I am trying antiX, using IceWM, in a virtual box. Is the root account locked by default in antiX? I can neither log in to it nor, in either the liveCD's demo mode or a user account, find a package manager (which the designers might not bother making visible if root were locked) to install software.

I am using the full version of antiX, not the base version.

To log in as root do the following:

1. Type nogui at grub screen then press enter

2. Enter root & password at the prompt

3. Now type startx then press enter

You can also use the su command from within a terminal.

Many distro's are slowly trying to discourage that by design. The suggested or preferred method is to use sudo.

They are choosing to disregard user freedom in the name of safety, and are also assuming the user is ignorant of the dangers of using the root account. Oh, please--I've heard the lectures about the root account on and off since I started using Linux eight years ago. Every (legal) thing I do with my copy of a Linux distro, including whether I use the root account (for whatever reason) should be my decision.

And the reason I sought to open the root account is because I couldn't find a package manager in my antiX user account--there's nothing in the menu that I can identify as a package manager--and I was hoping the root account had access to one. (I'm unfamiliar with IceWM.) I wanted to install software.

Hmph. If the root account is indeed locked in antiX, I should defeat the designers' intent by remastering a copy with root unlocked and then sharing it online.

antiX-full uses synaptic (or apt-get from command line). Once logged in as user (demo by default in live mode), open a terminal, type sux followed by root password (root in live mode) and then synaptic or whatever gui app you want to run.
sudo is not set up by default in antiX.

If you really want to login as root, then similar to {BBI}Nexus{BBI} post except instead of nogui cheat, use the number 3.

Edit: To enable root login, simply copy the .xinitrc file from user directory to /root.

1 members found this post helpful.

Clearly you know nothing about anticapitalista (creator of antix)... !

Anti, thanks for weighing in and clearing things up... your distro rocks and it's always nice to see you posting on the various forums.

1 members found this post helpful.

No they're not, you are still free to use root, it's just not easy to find. I think the precaution is geared more towards the newbie user. You have had 8 yrs to get to know your way around Linux, and I bet you didn't start running as root straight away. I don't see anyone lecturing you about running as root. It's up to the devs to decide how to present their distro. If it's not to your liking there are plenty more to choose from that will give you your 'defacto' freedom that you think has been curtailed. I would have thought after 8 yrs you would know how to search for the solution instead of posting a rant.

Main Page - antiX - http://antix.mepis.org/index.php?title=Main_Page
Use 'sux' rather than 'su' when opening GUI apps as root in a terminal.
Sudo is not configured by default. antiX is not Ubuntu!

Proper way to open apps as root in X - http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=53366

snowpine, and thanks to you for posting on various forums suggesting antiX (as well as other excellent light-weight distros). Much appreciated.

Thanks, that was everything I needed to know. Now I won't need to login as root. I suspected that not even sudo was enabled in antiX--Synaptic not being in the user account menu hinted at it. Now that's going too far--antiX users have to jump through extra hoops to make any safe and reasonable use of root (sudoing), much less to login as root. Thank you also, {BBI}Nexus{BBI}.

No, not really. I'm still a novice user; I'm just not an irresponsible idiot who uses the root account unnecessarily.

synaptic is in the menu. Applications -> Preferences-> Synaptic

It is also in the antiX control centre under System -> Manage Packages.

The FAQ (installed and on line) mentions this.

This looks like I'm blind, but I plead that my antiX had not installed correctly in the virtual machine. I just reinstalled it, and now there are Synaptic and various other items that weren't there before. (It would not be the first time a LiveCD has screwed up when installing to my hard drive. Occasionally, one installs to my hard drive with the demo mode available.)

Well, of course I don't know anything about Anticapitalista. I don't know anyone from LQ personally, and I don't know any biographical details about any user, except in a few cases I gather that a user is a programmer or does work for LQ.

There are more shades of root use than either sudoing or logging in as root. In my antiX installation, I just tried to edit the sources list in /etc/apt to add some repositories, but can't do it because that file is owned by root. Normally, I would right-click and then select "open as root," but that option naturally doesn't exist. So I have to use one of the methods discussed in this thread, ultimately just so I can add repositories containing KDE Trinity and install it. What a mess. I'll try Anticap's instruction to copy the .xinitrc file from user directory to /root. It doesn't sound like it would work, for the same reason I couldn't modify the sources.list--presumably root owns its .xinitrc file. But a guy who can design a fork of a distro knows what he's doing.

IceWM is nice; if I wanted to leave KDE, I'd probably keep IceWM. But I don't want to leave KDE. The only reason I'm messing around with AntiX and IceWM is because the regular MEPIS 11 is over 1 GB. I didn't have any blank DVDs lying around, but I had plenty of blank CDs for burning music and burning the MEPIS ISOs that used to fit onto CDs. I know full well that if I installed the regular MEPIS, I would promptly find a large amount of software that I don't need, because that's what always happens when I install a new copy of MEPIS.

Sudo is not enabled by default in AntiX. I am assuming you have installed AntiX and are not running as a live session.

Open a terminal. Type in

type in password and hit enter.
At the # root prompt in terminal type in
Edit to your hearts content.

OOPs, responded through LQSpy. I did not read previous posts in this thread.

Another way is go to Menu>run
Type in check the box to run as root. Type in password to open Thunar as root. Move around files and edit files to your Hearts content.

Happy Trails, Rok

Forgive my ignorance -- what is sux?