Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!umich!umeecs!msi.umn.edu!cs.umn.edu!uc!noc.MR.NET!gacvx2.gac.edu!gacvx2.gac.edu!scott From: scott@mcs-server.gac.edu (Scott Hess) Newsgroups: comp.sys.next Subject: Re: Another ... Suggestion for NeXT, Inc. Message-ID: Date: 29 Apr 91 17:27:33 GMT References: <1991Apr28.083232.12277@cbnewse.att.com> <591@rosie.NeXT.COM><1991Apr29.082508.2376@wuphys.wustl.edu> Organization: Gustavus Adolphus College Lines: 43 Nntp-Posting-Host: mcs-server.gac.edu In-reply-to: rdd@wuphys.wustl.edu's message of 29 Apr 91 08:25:08 GMTLines: 43 In article <1991Apr29.082508.2376@wuphys.wustl.edu> rdd@wuphys.wustl.edu (Rakhal D. Dave) writes: Another suggestion is to have direct root access from a user account in the GUI. Right now if I am installing something and happen to be user "me" and it suddenly becomes apparent that I need to set some files right in one of the root owned directories I have to go into "terminal" and change things with unix commands after becoming super user by using "su". What I'd like is to see an option in the user workspace menu, under tools maybe, called superuser. Choosing this option should cause the loginwindow to be displayed with root filled into the user field. On giving the password, without rearranging the workspace to match the root workspace and without halting any background processes it would be great to get all the root permissions to rearrange files. Rakhal Dave This is a good idea, and I've often wanted to have it implemented. The even worse case is when you need to actually run something as root to get it to install correctly (for instance, to install Improv in /LocalApps - you either run Installer as root, or change the access privs on /LocalApps). But, one thing I _don't_ want to see - stuff like UserManager and the other programs in /NextAdmin. They prompt you for the root password, and if you get it right, away you go. This, I think, should not be - unless you are a member of the wheel group. Not that I'm really overly worried about security, but that is a concern - wheel group exists for a reason, and should be used as it was meant to be! [This is not to say that I've not taken advantage of this capability at times, just to say that I shouldn't be able to! -scott] In general, though, I'd like to have generalized cross-user access privs, if I happen to be a wheel member with the root password. Something like "Open as User...". This would make it alot easier to manage stuff at times. In the best of all worlds, you could also make the window that is in GOD mode be red, or something :-). Later, -- scott hess scott@gac.edu Independent NeXT Developer GAC Undergrad "Simply press Control-right-Shift while click-dragging the mouse . . ." "I smoke the nose Lucifer . . . Banana, banana."