Where is the good stuff hidden

Fixit7 · 06-05-2015, 07:11 PM

I installed Ubuntu.

Where are the programs other that what is on the desktop ?

Where is Gparted, konsole, etc ?

Surely there is a menu that accesses all the programs.

Can I run programs without using sudo each time ?

Can I create an account with full root access ?

(I know what I am doing.)

yancek · 06-05-2015, 07:33 PM

You can access program by clicking on the 'Dash' which is the Ubuntu circular logo at the extreme upper left of the Desktop. You will see a search box, type 'gparted' or 'terminal' or whatever you want an an icon for it should appear. Running programs, depends upon which program but most you should be able to as a normal user. The user you create when you install should have root access but you can also create a root user.

Sefyir · 06-05-2015, 09:22 PM

your questions do not imply what you claim with the last line. So beware that you will almost certainly trash your computer by using all root privileges with the assumption you know how everything works. I've been using linux for several years and I definitely don't use the root account unless absolutely necessary. It also a great opportunity to learn, so if having to reinstall your computer and potentially losing files is acceptable (they're backed up right?) then full steam ahead.
you can install gparted, konsole is likely with KDE, you can run any program without sudo but if it requires root level privileges it will fail and there is already a account with full root access called root.

Fixit7 · 06-05-2015, 10:29 PM

Your input is noted and I know that you mean well.

My questions refer to ONLY Ubuntu.

I have installed and used about 10 Linux distros.

Here is what the authors of Puppy linux have to say about running as root.

Quote:

This is a short explanation of why users run as the administrator (root) in Puppy Linux, and/or use the non-root spot and fido accounts.
root, spot, fido

In a nutshell, root login gives you total access to everything, whereas a non-root login gives you restricted access (that is configurable for each user by the administrator).

Puppy is not a multi-user system as are most other Linux distributions, in which there is a root login plus any number of non-root login accounts.

Puppy on the other-hand, has root, plus just two non-root logins, named spot and fido.

root

There are two main objections to running as root: firstly, that you might accidentally do something dumb, such as delete important files, secondly that if someone gains access to your computer, either remotely via the Internet/network, or locally, they will be at root-level and able to do much more damage than if they gained access as a non-root user.

Doing something dumb

In the case of accidentally wiping important files, which files are important to you? Your own personal files and data of course, which regardless of whether you are logged in as your non-root account, or logged-in as root, you are just as prone to doing the same dumb thing.
That is, your personal files, settings, applications, are all owned by the non-root user, and can just as easily be deleted by the non-root user as can be deleted by the administrator.

In other words, this argument against running as root is itself dumb. At least in respect to the safety of your own files.

Where the "doing something dumb" argument is valid is in a multi-user system, where the administrator could accidentally delete or otherwise compromise another user's files. However, Puppy is not multi-user.

With regard to system files, they can easily be restored, in fact Puppy makes this easy as the entire system is in one Squashfs file.

Remote access as root

What are you afraid of? Someone getting at your personal files and data, especially such things as identification and login/password data. Much of this is on your computer, and if you run a distro in which you login as a non-root user, are in files owned by your non-root account, meaning they are accessable equally by someone breaking in as non-root user or as root.

However, there are two scenarios in which running as root has a security risk, only one of which applies to Puppy.

Firstly, if you login non-root, you could bump up to root-level to perform certain operations such as keep a file of usernames and passwords. There are some applications also that use secret files owned by root, that non-root users are not supposed to read. Thus, anyone gaining access as root, can read all of those files.

A note on the side about the above paragraph: major distros such as Ubuntu allow the first user account to bump up to root just by prefixing commands with "sudo" or "su", without requiring root password, which makes the whole protection mechanism a joke. Considering that most Ubuntu users are using this first login account as their regular login.

Secondly, in a multi-user environment, the enemy may be another user. You would never have users logging in as root in that scenario. But, I repeat, Puppy is not multi-user.

Note, Puppy allows multiple session save-files, which are usually managed by one user for different usage profiles. However, this can also cater for different users, even with optional password protection on a save-file, however this is only intended to be used in a "friendly" local environment. It is a very light-weight alternative to a multi-user system.

Puppy supposes a "friendly" local environment, and the main threat is from someone gaining access to your computer via the network ports while you are online.
Which is highly unlikely in Puppy, due to the firewall, minimal daemons (with network capability disabled). But, the concern is still there...

I have been using Puppy for over a year with never a problem with malware, virus, or trojans.
[Not the case with Windoze :-) ]

As to losing files, it can not happen on my system unless all my hardware fails.

I daily backup all important files to an external drive.

I make daily disk images using Reflect Macrium.

Though it is a Windows program, it is far superior to any Linux disk image program I have used.

And faster too.

TobiSGD · 06-06-2015, 05:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fixit7

I have been using Puppy for over a year with never a problem with malware, virus, or trojans.

Is that a guess or did you actively scan for that?

Fixit7 · 06-06-2015, 06:15 AM

Scanned for those guys. :-)

I am a scientist.

I spend a lot of time looking through all files, logs, etc.

What scanner do you use ?

TobiSGD · 06-06-2015, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fixit7

Scanned for those guys. :-)

I am a scientist.

I spend a lot of time looking through all files, logs, etc.

What scanner do you use ?

Usually rkhunter and Tripwire.

JimKyle · 06-06-2015, 09:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fixit7

Here is what the authors of Puppy linux have to say about running as root.

--snipped--

I have been using Puppy for over a year with never a problem with malware, virus, or trojans.

That quote from the authors of Puppy contains a serious contradiction. They claim it is not a multi-user system, followed by the statement that it creates three users.

Perhaps they mean that they force it into single-user mode, disabling login after the initial user signs in -- but the kernel itself would fail to operate were the system users (the daemons that make everything work) not permitted to run in the background.

A much better explanation of why Ubuntu and its derivatives disable "root" by default and require use of "sudo" for doing system maintenance can be found on the Ubuntu forums. It's primarily to prevent accidental damage to critical system files. And a "sudo -i" command in the terminal provides an effective root login until canceled by an "exit" command, for those times when you're doing extensive system maintenance.

For several years now, the main line Ubuntu distribution has defaulted to the Unity interface, which (like Windows 8) aims to mimic the smartphone/tablet use case rather than the more traditional one most other distros provide. A variant called Xubuntu looks much more like conventional Linux, using the XFCE window manager and providing considerably less eye candy. Others, such as Kubuntu and Lubuntu, offer other alternatives.

John VV · 06-06-2015, 01:51 PM

as above

now ubuntu is a odd case
to create a ROOT user
-- you do not

for Debian,RHEL,slackware , and so on

a root account is default
BUT!!!!! not all distros will LET YOU "take a 45 cal. and shoot yourself in the head with it."

the GUI root login is disabled in a few ways on different distros

some distros WILL LET YOU "take a 45 cal. and shoot yourself in the head with it."

RHEL and Debain are good examples

have fun and and shoot your self

Now i DO like having a root account and will launch programs AS root
-- BUT NOT FOR NORMAL EVERYDAY THINGS!!!!

i set up a "high contrast theme with say the "nauseating headache" colors on root's gui

that way when I AM using a gui tool as root
I WANT TO END the session ASAP

using a different theme for root also very quickly informs you that YOU ARE ROOT in the gui and to TAKE CARE!!!!

JimKyle · 06-06-2015, 02:00 PM

In Xubuntu, I've created a launcher on one of the panels with the command "gksudo thunar" to launch my file manager (thunar) with root privileges, thus getting a GUI as "root" when needful. Using the "launch terminal here" utility within thunar, then, gets me a root terminal. In both cases, the GUI appearance -- by default -- is quite different from my normal usage, making it quite obvious that I am in dangerous territory.

At first, like many longtime Linux fans, I was a bit upset by the "must-use-sudo" rule, but after a few years with it, I'm quite uncomfortable working as "root."

Which is as, IMO, it should be...

widget · 06-06-2015, 06:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimKyle

In Xubuntu, I've created a launcher on one of the panels with the command "gksudo thunar" to launch my file manager (thunar) with root privileges, thus getting a GUI as "root" when needful. Using the "launch terminal here" utility within thunar, then, gets me a root terminal. In both cases, the GUI appearance -- by default -- is quite different from my normal usage, making it quite obvious that I am in dangerous territory.

At first, like many longtime Linux fans, I was a bit upset by the "must-use-sudo" rule, but after a few years with it, I'm quite uncomfortable working as "root."

Which is as, IMO, it should be...

I agree with all the above comments on working as Root user for everyday use. Is it, for instance, a good idea to have all cookies you get from sites to have root privileges.

I am not a fan of sudo. Not that I object to it at all, just the default settings that have ALL:ALL in them. This gives anyone in the sudoers group full root privileges, not at all what sudo is meant to do in a multi user system which ALL Linux kernel using OSs are by simple definition.

That said it is the OPs box and he can do as he wishes.

You do not need a launcher on your panel to open Thunar as root.

Edit>Preferences>Configure Custom Actions in Thunar.

In the basics tab;
Name = what you want in the right click menu. Mine reads "Open as Hephaestus" (I am a Blacksmith)

Command = "gksu thunar %f"

In the Appearance Conditions tab;
Check only the directories box.

Right click on any directory in your user land Thunar and the option to open as root will be there.

Dave Lerner · 06-06-2015, 09:50 PM

This article may be helpful:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RootSudo

Also, if you don't like the default Ubuntu desktop, you can install other Desktop Environments, such as xfce4 (Meta-package for the Xfce Lightweight Desktop Environment) and lxde (Meta-package for the Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment). Xfce uses the more traditional application menu; Lxde uses a simpler popup menu.