Posted by: Anonymous Coward
on June 09, 2002 09:01 AM
"If u think about it you login to windows you can do anything u want, you are running as root all the time."
"If you want the same freedom in Linux, you *have* to make the user login a root as windoze users are not used to have restricted access (so to speak)."
You couldn't be further from the truth. The reason Windows Users run as Adminstrator (or 'root') is because Windows has not real multiuser abilities, even WindowsXP.
In a Linux world, or MacOS X, or Unix, or anywhere that is truely multi-user, you don't need to run as root, because when you need access to root priviledges you just 'su in'. In gnome (and KDE I would presume) or MacOS X for example, if a user needs to run something that needs root access, it prompts for a password and then continues. Those that shouldn't be making changes can't, they don't have root access. The that do aren't hindered in any real way.
Need to run something as root on Windows. Consider this senario. You're logged in as you, without root priviledges. You need to install some software, but you need root access to install it. So, because Windows has no multiuser capabilities, you have to log out, log in as the Administrator, install the software (make the changes, whatever) and then log out and log back in as you again. As you can imagine this isn't what people want to have to do ever time the need to make a change, so MS (in their infinite wisdom) make it so you have root access by default.
And so the whole point of root access and permissions is rendered moot.
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Why windows users run as 'root'
Posted by: Anonymous Coward on June 09, 2002 09:01 AM"If you want the same freedom in Linux, you *have* to make the user login a root as windoze users are not used to have restricted access (so to speak)."
You couldn't be further from the truth. The reason Windows Users run as Adminstrator (or 'root') is because Windows has not real multiuser abilities, even WindowsXP.
In a Linux world, or MacOS X, or Unix, or anywhere that is truely multi-user, you don't need to run as root, because when you need access to root priviledges you just 'su in'. In gnome (and KDE I would presume) or MacOS X for example, if a user needs to run something that needs root access, it prompts for a password and then continues. Those that shouldn't be making changes can't, they don't have root access. The that do aren't hindered in any real way.
Need to run something as root on Windows. Consider this senario. You're logged in as you, without root priviledges. You need to install some software, but you need root access to install it. So, because Windows has no multiuser capabilities, you have to log out, log in as the Administrator, install the software (make the changes, whatever) and then log out and log back in as you again. As you can imagine this isn't what people want to have to do ever time the need to make a change, so MS (in their infinite wisdom) make it so you have root access by default.
And so the whole point of root access and permissions is rendered moot.
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