Re: Next distro?

On 05/23/2007 01:51 PM somebody named Douglas S. Oliver wrote:
> ken wrote:
>
>
>>;> I just made a couple of little tweaks, for example I made a root
>;>> account so I could su - and not have to sudo for all my work. Sudo is
>>> fine and safer, but if I need to run a number of programs that need
>;>> root access, it's easier to simply become root. To do that, I simply
>>> needed to make a root password. I used: sudo passwd and entered the
>>> new password when prompted--really easy.

Given the below, this is a good thing to know about Ubuntu. I too spend
quite a bit of time as root, so much so that I perpetually have a
terminal window logged into root so I can jump to it, run a few or a few
dozen commands, and then get back to what I was doing previously. I
couldn't see having to type a passphrase that often and would think that
it could actually be *less* secure in some circumstances.

>> Every linux distro I've ever installed (dozens... going back to kernel
>> v.0.9.13) always required creating a root password as part of the
>> initial install of the system. (?)
>
> Well this is one of the interesting surprises with Ubuntu. At set up and
> install, you're only asked for a personal password--NOT root. That's why
> everything has to be done via sudo. It took me a second to realize what
>; I needed to do. Once I set up a true root password, I was all set to go.

If I go with Ubuntu, I'll be doing the same

>>>; Because I often prefer to use a text console with my favorite
>>> programs, I had to install the programs that don't typically come
>;>> with X. For example, vim, joe. As far as I know, all the usual
>>> compiling programs are there by default, and if not, they're easy to
>>> install. It is not easy to boot directly into a text console.
>> Do you mean boot up *not* into the GUI...? so that you have just a
>> black and white screen with a CLI prompt?
>
> Yup.
>;
>>;> You have to remove the gdm boot script from the rc3 folder (I'm on a
>
> That's remove the /etc/rc3.d/S13gdm soft linked file. Ubuntu basically
> copies or links all the rcX.d files to the same place. This means that
>; if you want to force a cli or tui, you need to telinit 1. Of course, if
> I'm correct, you then do not have the multi user protections present in
> run level 3. Stopping the gui from loading makes it kind of like RedHat
> run level 3, which is how I first learned to use Linux in 1998. I first
> started using computers in 1976 pre dos days, so I don't shy away from a
> B/W terminal.

The standard way to do this has always been to edit /etc/inittab,
changing the line

id:5:initdefault:

to

id:3:initdefault:

(changing the runlevel from "5" to "3").

Does Ubuntu deviate from this tradition/standard also?

>
> Take care, Douglas

Good talking with you,
ken

--
"This world ain't big enough for the both of us,"
said the big noema to the little noema.

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.

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ken wrote:
> On 05/23/2007 01:51 PM somebody named Douglas S. Oliver wrote:
>> ken wrote:
>>>> B/W terminal.
>
> The standard way to do this has always been to edit /etc/inittab,
> changing the line
>;
> id:5:initdefault:
>
> to
>
> id:3:initdefault:
>
> (changing the runlevel from "5" to "3").
>;
> Does Ubuntu deviate from this tradition/standard also?

The answer is a simple yes. This is what I was trying to say, though
clumsily, when I said that everything except run level one is linked to
run level four or five. For example, if you telinit to run level 3, you
wind up back at the initial gui log in screen. The same is true if you
use <ctrl&gt;<alt&gt;<backspace>, which would normally kill your gui session
and drop you at a text terminal. You might be met with an admonishment
that "only root can to that."; Ubuntu is really set up for folks used to
MS Windows. New linux users should normally stay away from acting as the
root user. There's simply too much power there; however, for an
experienced linux user, being forced to stay away from becoming root, is
an annoyance. And I should say that my Ubuntu 7.04 has no inittab file.
I think an earlier version did have that file, and I tried changing the
initdefault which because of the soft linking business, had no effect. I
think a while back I tried teliniting to run level one and then using
startx to get an X session. From there I could use
<ctrl><;alt><;backspace> to pop out of the gui to the terminal. Silly way
to do this. That's when I learned from a web search about the disabling
the gdm in rc3.d. Anyway, it's been fun to play with this newcomer on
the block. Talk to you later--Douglas

- --

******

Douglas S. Oliver

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity,
and I'm not sure about the former.&quot; --Albert Einstein

"....What right do I have to think?&quot; --Ugarte, December 1941

******
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.

Apparently I have way less experience with Linux and even computers
than you guys, but I easily solved the problems you are discussing on
my Inspiron 1100 (Xubuntu Feisty) by creating a shortcut to a root
terminal in X, thereby alleviating the need to 'sudo'. It's usually
one of the first things I start when I fire it up, cuz I like to play
around way more than is necessary to get work done. For example, I
go there and use aptitude to update or install software.

I also made a shortcut to open Nautilus as root, so I can go poking
around in places I shouldn't be allowed, and found a way to insert a
context menu item "Open as Root". Needless to say, I don't remember
how I did these things, but they are beneficial.

SK

--- In linux-dell-laptops%40yahoogroups.com">linux-dell-laptopsyahoogroups.com, ken <gebser...> wrote:
&gt;
> On 05/23/2007 01:51 PM somebody named Douglas S. Oliver wrote:
&gt; > ken wrote:
&gt; >
> >
> >>&gt; I just made a couple of little tweaks, for example I made a root
>; >>&gt; account so I could su - and not have to sudo for all my work.
Sudo is
> >>&gt; fine and safer, but if I need to run a number of programs that
need
> >>&gt; root access, it's easier to simply become root. To do that, I
simply
> >>&gt; needed to make a root password. I used: sudo passwd and entered
the
&gt; >>&gt; new password when prompted--really easy.
>
> Given the below, this is a good thing to know about Ubuntu. I too
spend
> quite a bit of time as root, so much so that I perpetually have a
> terminal window logged into root so I can jump to it, run a few or
a few
> dozen commands, and then get back to what I was doing previously. I
> couldn't see having to type a passphrase that often and would think
that
> it could actually be *less* secure in some circumstances.
>
>
> >> Every linux distro I've ever installed (dozens... going back to
kernel
> >> v.0.9.13) always required creating a root password as part of the
> >> initial install of the system. (?)
> >
> > Well this is one of the interesting surprises with Ubuntu. At set
up and
> > install, you're only asked for a personal password--NOT root.
That's why
> > everything has to be done via sudo. It took me a second to
realize what
>; > I needed to do. Once I set up a true root password, I was all set
to go.
>
> If I go with Ubuntu, I'll be doing the same
>;
>
> >>&gt; Because I often prefer to use a text console with my favorite
> >>&gt; programs, I had to install the programs that don't typically
come
> >>&gt; with X. For example, vim, joe. As far as I know, all the usual
&gt; >>&gt; compiling programs are there by default, and if not, they're
easy to
> >>&gt; install. It is not easy to boot directly into a text console.
> >> Do you mean boot up *not* into the GUI...? so that you have
just a
> >> black and white screen with a CLI prompt?
> >
> > Yup.
>; >
> >>&gt; You have to remove the gdm boot script from the rc3 folder (I'm
on a
> >
> > That's remove the /etc/rc3.d/S13gdm soft linked file. Ubuntu
basically
> > copies or links all the rcX.d files to the same place. This means
that
> > if you want to force a cli or tui, you need to telinit 1. Of
course, if
> > I'm correct, you then do not have the multi user protections
present in
> > run level 3. Stopping the gui from loading makes it kind of like
RedHat
> > run level 3, which is how I first learned to use Linux in 1998. I
first
> > started using computers in 1976 pre dos days, so I don't shy away
from a
> > B/W terminal.
>
> The standard way to do this has always been to edit /etc/inittab,
> changing the line
>;
> id:5:initdefault:
&gt;
> to
>
> id:3:initdefault:
&gt;
> (changing the runlevel from "5&quot; to "3&quot;).
>;
> Does Ubuntu deviate from this tradition/standard also?
&gt;
>
> >
> > Take care, Douglas
>
> Good talking with you,
>; ken
>
>
>
> --
> "This world ain't big enough for the both of us,"
> said the big noema to the little noema.
&gt;

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