Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!brl-smoke!gwyn
From: gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn )
Newsgroups: comp.unix.wizards
Subject: Re: Why does "root" worn everything?
Message-ID: <7454@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Date: 14 Mar 88 07:23:31 GMT
References: <5209@uwmcsd1.UUCP> <9269@sunybcs.UUCP>
Reply-To: gwyn@brl.arpa (Doug Gwyn (VLD/VMB) <gwyn>)
Distribution: na
Organization: Ballistic Research Lab (BRL), APG, MD.
Lines: 12

In article <9269@sunybcs.UUCP> ugfailau@sunybcs.UUCP (Fai Lau) writes:
>Well, root owns everything because there has to be an user
>that owns everything.

Not true.

>anyone who has the root privilege can wreck havoc with the system.

Yes, this is why on a properly set-up system the only occasion for
an interactive user to operate as "root" is when installing some
software that requires privilege (e.g., "passwd").  Operating as
"root" to do routine administrative actions is a stupid policy.