Subject: Re: "Don't login as root, use the su command."
To: Andrew Gillham <gillhaa@ghost.whirlpool.com>
From: David Brownlee <abs@netbsd.org>
List: current-users
Date: 02/10/2000 18:47:42
On Thu, 10 Feb 2000, Andrew Gillham wrote:

> > Creation of a non root account and use of su(1) for root access is recommended.
> > 
> > 		David/absolute
> 
> Ok, I'm nitpicking here, but the message is irritating, particularly when
> you use 'su -l' instead.  I can easily change this. (on *every* machine)
> My main problem is that this doesn't make any sense for less knowledgeable
> users (that are root, *shudder*) who think they're doing the right thing.
> 
> I don't know how many times I've heard, "What's this about use 'su' instead
> of logging is as root?  I was using su."
> 
> Minor thing, but seems bad to then "clarify" the message to be even more
> wrong. :-) (e.g. wrong on both counts. I was non-root, and I did use su(1))

	We _could_ change it to

if (`tty | xargs ls -l | awk '{print $3}'` != $USER ) then
	echo message
endif

	which would catch everything. I virtually always su without -
	(my /etc/csh.cshrc fixes up any environment oddities), so it
	doesn't affect me one way or the other, but something in me
	objects to making people pay those extra processes every time
	they su or login as root.

	Maybe we should just pull the message altogether? :)

		David/absolute