Re: [newbie] OT?, help convince my b/f running as root is bad!

[robin]

Anne Wilson wrote:

On Monday 03 Feb 2003 3:14 am, Robert Wideman wrote:

On Linux
systems i create a user and logon using that user but i "su -" to do 90% of
my work/playing around.

So tell me why you aren't in just as much danger as he is for 90% of your time?

When you use "su", only those programs you open from that terminal have root priveleges. If you log in as root, all the other stuff does as well. Like your Internet browser, for example (which reminds me, AFAIK the only way to use Mozilla's automatic add-on installation is to run it as root, whcih I really don't like - can't they just allow you to download as a normal user then enter the root password to complete the installation?).

Sir Robin


--
" Like these cutters, and hackers, who will take the wall of men, and picke quarrells."
- G. Pettie

Robin Turner
IDMYO
Bilkent Univeritesi
Ankara 06533
Turkey

www.bilkent.edu.tr/~robin

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