Hi,
I'm new to Linux and the idea of 'commands'. I don't know what a registry is, or what busses or bridges are. Just so you understand quite how much of a newbie I am.

I need to use Sudo infront of some commands, if not, it comes up with a warning saying that I should do. Though it still does what I expect it to so if someone could explain the risks, that'd be helpful but that's not my main queriy.
When I enter [sudo] infront of the command it asks for my password. If I put my password in it just asks me to try again.
Also, should I need to press enter before typing the password, because it won't let me do anything untill I've pressed enter at the moment.
Also it only gives me two tries then tells me it's given me three.


Any ideas?

what follows is what you should be typing, the italics are things you define, and each new line indicates that an [enter] was pressed:

sudo command
password

And the password is the system administrator, or root, password. Usually it's not the password you used to login. However, if you are using ubuntu, sometimes it's your password that'll work.

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you could just edit the /etc/sudoers file. add your user ex: steve ALL(ALL)=ALL or something of that sort.

Actually, sudo (usually) requires your personal non-root passwd.


su -

usually requires the root passwd, although you can use it to switch to any user if you know the passwd.

http://linux.die.net/man/1/su
http://linux.die.net/man/8/sudo

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When typing your password will will not see * for every character you type, that is useful to prevent anybody sitting next to you to know the number of characters of your password. So he will have to guess everything.

3 strikes and you are out, sounds like ubuntu. The reason why you only get 2 is that you hit 'enter' first. Think of 'enter' as enter what I have put in and RETURN me to the begining of the next line, so if there's nowt there it counts it as one strike.
Sudo, is a temporary root privilege SU is more lasting but why do you need 'root'? Avoid if possible, otherwise you risk bug*****g the system if your not sure what you are doing.
To my mind the command line, on a single user system, is used for speed and convenience, when it ceases to be that just use the GUI.

Fred.

I tried this out but my laptop won't display the 'Sudoers'
file claiming it's an uknown type.

It turns out that is exactly what ubuntu was doing but not entering *. Not even moving the cursor. But the password was going in.

I'm attempting to connect to the internet using a wireless connection. I'm following these - https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Wi...ingGuide#check - instructions.
I typed in the 'lshw' command and I got a warning telling me I should always use sudo for such commands. So I did and started getting the problem with the password.

Thanks for time and help everyone.
The password I was given with the laptop (there is no login password) works fine but the Terminal doesn't let you know you're typing anything.
I just wonder why the 'Sudoers' file is of an uknown type. I'm worried I'm going to need to access it at some point.

What's telling you that it's an unknown type? Unlike Windows, Linux does not have the concept of "file extensions".

Linux does not have a "registry".

file ending - program associations are only provided by an optional program called the desktop environment, which is basically like a framework in which programs written for the DE (desktop environment) use. The most common ones are GNOME, KDE, and XFCE.

sudo is only used if you want to do something as administrator (aka "root user" or "super user"). Most files outside your home directory belong to the root user, and their permissions are set so that only the owner can modify them. So you must use sudo if you modify files outside your home directory of run programs that will attempt to do so.

As said above, for security reeasons, when typing in a passwd at the cmd line, Linux does not show any activity. This is to stop shoulder-surfing guys guessing the length.
However, the passwd will go in.
Remember Linux is case sensitive for everything at the cmd line eg there is no such file as Sudoers, its sudoers.
Please open a terminal and run the cmd

id

then try

sudo bash

and use the passwd you've been given, then run the 'id' cmd again.
Post the results.
Also try

cat /etc/*lsb*
cat /etc/*release*
cat /etc/*issue*