Usacomp2k3 wrote:It is really annoying not to be able to do things as non-root that I should be able to. For example, when I log into my server via ssh/WinSCP, I log in as the user I created. However, via that method, there is no way to get root access to files in the graphical file shell (or whatever you want to call it). I was trying to restore some files from the backup but I couldn't since I wasn't root. There was nothing I could do about it, except to log off, and then ssh in as root. That's rather annoying.
Sure you can. You can either use sudo to execute the graphical window as someone above mentioned, or you could research X11 forwarding. Maybe it's called X11 forwarding over SSH. Either way, I've done this many times.
A lot of people make the mistake of when su-ing to root, they forget the '-'. so don't do this:
instead, do this:
Usacomp2k3 wrote:Also, once you open a program, there is no way to upgrade it's status. For example, if I go to edit a config file, and spend a good amount of time changing stuff, once I go to save I find out that I had forgotten to 'sudo pico' and well all my stuff is lost. Quite annoying.
You're right, you can't update a running process. I get around this by saving a copy of the file to my home directory and then doing a sudo cp or sudo mv of my copy to the config location. But this is a whole lot better than allowing your dumb <insert> to edit your /etc/passwd file so it's unreadable.
Usacomp2k3 wrote:Having to put in a password is annoying too. Especially if you consider that one should have a password that isn't something simple for security reasons. When I log in and immediate go to run my update script, why should I have to put my password in again? I just used it to log in 2 seconds ago.
sudo does have a timeout that maybe Ubuntu has set really low? Now it won't fix you, "I just logged in" issue, but after running one sudo command, you should have a couple minutes (I believe the default is 2) where you can run another sudo command without entering your password.
non-root that I should be able to. For example, when I log into my server via ssh/WinSCP, I log in as the user I created. However, via that method, there is no way to get root access to files in the graphical file shell (or whatever you want to call it). I was trying to restore some files from the backup but I couldn't since I wasn't root. There was nothing I could do about it, except to log off, and then ssh in as root. That's rather annoying.[/quote]
Sure you can. You can either use sudo to execute the graphical window as someone above mentioned, or you could research X11 forwarding. Maybe it's called X11 forwarding over SSH. Either way, I've done this many times.
Usacomp2k3 wrote:Also, once you open a program, there is no way to upgrade it's status. For example, if I go to edit a config file, and spend a good amount of time changing stuff, once I go to save I find out that I had forgotten to 'sudo pico' and well all my stuff is lost. Quite annoying.
You're right, you can't update a running process. I get around this by saving a copy of the file to my home directory and then doing a sudo cp or sudo mv of my copy to the config location. But this is a whole lot better than allowing your dumb <insert> to edit your /etc/passwd file so it's unreadable.
Usacomp2k3 wrote:So yeah, just some thoughts.
They're really good thoughts too. I've pointed out some of the work-arounds, but it would have been much better if the way to go about these were so intuitive that you didn't have to post them to a message board in order to get answers. Some of the issues there aren't workarounds for. That is mainly because there is a slight difference in Archetiture between windows and Unix, such that some issues are really a matter of culture and the culture is not willing to sacrifice itself for ease of use.