Re: ... other questions
In message <[🔎] Pine.LNX.3.96.970927170502.2357A-100000@boley.escape.com>, writes:
>...
> I try to do almost everything except administration as user. I only
>proform administration such as installing all debian stuff as root. Is it
>safe to install/compile non-debian programs as root. I tried to install
>twin as both and neither worked well.
Most programs have to be installed by the superuser, because binaries
must be written into directories such as /usr/bin or /usr/local/bin which
are not normally writable except by the superuser. If you don't have
a guaranteed provenance for the progream you are installing, you are
taking a risk. If possible, you should obtain the source and check it before
compiling it; a binary downloaded from elsewhere _could_ contain all kinds
of nasties. In particular it is dangerous to install such a binary as
an suid program. Debian binary packages are PGP-signed by their maintainers
and can, we hope, be trusted.
> Why is it that certain programs do
>not execute as root even though x permission is set. (xboard for example)
>I am not advocating playing chess as root I would just like to understand
>the mechanics involved.
When you are root, you may have a different search path, and so the program
may not execute because it is not found. X programs are usually in
/usr/bin/X11, which is not in the search path if you use su to become root.
Some programs, such as postgresql, do not permit the superuser to run,
because of the dangers of the superuser's unlimited access.
> And lastly, like most all of you I love poking around my system. I have
>no objection to having to fiddle around a little in order to make things
>work. In fact I love it. This is one of the charms of linux and something
>will be lost when or if it becomes a fully polished product. However
>having said that, it really annoys me when I cannot try an application
>deselect says I have installed because I cannot figure out what the name
>of the executable is. Many new linux users are not coming with strong unix
>backrounds. And may in fact know little or nothing about the program
>they are trying out or learning. Please keep this in mind. At least let
>us know how to start the application. Anyway dselect says visual-tcl is
>installed, but where is it?
dpkg -L visual-tcl | less
This will tell you all the files that have been installed. Any documentation
should be in /usr/doc/visual-tcl. (I haven't installed this package
myself, though.)
--
Oliver Elphick Oliver.Elphick@lfix.co.uk
Isle of Wight http://lfix.co.uk/oliver
PGP key from public servers; key ID 32B8FAA1
Make it idiot-proof, and someone will breed a better idiot.
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