Re: vim

[Nate Bargmann <n0nb@n0nb.us>]

* On 2012 23 Nov 06:14 -0600, Andrei POPESCU wrote:
> On Vi, 16 nov 12, 16:33:17, Nate Bargmann wrote:
> > * On 2012 16 Nov 14:02 -0600, james gray wrote:
> > > i am using vim to add the one and only name in a usr account to the groups
> > > file for printing.
> > 
> > I would use, as super user:
> > 
> > # usermod -Ga lp <username>
> 
> On Debian the 'adduser' tool should be used.

Unfortunately, the name alone doesn't lend itself to knowing that it
will modify a user account although the man page says:

   Add an existing user to an existing group
          If called with two non-option arguments, adduser will add  an
	  existing user to an existing group.

The page is silent as to whether existing group membership is preserved
as with the command example I offered.  To know it would be required for
each adminstrator to test this command due to this documentation bug.

I call this a documentation bug as 'usermod' if invoked with certain
options will remove the username from any groups not specified unless
invoked as I showed it above.  The 'adduser' man page doesn't provide the
needed information on what the command exactly does.  The implication is
that it *may* do the same thing as the 'usermod' example I gave.  I have
not tested this to find out.

In this case, 'usermod' provides the adminstrator *exactly* the options
needed to modify a user account.  A single or multiple groups may be
easily added, or the group list may be passed in such a way as to easily
remove an account from several groups at once while preserving or adding
membership in those passed.  I don't see that capability in 'adduser'
although there is the complementary 'deluser' which removes a sepcific
user from a specific group.  To remove an account from multiple groups
would require multiple invocations.

Power or simplicity?  The choice is yours.

- Nate

-- 

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