Re: Adding/modifying users under MATE DE
On 02/04/2019 11:32 AM, tomas@tuxteam.de wrote:
On Mon, Feb 04, 2019 at 10:34:22AM -0600, Richard Owlett wrote:
I'm creating a Tcl script [to be run as user] which calls dumpe2fs ,
requiring root privileges. On comp.lang.tcl I was pointed to [https://www.cyberciti.biz/faq/linux-unix-running-sudo-command-without-a-password/]
which pointed out that a user could be authorized to run specific
executables.
Although I'm the only person with any access to my machine, I have
avoided using sudo in the past. That article dampened my qualms.
Back in 2015, when wanting to modify users, I was pointed to
"mate-system-tools". According to
[https://tracker.debian.org/pkg/mate-system-tools] it has been
removed from the repository.
Is there a user friendly alternative?
Following a series of links suggests using visudo. It doesn't look
friendly. I'm not sure yet if it can create new users from scratch.
There are references to adduser (and relatives) but
[https://packages.debian.org/stretch/adduser] gives its home page as
[http://alioth.debian.org/projects/adduser/] which seems to be
defunct.
Where is a first time user to go for appropriate guidance?
You are comfortable editing a text file? Because that's all it is
about.
You haven't lived if you never edited with a 026 or KSR35 ;/
I've even used TECO.
The process of editing is not the problem. The problem is
vocabulary/syntax/grammar/spelling/... .
A important point in mate-system-tools favor.
Visudo will forcefully prevent you from breaking the system. But it's
unclear how much guidance it will a one editing those file(s) for the
first time.
Visudo is just a wrapper around an editor (I guess it expects
a console based one, but whether it's vim or nano or joe or
whatnot, it's settable via the EDITOR environment variable).
It hasn't to be vi or vim (if that is what scares you).
Thing is, you /can/ just edit /etc/sudoers by hand, but if you
make a mistake, your box may end in a state in which you can't
login anymore (or you can't invoke sudo, thus hindering your
attempts at fixing the situation). Nothing unsurmountable, but
definitely annoying. The visudo wrapper tries to catch some
mistakes before they lead into harm.
Or is it the prospect of editing a text file which puts you
back? (I don't believe so, I "see" you doing that all the
time :-)
Do you have any favorite (console based) editor?
Although it seems visudo can cope with a graphical editor [1],
I've never tried that. Perhaps someone around here has.
I can cope {if grumpily} with any editor.
I prefer Pluma, but that hardly qualifies as a console editor.
I'm not about to blindly edit those files on my primary machine. I've
alternate hardware for test cases but I'm much more interested is safely
and conveniently to configure users to work on a INTERESTING problem.
Thank you.
Cheers
[1] https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/42726/how-do-i-change-the-default-text-editor-in-the-debian-squeeze-distro
-- t
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