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Linux-fi

post #1 of 68
11/9/07 at 1:15am
Thread Starter 
Had a Solaris (hardware really, so I guess Sun) catastrophe, so I'm rebuilding a server using Linux. I was really into RedHat back in the day, but for a couple of reasons moved to Solaris (when v8 was king). It's been a while, so decided to see what was new and exciting.

Downloaded Ubuntu after reading so many wonderful things about it, only to find that in the latest distro, you cannot be root - ever! Even the ways around this that I found online don't work anymore.

While I can appreciate the idea of using Sudo for best practices, there is no way you're keeping this control freak power user out of root. Hell I'm only in root maybe once a month at best, but don't tell me I can't go there!

So Ubuntu is gone and Cent-OS is the flavor of the day.

Any linux-heads out there?

GAD
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post #2 of 68
11/9/07 at 1:48am
i've been using linux on the desktop since slackware back in like 94 :-) well, i have gone through some free/openbsd, solaris and irix periods since then....

now, in the last few years i've been just using xp, mostly because of this goofy audio habit...and i just simply don't do wine or vm's (for desktop stuff)

yeah, pretty much debian or one of the fsf-endorsed roll-your-own distros...

so in ubuntu you can't even make a new user with uid 0 and login as that user? lame...i'm just glad the old unix geeks that switched to mac 5 years ago are finally moving away from it, back to linux/bsd

mjb
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post #3 of 68
11/9/07 at 2:17am
Yes! Why are there so few of us?

I've been running linux in some form or another for over 10 years now. I used to be really into gentoo, but now gentoo is for the server only and ubuntu is for the desktop.

I see lots of folks using ubuntu these days. It really is ready for widespread adoption -- provided folks aren't tied to windows apps.

GAD - what do you mean you can't be root? Of course you can be root. They just don't allow root to log in. "sudo -s" will give you a root shell... and you can launch any app with sudo as well. I've actually set up my sudoers file so I never have to enter my password to sudo.
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post #4 of 68
11/9/07 at 4:55am
I'm posting this from text mode w3...

I use linux on my desktop and have done so exclusively for many years.
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post #5 of 68
11/9/07 at 5:04am
You're aware that you can just run "sudo passwd root", yes? That's the first command I run on all my Ubuntu boxes.
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post #6 of 68
11/9/07 at 8:36am
linux gimp here.

well...currently on my laptop and server at least.

have tried most of the flavours, i always had a penchant for mandrake.

but use a very old version of redhat on server.

i cant go 100% linux, i tried. i have to have all the various OS'es to cope with varying things, one doesnt cut the mustard for all i dabble in
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post #7 of 68
11/9/07 at 8:38am
At home I have been using linux last 10 years in all machines (OSX for the kids though.) At the work pretty much the same unless troubleshooting something.

I started with redhat and moved to mandriva at some point and use it in servers and laptops alike.
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post #8 of 68
11/9/07 at 9:33am
Thread Starter 
FWIW I'm talking server here, not desktop.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Arainach View Post
You're aware that you can just run "sudo passwd root", yes? That's the first command I run on all my Ubuntu boxes.
Didn't work. Any of the the sudo tricks like sudo bash, sudo passwd root etc. and a bunch of others I found online did not work on the latest distro I downloaded.

Perhaps there is some way to get around it, but I'm not interested in having to "crack" my linux server. I'm also not interested in being forced into using sudo. I know sudo is a great thing, but I've been working in unix for too long to change my ways now.

Linux is about freedom (to me anyway). Forcing me into working a certain way is Windows territory.

GAD
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post #9 of 68
11/9/07 at 10:17am
Quote:
Perhaps there is some way to get around it, but I'm not interested in having to "crack" my linux server. I'm also not interested in being forced into using sudo. I know sudo is a great thing, but I've been working in unix for too long to change my ways now.
At least the transition to sudo on Linux is a lot less painful than Window's transition to UAC and a true multi-user system.

I do agree that it's largely about freedom, however, so keep right on using distros that have root; that's part of why there are multiple distros.
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post #10 of 68
11/9/07 at 8:09pm
You can do "sudo su" to switch to root in a terminal, then just type exit when done.

I really don't miss loging in as root, i really didn't do it all that often anyways.

I'm running Linux Mint on my desktop and notebook.

The only reasons I boot into windows (XP) is for audio stuff like needledrops, cataloging CD's etc, and at work with my notebook I have to be in XP.
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post #11 of 68
11/9/07 at 8:47pm
Kubuntu 7.10 here and eagerly awaiting KDE4, which looks really promising, if a little unstable. I've been using Linux since the late 90s and we use it at work too (IT support) for tools like dd, nessus and wireshark which are invaluable.
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post #12 of 68
11/9/07 at 10:08pm
Too bad I'm still waiting for good drivers for my sound card.

Hell, I'd take good drivers for just about ANY audiophile grade sound card!
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post #13 of 68
11/9/07 at 10:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nelamvr6 View Post
Too bad I'm still waiting for good drivers for my sound card.

Hell, I'd take good drivers for just about ANY audiophile grade sound card!
Maybe soundcards are a problem, but I have used various USB DAC's (multiple HeadRoom amps, Corda Aria) and they work just fine.

I also have Edirol UA-25 which works up to 24/96 using USB and has optical out. It could be used to drive another better DAC though I have never tried that.
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post #14 of 68
11/10/07 at 12:27am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by nelamvr6 View Post
You can do "sudo su" to switch to root in a terminal, then just type exit when done.
I tried that, and it didn't work.

I've been working with Linux since the mid 90s, so I know how it sudo should work.

Again the point is, I should have to go through this. I'm running CentOS and it works just fine.

GAD
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post #15 of 68
11/10/07 at 12:32am
Gad, roll your own. You know you want to.
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