Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!ucsd!usc!ginosko!uunet!mcsun!ukc!tadtec!tjfs From: tjfs@tadtec.uucp (Tim Steele) Newsgroups: gnu.emacs Subject: Editing a file as super user Message-ID: Date: 11 Sep 89 15:43:27 GMT Sender: tjfs@tadtec.uucp (Tim Steele) Distribution: gnu Organization: Tadpole Technology plc Lines: 27 What's the favourite way of getting around the problem where a sysadmin "lives in Emacs" but wants to edit a privileged file? At the moment I do: ^Z (leave Emacs) su (become root) emacs /etc/motd (or even vi, as having 2 copies of emacs loaded kills our system!!) ^X^C (leave superuser Emacs) ^D (leave subshell) Grubby! Any better suggestions? I can't even edit it in place and save it out easily, like I can with vi, because Emacs notices I'm not allowed to write it and marks the buffer read only. Thanks Tim -- tjfs@tadtec.uucp ..!uunet!mcvax!ukc!tadtec!tjfs Tadpole Technology plc, Titan House, Castle Park, CAMBRIDGE, CB3 0AY, UK Phone: +44-223-461000 Fax: +44-223-460727 Telex: TADTEC G