uninstalling programs

[Clinton MacDonald]

Mr. Hamilton:

Greg Hamilton wrote:
> Only crazy people log in as root. Use sudo.

Well then, call me crazy! :-)

> On 24/03/2004, at 4:12 PM, Clinton MacDonald wrote:
>> Login as root (I like "su -"). Then type:
>>
>> [root]# yum remove [name of package]

You are absolutely correct that "sudo" is preferable to "su -." "sudo" 
allows one to perform a root-level task while only revealing one's 
*user* password, instead of one's *root* password. That is an obvious 
security boon.

Unfortunately, there are problems with "sudo." First, inexplicably, 
"sudo" is not enabled in Yellow Dog Linux out-of-the-box. Therefore, [a] 
one must login as root using "su" at least once to enable "sudo" by 
editing a file using "visudo," and [b] one must *know* that one must 
manually enable "sudo." That second issue is often the largest barrier 
to the use of "sudo." Certainly, "sudo" is not mentioned anywhere useful 
on Yellow Dog's Web site, though a search yields the following page in 
connection with ADSL administration:

<http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/support/solutions/ydl_general/yum.shtml>

Second, in my experience, "sudo" *fails* inexplicably in some 
circumstances. This may be some weirdness in my setup. For instance, 
"sudo" usually (though not always) fails for me when used in conjunction 
with the "mount" command. This is frustrating because I get the nasty 
message "You must be root to do that!" then it *reveals* my user 
password in clear text. I find this so disconcerting that I have 
reverted to using "su -" and performing all my chores as root.

Not all Linux users subscribe to the paranoia that seems fundamental to 
most Linux philosophy.

Best wishes,
Clint

-- 
Dr. Clinton C. MacDonald | <mailto:clint DOT macdonald AT sbcglobal DOT net>