Thoughts about running as root

[Lucas Peet]

I must agree with Brian here.

You're either one of two:  A user on the system, in which you use it for
everyday tasks, or the superuser.  When setting up the system from the
install, I have no problems doing *everything* as root - you need to be to
get it configured.  Once that's done, create a user and some groups, and up
his privileges to more of 'poweruser'.  (Access to the CD-RW, able to mount
floppies and some filesystems, etc...)  Then *use* the system.  If you come
across anything else that needs to be done, become root and do it.  Then
drop out of root and use it.

Not to mention that some things are required to be done as a normal user
(eg. rebuilding an RPM from it's SRPM)...

There are times when I'll be doing some admin stuff on my box, and decide I
need some help, so I hop on IRC...once I get logged in and see that I'm
still root, I'll drop right off, log back in as my normal user, and then go
back to IRC.  Plus, it's easier to be sure your system is secure, as any
permission issues you'll be able to spot a lot easier.

And especially if you have anything of any importance on the system, better
safe than sorry.  Otherwise...hope you run backups every day...

Now, if you're not spending much time in userland, actually using the
system, rather performing administrative tasks, you kinda need to be root to
do most of that.  But if you're running apps, using the wordprocessor for
your resume or what have you...no need for root.  A good rule of thumb is
"Do I really need to be root to do this?"  Try it with a normal user first -
if you can't, then do it as root.

I was the same when I started with Linux, but after a while, I decided that
if all those gurus and authors, etc... are telling me not to do it...they
must know something I don't.

Those are my thoughts on the subject...

-Lucas

----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Densmore" <DensmoreB at ctbsonline.com>
To: <kclug at kclug.org>
Sent: Friday, August 30, 2002 2:29 PM
Subject: RE: Thoughts about running as root

> I have done some damage as root. But I don't come from a sysadmin
> background.
> I always log in as a user and if I need root privilege I just su to root
> and do what I need.
> I have also altered my default sign on to give me the power I need as a
> user to do some
> none critically destructive things. Like burning a CD. I also have added
> the kdesu to many of the GUI menu items that I consider to be the realm
> of root. This forces me to think before acting.
> "Do I really know what it is I am doing here?"
> "Do I really want to do this as root?"
> "Is it safe?" [pan to Dustin Hoffman]
>
> $0.02,
> Brian
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jonathan Hutchins [mailto:hutchins at opus1.com]
> > Sent: Friday, August 30, 2002 2:12 PM
> > To: kclug at kclug.org
> > Subject: Thoughts about running as root
> >
> >
> > Ever since I started messing with Linux, there's been this
> > conflict.  All
> > the experienced gurus, authors, and pundits strictly advise
> > against running
> > as root.  With a new install, especially of the older
> > distributions, you
> > can't do squat except as root.  Even now, most of my time in
> > Linux is not
> > spent in userland, but working on the system.
> >
> > As with the "warning" on editing your crontab, though, I
> > think this is a
> > spurious caution.  Most of the "errors" that they warn you
> > about are errors
> > that would only be made by someone with a good deal of
> > experience running
> > Linux as a user.  For instance, I've never issued "rm -r *"
> > or it's deadly
> > variants in years of use.
> >
> > It may be that having come from a system-level environment,
> > either running
> > DOS on PC's or running JCL and system management on
> > mainframes, I'm more
> > aware of what I'm doing.  Or it may just be that the habits
> > I've built up in
> > Linux are based on the fact that I'm root, and I know I can affect the
> > system if I don't pay attention.
> >
> > So while it's fairly dangerous for someone with a lot of Unix user
> > experience to run Linux as root, for me it's no worse than
> > running DOS as
> > ... well, running DOS.
> >
> >
> >
> > majordomo at kclug.org
> >
>
>
>