/root

vfs · 05-16-2002, 03:10 PM

Did you ever shot a 12 gauge double-barreled shotgun's barrels at the same time? No?

Well... Always logging as root looks like shooting this way on your feet.

Be a lil asleep and type:

rm -rf /

instead of

rm -rf /uselessdir

for example

As regular user, all you can destroy is your own data. Some days ago I destroyed my $HOME, but my family's files were protected from my stupidity. Think what could happen if I was root.

"However, it's your system" -- from aaa_base.tgz Slackware's package tag.

vfs

sewer_monkey · 06-07-2002, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by cdhjrt

This is only true on Win9x flavors of Windoze, on NT flavors users are by default unprivileged. Its the upper management of some companies that insist they need to install software and do other "neat" things on their systems which force sysadmins (kicking and screaming) to make them local admins.

Yup. Possibly the only smart thing M$ did in their lifetime, and they removed that too with Windoze XP. All XP users are admins by default.

mace · 06-07-2002, 07:54 PM

log in as average.joe.loser then "su" to perform said functions.

sakeeb · 06-07-2002, 11:48 PM

when i wan just new to linux , i run the command cat >/etc/passwd as root and saw nothing(actually i wanted cat /etc/passwd). so exit by pressing ctrl-D. so after a reboot i could not get into any of the accont. and i reinstalled the system.

so playing as root in linux will be dangerous especially when you are not familiar with the commands

tunedLow · 06-08-2002, 04:03 AM

avg_joe_loser here,

Just last night I finished installing my first Slackware. Later, I was installing a program that created its own subdir called usr. I went to rm it and out of force of habit I typed /usr.

As soon as I did I realized my mistake, but it was too late. Ended up reinstalling everything. The good side is that I learned a few more things with this install. Run as user.

MasterC · 06-08-2002, 04:22 AM

That's gotta suck. During my install of LFS, I forgot to type $LFS and instead of installing VIM in /LFS/.... I installed it in / Which probably doesn't mean anything, but it sure could have sucked if it were something like GCC or glibc.

Muddy · 06-08-2002, 07:59 AM

well I'm lazy, but no so lazy I can't type su and my password... I'm always fat fingering crap anyhow.... I shudder to think what damage I'd do if I was root all the time.

Noerr · 06-08-2002, 10:46 AM

root stuff kinda annoys me. It should have been like in windoze where any user can be admin if it's set so
and unless you're root you can do much in linux console. For X doesn't really matter

shoot2kill · 06-08-2002, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sewer_monkey

Yup. Possibly the only smart thing M$ did in their lifetime, and they removed that too with Windoze XP. All XP users are admins by default.

Microsoft still make the same silly mistake again and again, years and after years. That is to shutdown the windoze, or to log-off, one has still need to go through the START button.

therion12 · 06-08-2002, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by shoot2kill

Microsoft still make the same silly mistake again and again, years and after years. That is to shutdown the windoze, or to log-off, one has still need to go through the START button.

Umm no, you can make a shortcut to shutdown, restart, and log-off on the desktop. There is a trick for doing it. I dont remember exactly what the command is, becuase i like the start button personally.

shoot2kill · 06-08-2002, 06:07 PM

what i wanted to emphasize is that refering to one who would like to shutdown or log-off windoze, because he or she wants to end the session, why would one need a start button for to end a session?

Psycho · 06-08-2002, 11:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by sewer_monkey

Hmmmm... I think you should urgently apply a certain patch to fix the vulnerability to the freeporn virus...

http://www.bbspot.com/News/2001/05/hole.html

Mwahaaa. What a maroon. Running as root (most likely in X even) and launching a shell script from an email without even looking at it first?!? Jeez, I hope someone explained what happened to him, just before they lopped off his admin rights.

Back to boot camp, Bozo

<edit>Same for the dipstick NT admin that tried to run it and passed it on. That didn't even look like a legitimate cert advisory come to think of it.

Hello, internet... Here there be dragons, idiots.</edit>