Ubuntu won't let me log on as root
in [UK Linux]
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From: Daniel James on 19 Jun 2010 06:55 In article <hvi5kr$r9s$1(a)localhost.localdomain>, Tony van der Hoff wrote: > Once a user has been authenticated, a timestamp is updated and the user > may then use sudo without a password for a short period of time (15 > minutes unless overridden in sudoers) True (and helpful, though a slight security risk) but one still has to (remember to) type sudo in front of all the commands that need to be run with superuser privilege, even within that time. Being hopeless at remembering commandline switches I tend to go for: sudo bash Cheers, Daniel.
From: Tony Houghton on 19 Jun 2010 09:47 In <VA.000000c2.0035ffca(a)me.invalid>, Daniel James <daniel(a)me.invalid> wrote: > In article <hvi5kr$r9s$1(a)localhost.localdomain>, Tony van der Hoff wrote: >> Once a user has been authenticated, a timestamp is updated and the user >> may then use sudo without a password for a short period of time (15 >> minutes unless overridden in sudoers) > > True (and helpful, though a slight security risk) but one still has to > (remember to) type sudo in front of all the commands that need to be run > with superuser privilege, even within that time. alias s=sudo helps. -- TH * http://www.realh.co.uk
From: grinch on 20 Jun 2010 06:37 Dave W wrote: > All the magazines tell me how easy Linux can be for beginners like me, > but I cannot even begin. I want to install Linux on a partition on my > laptop (HP N1412), but the only distribution I can find that satisfies > the two requirements of (1) having my Intel830 screen driver, and (2) > installable from a CD not DVD, is Ubuntu 9.04. > > I can log on as user, but it won't let me log on as root, and won't > let me install any new programs. The machine is not connected to the > internet and will only be used by me, so the less logging in the > better. I can log in as root by booting into rescue mode, but that > goes to command line only. I can then edit any of the millions of > files at will, but can anyone tell me which ones to let me install new > programs? > > Dave W I have just installed 10.04 on an intel atom machine as it is the only distro that works out of the box( I am a lazy git).I personally don't like ubuntu a for the very reason you state you cant log in as root. I was surprised by how much Linux a user has to know to get things to work,compared with openSUSE (nfs and sshd ) There is a body of opinion in Linux that says you should never log in as root ,it is just that an opinion .True running as root is dangerous ,but the difference between sudo and root login ?? I personally delete the sudo program and only use the old UNIX way of su - or root login ,just me I suppose. I would not recommend Ubuntu as your first foray into Linux try Mandrake OpenSUSE Fedora or even Mepis if you fancy a Debian based distro . When you are more competent in Linux then try Ubuntu. It is a great distro but imho not for complete nubie's. We don't want to put you off on your journey from the dark side. -- Output certified Microsoft free Checked with OpenSUSE 11.2
From: Jim Lesurf on 20 Jun 2010 10:23 In article <%amTn.55671$Ha1.44125(a)hurricane>, grinch <grinch(a)somewhere.com> wrote: > > I would not recommend Ubuntu as your first foray into Linux try Mandrake > OpenSUSE Fedora or even Mepis if you fancy a Debian based distro . When > you are more competent in Linux then try Ubuntu. It is a great distro > but imho not for complete nubie's. Well, I was essentially a Linux newbie last year but found that Ubuntu/Xubuntu (9.04) was quite an easy intro to using Linux for a single user desktop machine. That said, I have used *nix in the past to a limited extent so wasn't frightened by a 'new' GUI or having to open a terminal occasionally and type in a weird string or two. :-) ...and I soon changed various things, like switching to using ROX filer. Now have three machines using Ubuntu, Xubuntu and CrunchBang, all with a ROX desktop which I prefer to the defaults. > We don't want to put you off on your journey from the dark side. I guess I came from the Sunny side as I hadn't been using Windows. (Nor MacOS). Quite nice to start using a 'mainstream' OS like Linux. 8-] FWIW I can't say I've been bothered by needing to use sudo to occasionally do something as root. Seems simple enough to me when needed. Above said, now I might have gone to something like CrunchBang or something else if I'd known more and wasn't a newbie. I do experiment at times with other distros. But I find Ubuntu and Xubuntu fine as a basis for a single user desktop machine. Wasn't put off.[1] For other purposes no doubt I might choose something else, and of course I may change in future. Horses for courses, colour of socks, YMMV, etc... :-) [1] Did find the sound side a bit of a PITA though. But I am not sure if other distos are better at letting you get "spdif output sample rate follows source file with no resampling" out-of-the-box though. (?) Slainte, Jim -- Please use the address on the audiomisc page if you wish to email me. Electronics http://www.st-and.ac.uk/~www_pa/Scots_Guide/intro/electron.htm Armstrong Audio http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/Armstrong/armstrong.html Audio Misc http://www.audiomisc.co.uk/index.html
From: Dave Pickles on 20 Jun 2010 15:24
Ivor Jones wrote: > On 20/06/10 12:24, Martin Gregorie wrote: >> >> Does anybody know how to make the current Fedora graphical login screen >> accept a root login? >> >> While I'm on the subject, does anybody know if its possible to revert >> to the traditional text box entry for the user name rather than using >> the dumb pick-list? Apart from anything else, the pick list reduces >> security by telling a miscreant what the user names are: IOW instead of >> having to guess both username and login, the cracker only needs to >> guess the password. > > I'd be very interested in both of those questions as well. > On Mandriva running kdm you need to edit kdmrc (/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc on my system). Find the line AllowRootLogin=false and change 'false' to 'true'. I expect Fedora will be the same. Further down the same file there are lots of options for disabling the user name display or showing only a range of UIDs. -- Dave |