Package Installer running as priveleged user
 

I'm logged in as root and want to run Add/Remove Software (Package Installer) but get the message telling me
What the .... How must I install applications?

Surely the world is getting paranoid with all this hackers and viruses, because with every new version O/S, the security features gets more and more; up to the point that you can't fricken do and play around with your pc as you would.

Now also my selinux pops up for every little thing.

Aaaarg :-<

F10 is pretty serious about not being logged in as root (right or wrong). What they prefer you to do is to fire up the app (as a users) and then allow it to ask for the root password.

If the app is a GUI thing, you can fire it up from a GUI terminal / konsole / xterm (which you are logged into as yourself) like this:

kdesu appname if running KDE
gtksu appname if running gnome

I am surprised your distro doesn't just have a GUI menu entry for "Your Package Manager", which when clicked, prompts you for the root password (which may be your PW if you are running one of the 'buntus). Mine has had this for years. Click, enter password, choose package, install, use it.

It is a very bad idea to run a GUI desktop as root. No arguments will be entered into ;)

Thanks.

BTW,why I run GUI as root? Because I don't know how to run GUI apps as root (I do know su in console). So when I need to extract an archive, I get this unprivileged error every time. Consequently, its easier to just GUI in root.

Unless you are trying to extract the archive in area that the user does not have write privileges, you can extract archives as a regular user.


You do understand the difference between su and su - (su space dash)?

Most gui apps can be started from a terminal as root by: su - <enter> give root password<enter> name of app<enter>.

gksudo

Maybe, I'm still a young Linux user. Then explain the difference. I use su<enter>password<enter> in konsole to do administrative things. But if I'm trying to install, for ex. a php in my web dir, or want to create folders there, I need root privileges. Many things I can do with konsole, but I don't have ALL the konsole commands to only use konsole, therefore I still use GUI.

su gives you root power but with only the user's path. su - gives you root power and root's path. For the most part you are better off always using su -.

You can do anything using su - that you can do by logging in as root. If you do I as described in post #5 you can use all the gui apps via su -, without logging in as root.

Thanks!