Newbie - New uses can't do squat. Stuck with using root. ???!
 

OK. Be kind to the new guy! I am learning.

Al right. I've been doing everything as root because.. I haven't had much choice. I have created a new user. The KDE user manager in 14 helps but... it's not helping. The user has no permission to do anything except run apps. I have thrown every possible group I can at said user. N change.

I can't do anything. I can't create a new directory or run chmod, or view videos or anything!

Clearly I am missing something obvious here (though what counts as obvious in Linux is rather distinct from any other OS.)

Can someone point me to how I give a user real permission or what I gotta do here?

Oh, I've tried sudo but my user isn't in the sudousers list and that's killing me too but one thing at a time.

Thanks. I'll get there.

First
Linux is NOT Microsoft Windows
stop thinking like it is
an analogy
Microsoft is the USA "English " system of measure
-- foot, yard, mile , cup, quart

Linux is like "Metric"
CM,M,Km, cc, L


you do things very differently


second
Slackware is NOT designed for the "new to linux" user in mind

it is designed for use by experts
or
new users who want a VERY HARD challenge

think of it this way
yes a 5th grader ? Might? be able to finish and pass a 3'd/ 4'th year collage calculus course
-- but it will be VERY difficult

I would download "Linux Mint 14
http://www.linuxmint.com/

it has been specifically designed with the "new to linux" user in mind

and READ and reread the documentation
have a good read through the mint forums
http://forums.linuxmint.com/


basically you have to relearn how to do things
" Linux is NOT MS Windows "

Whoa! Hang on! I said be kind to the newbie. Up to now people have been very helpful.

I am aware of the differences in Linux and Windows. Now, I am not a programmer but I have spent 15 years in the IT industry and I have used a MASS of OS's. I'm not a C programmer and I am more a born teacher than I am a techie but I am NOT dumb!

I am also pleased with my progress so far. Slackware 14 is somewhat distinct from previous versions. It gives newbies like me a starter where it did not before. Result: I am making progress and I am happy so far. This is just the next step.

If I really can't handle slackware I'll shift but telling me, "Look Kid, yer not up to it, skip out and plug with your jellymolds" is not a help. I have chosen slackware with my eyes open. I have stated elsewhere why I chose slackware.

So, could someone help answer the question? Thank you.

Firstly the correct way to create a new user is to open a terminal, and as root run the 'adduser' command.

Follow the prompts, you can just hit enter for most options, but be sure to hit the 'up arrow' when asked which UNIX groups the new user should belong too. After that you should be able to login as the new user and then 'startx'.


Regarding sudo, as root run the command 'visudo' and find the line
and add an identical line below it with your username instead of 'root'.

I'd just add to what D1ver stated that usually you do not need sudo at all with Slackware.

Once you will have your problem solved (hopefully very soon), do everything as a regular used and when you need the root permissions or ownership to fulfill some task or run some program, if under X just fire up a terminal and type su (or su - to get root's environment). Well, I guess you already know that, so that's just a reminder.

Hi D1ver and Didier,

Thanks for your help. This is more like it.

I should have mentioned earlier… I have used the adduser command and successfully added my new user. I have also successfully added groups to the user. I found the KDE user tool *after* using the CLI and was able to check. (I promise, I only post here if I really, really can't find the answer on from online documentation first! I swear!) The KDE tool confirmed the users existence and groups. Well, I have added the kitchen sink to the user and… nothing. I can run apps and view external devices and that's it. I can't write to a flash drive. I can’t even play media files. (There's no permission warning on the last one, it just doesn't happen.) Trying to run ANY CLU command outside of 'ls' returns a permissions error. Everything is fine as root but I can't stay there. I am missing something. I can log on as the user but no matter his group membership - I can’t do anything.

I have tried using visudo (I swear - I do check online first!!) and you know? It won’t let me edit! Even as root! I try typing anything - nothing moves. I can’t insert, delete or change. But if I generate a new vim file, I can!! This is when logged on as root BTW. Yes, I have checked that I am in edit mode.

It's like the security on slackware 14 is totally locked down and I can't shift it using normal means. Is there something extra in version 14?

It's something silly I'm missing. But my user exists and is a member of every damn group imaginable!
Nuffin. There's a 0 needing to be set 1 somewhere, I can smell it!

Thanks again.

---------- Post added 02-17-13 at 04:34 PM ----------

Hi D1ver and Didier,

Thanks for your help. This is more like it.

I should have mentioned earlier… I have used the adduser command and successfully added my new user. I have also successfully added groups to the user. I found the KDE user tool *after* using the CLI and was able to check. (I promise, I only post here if I really, really can't find the answer on from online documentation first! I swear!) The KDE tool confirmed the users existence and groups. Well, I have added the kitchen sink to the user and… nothing. I can run apps and view external devices and that's it. I can't write to a flash drive. I can’t even play media files. (There's no permission warning on the last one, it just doesn't happen.) Trying to run ANY CLU command outside of 'ls' returns a permissions error. Everything is fine as root but I can't stay there. I am missing something. I can log on as the user but no matter his group membership - I can’t do anything.

I have tried using visudo (I swear - I do check online first!!) and you know? It won’t let me edit! Even as root! I try typing anything - nothing moves. I can’t insert, delete or change. But if I generate a new vim file, I can!! This is when logged on as root BTW. Yes, I have checked that I am in edit mode.

It's like the security on slackware 14 is totally locked down and I can't shift it using normal means. Is there something extra in version 14?

It's something silly I'm missing. But my user exists and is a member of every damn group imaginable!
Nuffin. There's a 0 needing to be set 1 somewhere, I can smell it!

Thanks again.

Er, sorry about the double post. I have no idea how that happened. But I am dead tired.
I'm pumping twelve hour days six days a week. Can't wait for my new contract and some kind of life.

That sounds suspiciously like a directory permissions error somewhere. I've seen it happen before when a malformed package with bad permissions is installed. Any chance that the top level directory perms got changed somehow?

Looking at ls -lad / you should see execute access for everyone. Of course, if that's the issue perhaps other directories have bad permissions as well.

Just in case, you might try reinstalling a few packages as root. That'll clean up the perms on any directories they contain. Head on over to the A series and give this a try:

upgradepkg --reinstall coreutils*txz

That'll at least fix up the top level perms, /bin, and /usr/bin/.

What a K**b

The guy asks for help and this is how you treat him.

Now I'm not afraid to criticise the things that I see in Slack that could maybe be improved upon, but I would never put of anyone trying to learn.

And I 3rd D1ver and Didier. But Pat's advice is likely the way to go :)

Good luck

Mr volerdi, methinks you have it!!

‘cause I just re-installed slackware 14 from scratch, went through the same procedure I tried before and now everything works! How things got messed up I do not know but I am in ‘New OS experiment mode’ so anything is possible. But I take the destructive approach to learning an OS. “Get yourself a nice, clean PC (in the old country it would be second hand but no can do here in Indonesia,) keep the install disks to hand, then read, play and experiment. And be ready to re-install from scratch at least once a week until you’re proficient.”

So it will be a while before the netbook becomes a general purpose device. ;-)

But thank you. That is information I will log for the future. And I have learnt a few more commands today almost by accident. I took some lucky guesses!

Didier, I did NOT know about su – though it makes sense now I’ve tried it. I’ve been running (slackware) Linux for around twelve days now I think so there is MUCH I do not know!! I have used the su temp login to happy effect just now. Perfect!

Now I can move on up the learning curve again.
Thanks to everyone.

And I swear, I only post questions when online documentation does not answer my query! Honest!

Just in case you didn't know that yet: to go back to your regular user after 'su' or 'su -' just hit Ctrl-D (this command can be used to log out or close a session. It can close the terminal as well).

Netnovice,
If you are wanting to be able to use the command "sudo" versus using "su -", this URL has a method that worked well for me:

http://gnu-linux-slackware.blogspot....oers-file.html


Users can execute commands that are usually restricted to the root account using sudo program. The sudo configuration file
location is /etc/sudoers.

Open /etc/sudoers file with your favorite text editor as root, then remove comment character, #, in front of line
"%wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL" and save.

# visudo

or

# nano /etc/sudoers

...
# Uncomment to allow people in group wheel to run all commands
# %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL
...

Change above line as in below and save file.
...
# Uncomment to allow people in group wheel to run all commands %wheel ALL=(ALL) ALL
...

You need to add your user name to group wheel also.

# gpasswd -a user wheel

(Replace user with your user name)

Now you can execute some privileged commands using sudo as user without becoming root with su. For example it is possible to edit system file inittab as user executing below command.

$ sudo nano /etc/inittab



The "groups" that you will likely need to belong to (depending on your system usage) are listed below:

users lp wheel floppy dialout audio video cdrom plugdev power netdev scanner vboxusers


You can find the groups that are currently assigned, by opening a Terminal and using the following command:

groups


Another thing I'd like to see if a listing of your previously executed commands in your Terminals history. Will you capture
those in a file, editing to remove the typical commands like ls -alt, but leaving the ones that may have changed your system
such as chmod, chown, etc.

To capture the history file, then edit the contents, do the following in a Terminal:

history > myhist.txt
nano myhist.txt

Then post the file, or reduced contents so we can see what has been executed.


Did you VERIFY the hash of the Slackware ISO (CDR) after downloading to make sure it's hash was correct? If not, that could be
another source of problems.


Don't give up. Keep using Slackware 14, just disregard those postings that contain no valid information pertaining to your request.


Good Luck.

Larry

I won't give up! I've wrestled with pigs before!!! I mean, I take pride in the fact I could make Windows 3.0 USABLE! (Actually, I LIKED 3.0. Technically it stank but Windows 3.1 was sooo boring even while adding improvements!) Trust me, if you could see what I had to put up with in the old country with an ancient VB bloatware program that used (uses!) a FLAT FILE DB system which we were FORCED to crowbar to run with Oracle (when EVERYONE said it would take longer than rewriting the code from scratch - and we were proven right) and muggins was the guy who had to write the installation and data set up manual for the flat file system before he left... I've down low level. At least 14 gives me a foothold. That's all I need. Once I can *start* on an OS than I can play and break, play and break until I get it! I'm not afraid to reinstall!

Oh, and I am called Larry! I swear! Glad to meet me! :D

All cool info here. Thanks guys!
Though I'm so used to dropping to DOS from Windows 3.x (don't ask!) that I tend not to use the console but drop straight to the CLI and 'exit.' (That's actuallu where Slackware scores. I get to do that.)

But all info is good info! I'll log that too!

And Larry, your info is excellent. I will investigate tomorrow.