Re: why is /dev/cdrom owned by root:disk after installation?
H. S. wrote:
...
So why is it the CDROM devices are owned by root:disk? If we always have
to change (at leat I have to, and from newsgroups many other people have
to too) the ownership to root:cdrom, and make all users members of cdrom
group (after all, what other purpose is a CDROM for if not for the use
of the users?), why do the developers not take this into account and
configure the CDROM device accordingly and *not* make it owned by
root:disk but by root:cdrom? And make all users members of the "cdrom"
groups when they are created? Am I missing something here?
...
Well, for the first point, the ownership of /dev/hdc:
Who tells the installer that /dev/hdc is a cdrom drive?
On 2 of my computers, for example, it is not.
The link alone does not matter, but if the installer would follow your
proposal and make it owned by root:cdrom _and_ make every user a member
of the cdrom group, we then have a device, which is probably a disk that
is read _and_ writeable by any user on the system and that would most
likely not be noticed until something that was not intended happens.
now, the second point about making every user part of the cdrom group:
I don't think you actually need that for to reasons:
first, why should every user be allowed by default to mount, unmount and
eject a cdrom, espacaly since there are also servers with users working
remotly....
second, why should you have to be a member of the cdrom group to use a
cdrom?
to mount it, you only need a coresponding entry in the fstab.
you only need to be a member of the cdrom group to user
cdrecord/dvdrecord etc, or use eject, which you do not _need_ to use
(there is also a button on the cdrom drive to open/close it)
So, my conclusion is the following: you could/should maybe add a
addvice/noticce to the setup procedure, but not make devices that could
be discs read/writeable be users by default.
yours
Albert
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