Re: Squeeze and root in graphical mode
On Sun, 03 Jul 2011 16:23:46 +0100, Lisi wrote:
> On Sunday 03 July 2011 15:27:03 Camaleón wrote:
>> It is not a good idea to run a GUI session with the root user. It can
>> be done, but better if you first explain what is goal for doing it
>> so...
>
> I run Konqueror as root for some file maniplulations on files which are
> owned by root.
Which is fine.
Running an app as root ! login into a KDE session as root.
> I simply don't trust myself not to do:
> # cd /
> # rm -R *.*
>
> or copy something trivial on top of something important, or do something
> else disastrous.
Have you considered in using Midnight Commander?
Is the "swiss-knife" tool for managing almost any aspects of your day to
day linux box at console but with a wizard to avoid such dumb situations
(fat fingers or a bad day) we all can face :-)
> With Konqueror I have to mistake the visual representation as well as
> what I am telling the system to do.
Sure, GUI has some advantages.
> I would, however, genuinely like to have it expained to me why 5 minutes
> of running a GUI file manager as root is less secure than running a
> root terminal for 15 minutes or more. If I enable root running
> Konqueror, Konqueror is, so far as I can see, the only application that
> can run as root. From the CLI, other applications can be launched, in
> particular vi, vim. nano etc. The system can be edited, shut down,
> destroyed (see above!) etc. A file manager can do none of those things.
The risk is the same, but again, one thing is running an application as
root to perform a couple of tasks and quit and another different thing is
login as root into your DE. That's something anyone should avoid unless
you know very very (yes, two "very") well what you are doing and leave as
soon as possible.
I was one of those newbies that sometimes logged as root when I was
giving my first steps in Linux. I remember in that time (2003, KDE 3.2.x,
IIRC) there was a background image¹ for root login with bright red and
plenty of bombs. Yes, bombs, for the user to understand the risk of
having that session open :-)
Nowadays, KDE and also GNOME discourage using root GUI sessions but it
still possible to get them.
¹http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/5ac7077004.png
Greetings,
--
Camaleón
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