I've actually assigned a root password to my Ubuntu machine. Just do what Kenny said above and do a sudo passwd, and type in whatever password you want to use for the root account (twice, as it needs confirmation), and after that you can use su -c in place of sudo, or you can just su to a root terminal if you need to do multiple things. This is what I do on Arch.

I would actually highly advise against this. Having root GUI access means having absolute power. If you accidentally issue a command (or do something in a GUI program) that would normally just b0rk the files you have read/write permissions for as a normal user, as root you would b0rk everything. Not to mention you're a lot more open to remote vulnerabilities/attacks. Just don't log into X as root.

1 members found this post helpful.

GUI login is bad, but this discussion is moot. gdmsetup doesn't have that option anymore.

And what if the reason why the OP migrated to Linux is to get away from Windows <Hasta La> Vista User Account Control, only to find out that Linux is just as bad if you're not logged in as root? Not logging in as root and being harassed by gksudo and PolicyKit isn't going to solve that problem.

1 members found this post helpful.

And that IS one of the reasons I wanted to get away from Winders!

I don't understand why some make an issue of this. Since it's my computer, I can get into root and/or anything else either way- the only difference is, if I log on as root, I don't have to keep entering the password every time I do something- it's just a convenience. Either way, I can screw up the system if I am so inclined.

Just one question: If I log on as root, do I have to do so again every time I boot Ubuntu; or just once? (I really don't intend to do anything fancy in terminal- my only goal for not wanting the password prompts is really just so I don't get them in GUI when I try and do innocuous things through the GUI. That being said, I did find a very helpful tutorial that tells all about the various things one can do in terminal- but I can guarantee everyone that I won't be doing anything fancy with it- just as I could access regedit in Winders....but never cared to mess with it)

(((Maybe I shouldn't mention that I tried accessing a terminal through the keyboard shortcut, and couldn't figure out how to get out of it, and finally did so with Cntrl+Alt+delete [when all else fails...revert to windows behavior]....but I have since learned I just needed to type "q".)))

To tell ya's the truth though, since I got rid of the boot-up password prompt, and the screen-saver prompt, I'm not that eager anymore to defeat the other root level password prompts- I'm pretty much at a comfort level I can live with.

Anywho, since reading the tutorial on root and using the terminal and all, I now feel that I at least have somewhat of a clue as to what you are all talking about- and i now feel much more confident about LINUX.

One more question while I've got youse[sic] (Ex-New Yorker here....)- when the day comes that I want to permanently say Hasta La Vista, Vista, is there any way to erase Vista from it's partition and free up that space for more Ubuntu space?

-Sum I-will-not-break-Ubuntu Guy
(Microsoft-free for 3 days now...and loving it!)

Very much in the same way you're allowed to drive
w/o a seat-belt and not having a warrant of fitness
on the car ...

Your car ... but does it use public roads?

Your computer - is it on the net?



Cheers,
Tink

First of all, the root account is normally locked in Ubuntu, and Ubuntu uses the password prompts instead for security.

This is what sudo passwd does: It unlocks the root account so you can log into it and not be prompted every time you go and change a system setting.

And logging into root will need to be done every time if you don't want to be prompted...

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It never ceases to amaze me how many of our members here at
LQ are happy to give poor advice. :/

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, and blame it on ignorance
rather than malice.



Cheers,
Tink

3 members found this post helpful.

Tink, why do you think my post is poor advice?

I only was agreeing with the OP's burden of migrating away from WinVista because of UAC only to be getting similar harassment (e.g. UAC-like prompts) by Linux...

But I thought one of the basic ideas behind LINUX was that it allowed the user to make it into what he wants it to be? If I were not able to log on as root, Ubuntu would be less functional than Windows, because in Windows, I can get into the registry; the system folders, etc.- in fact, I'd say it is far easier to botch-up Windows than it would be to do so to LINUX. (Just try removing a few DLL or cab files in Windows...)

One of the things that attracted me to LINUX was the ability to fully customize it and fully control it- as opposed to just being a consumer and getting an OS to merely do what you want with little flexibility but great simplicity.

While I do appreciate being warned and made aware of the potential consequences of what some have recommended, you have to understand that there is a difference between that and actually trying to dictate the level of risk that others are willing to take.

While I wouldn't want to botch-up my LINUX, if I actually DID botch it up, the consequences would not be dire for me- as I have a dual booted machine- so all of my files are safely waiting for me in the Windows partition; and I also made a hard copy back-up of really important files on DVD before I installed Ubuntu- so basically, if I totalled my OS, all I'd have to do is re-install it from the ISO CD and reconfigure my email settings and download a few things like Flash and a code pack. No biggie.

And as I stated above, I'm not going to log on as root (not unless something specific comes up which causes the need, anyway...) because I got rid of most of the annoying prompts already, and now that I have my OS configured, I will rarely be seeing the administrative prompts....so why have to log on as root every time I boot the system?

I do appreciate your concern though. Believe me, come the day that I'm staring at the terminal, wondering if what I'm about to do is correct or not...I will remember your words....while thanking the others for making it possible for me to have the power of life or death over my OS, just like i thank the Founding Fathers of the US for making it possible for me to have firearms- whether I shoot myself or protect my home from criminals with those firearms is up to me.

Ah yes, but running Linux using root is like permanently leaving the safety control off on your gun. It leaves you open to "accidents".

How's pointing him at your question to me an answer
to diamondsandrain's question to sumguy?

What people tend to chose to ignore is that as soon
as you take your vehicle onto a public road (your
computer on the net) it's not only yourself anymore
that you're putting at risk or are a potential nuisance
to. And that's the bottom line as far as I'm concerned.



Cheers,
Tink

1 members found this post helpful.

Tink, it's about sudo being like WinUAC.

I found that as a new linux user, it was easier for me to run as root while I was learning my way. I ruined my system 3 times the first month , but that was OK with me........kinda. I learned long before that anything important is to be backed up. I later learned that my systems hadn't been as ruined as I'd thought, but it was too late since I'd probably not just reinstalled, but changed distros twice by then. I don't feel that telling someone how to run as root, even in a GUI is wrong. Telling someone to do it is. I mean,is it wrong for Slackware, Arch, etc. to have the first/only user created during installation be the root account? No. There are perfectly good reasons to log in as root, and for a newbie it's probably easier, even if it is dangerous. From this thread, it seems likely that the OP is probably going to wind up on one of the less hand-holding distros anyway if he sticks to linux. He might as well learn to work as root now, if his experiences work like mine, he'll later learn WHEN to work as root.