Exactly, system oriented tasks on a multi-user system are done by the admin, not the normal user.
Just because there are a lot of Linux desktops around doesn't mean Unix isn't Unix.
Having a clear separation of root vs others is a good idea, as is enabling as many services as possible to have their own user and dropping privs asap.

even with all of this it is STILL possible to log in ( using the GUI) in fedora AS ROOT
there is a not recommended hack or launch it from the terminal as root
if i WANT TO i can start nautilus as root and have a GUI . it is no big deal .

Personally, if I wanted to run a POS windows machine, I would have installed a number of POS windows machines! This horeshit about wanting to become more 'windows-like to gain market share' defeats the purpose of NOT BEING Windows in the first place!

Many of us work in a linux environment where there IS A NEED for a root login instead of sudo. Many of us know what the hell it means to be root-aware. Many linux users (read new linux/former Windows) are barely comfy with the command-line. Ergo they dont need nor do they warrant access to the root.

If I as an admin (whether at home or my job) have a number of tasks I need to perform from a host, then I am going to login once and only once as root, do what I need to do and get out. By 'dumbing down' linux, they are not advancing the case for a high-powered OS. They are essentially nuetering the dog.

jcipale

You are aware that you can use all the root gui tools via su - ? The only root task that I have not been able to figure out this way is to empty root's trashcan.

I'm not entirely sure what your point is - power users and admins can very easily log in as root by simply tweaking the config, assuming they don't just run gksudo or whatever.

When I run software installs or tools like SAP, Oracle, DB2, whatever I usually have connected to the remote host via ssh -X and then the display for the admin command is piped back to my desktop. I certainly don't run my local desktop X as root, nor do I run an X desktop on a server.

All this is rather beside the point, however. The simple fact of the matter is that the two major Window Managers for F/OSS have chosen to disable the root login by default. It's F/OSS - feel free to go complain or simply edit your config. You can even just switch to a Window Manager that doesn't do this by default.

Thanks for that information. I use the graphical root login all of the time when something doesn't work. For example, (trivial but makes the point) I was having a hard time getting my pictures to be saved as a desktop background. I had a photo program which could change any picture you edited and make it the desktop background.... except that feature didn't work under my user account.

Therefore, I ran as root graphically to see if it would work there. Sure enough, it did. Therefore, I had to go into my pictures and make sure that I had full permissions for them and then went into the /usr/share/backgrounds directory to put the pictures that I wanted as wallpapers into that folder so I had the option to install them.

Now, I have the desktop I want.

Of course, this may be a pretty stupid reason to login as root graphically. What if it was some other important function or application?

Obviously, you should always use a user account for 99% of your normal routine & save root for when you are actually fixing something in Linux.

BTW: M$ Vista does the same thing, disabling the administrator account. Of course, M$ is a lot less secure so doing that in Vista is less intrusive.

I'm very security aware. My network isn't open. My hard drive is encrypted, protecting my data and personal information. A graphical root login.... with the complex root password, will not make my machine unsafe.