I always considered Run Level 5 as a very bad idea, which I'll never want
to use. However, I recently run into a dillema here at the Computer
Networks farm. If I start X from the console and lock it, then a malicious
user can switch to the console from which it was invoked, press Ctrl+C or
Ctrl+Z and gain my permissions.
Naturally, there are ways to overcome it:
1. Using vlock -a on one of the virtual consoles. This renders the
computer useless except for telnetting/sshing into.
2. Using screen to run "startx" in the background. This will require to
hack a simple shell alias to do in style. However, I noticed that using it
my sound eventaully became non-functional for some reason. It's probably a
bug of some sort, but I have better things to do with my time than to try
and sort it out.
3. Using Run-Level 5. That way, no virtual console are needed to invoke
the X-server.
I eventually decided to go with option #3, because it is the simplest, and
surprisngly the most enivronmentally friendly. Obviously, if I replace my
screen or my video card here I'll have to remember to revert to
Run-Level 3.
Note that I'm still not going to use Run-Level 5 at my home computer
because none of my family is a malicious user like that AFAIC, nor do I
lock the X server. And there, I do face the possibility of a sudden change
in hardware in which case I'd still like to be able to invoke X only on
demand.
Regards,
Shlomi Fish
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shlomi Fish [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Home Page: http://t2.technion.ac.il/~shlomif/
Home E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Let's suppose you have a table with 2^n cups..."
"Wait a second - is n a natural number?"
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