Hello all! I am using ubuntu 7.04 and disabled the gnome login manager. Why? Because i enjoy very few people understanding how to use my computer even if they steal my log on info...its just cool no matter how much sense it doesn't make. So to shut down I have to use:
or

Is there a way to make the commands usable by users other than root?

Yeah, you set up sudo to do it.

One of the things I dislike about the *buntus is their bastardization of sudo. Sudo was meant to give normal users root access to specific commands like halt or shutdown. However, the *buntus decided that essentially replacing root with sudo was a good idea.

However, sudo probably still works the way it should, which means you use visudo to edit the sudoers file and give specific users access to those commands.

Another way to do it would be to set up a group that has access to these commands and then add users to that group. In a number of distros the wheel group does this. As long as your permissions are correct, it should work.

you mentioned that the root account was replaced, however , the root account on my ubuntu laptop is still there. I had to reset the password for the root account then it works. i can do su root no problem. would you explain a bit more what you mean by replaced?
it seems that ubunuts have decided to give the Linux MAC OS feel.... which will make it easier for home/normal users to operate.

I didn't say that they replaced root, but rather that they abused the living daylights out of sudo. You're right, all of the *buntus do have a root account that can be activated and used like in any normal Linux distro.

I realize their intent was to try and force people to not log in as root for absolutely everything, but the problem is that by using sudo they way they have they have 1) effectively created a huge level of ignorance around root and 2) not really solved anything since you still have an "administrator" account that can do just as much damage as root. I think that their approach camouflages/desensitizes new Linux users to the real dangers of root, and a MUCH better approach would be to educate them, not obfuscate.

when i insatlled Ubuntu for the first time, i was surprised that it didn't ask me for a root passwod. i was like: what the Heck! then i realized that the normal account have been given a lot of rights. i reset the passwod on root and played with sudo to downgrade my normal day to day account.
For me, i still do any administrative task doing su root. that's what i'm used to do anyway.
i totaly agree that the root account has been underminded and users how are new to linux might forget about the root account completly if they started out with *buntus. Easy to use but every linux user should be intrudeced to the root concept. in my opinion, they should have done it like redhats where the OS asks for the root password when you want to change somethings.
i give *buntus easy to use plus though. to get my firefox, mplayer, mplayaer plugin and others installed on slackware, i would need about 30-45 minutes to compile, install and test. with ubuntu's GUI package managment it takes 1 minute not more. i like ubuntu's and i believe that this distro is going to be real popular in the next coming years... for bussiness i believe that sudo should be uninsatlled and reinstalled from scratch.

Even on systems with 'normal' root accounts, I have always set up my account to have a sudo ALL permission. I just feel it saves me a lot of time, and perhaps it's more of a power-user way to do things. I like the Ubuntu way: it helps reduce lost/forgotten passwords while still providing a layer of security. And note that it is only the first account (setup during install) that (by default) gets the full (or any) sudo privileges.