[Linux Poll] Do you log in as root?

[markwolfe Veteran]

With a recent discussion about logging in as root in another thread here, I thought I would ask the question among the Neowin members here...

How do you treat your *nix (yes, I said "linux" in the poll, but I mean *BSDers, too!) box, when it comes to logging in as root?

As for me, it is usually a terminal that I su temporarily to root. In a few cases I have used a different TTY session to log in directly as root, but that is very atypical.

[Rob2687]

The second and third last, but more often the second last one. Mostly for apt-get.

[W1cked-J]

I su into root...

[Mouldy Punk]

TTY and su mainly.

[Barney T. Administrators]

Mark,

I use the SU console command almost exclusively......... I only very rarely log into Gnome as root..... :yes:

Barney

[Borbus]

I don't log in as root and su and sudo commands if I need to. I have never needed to be logged into Gnome/KDE as root, anything that needs to be done as root is probably easier to do in a terminal anyway.

[NullPointerException]

sudo if i only want to execute a single command as root and su if i want to do a number of tasks. Typically i use su during the initial setup, after that it's mostly sudo.

[Deanobear]

I log into root once, after a fresh install, to copy my 1800 or so fonts into /usr/share/fonts/otf ... /ttf, etc., that's the only thing I would ever need to do in root, otherwise it's su in a terminal.

[Kreuger]

sudo here. What's TTY?

[MrA]

sudo and su from a terminal mostly. But on occasion, I'll use a TTY. I NEVER run X using root.

[metal_dragen Veteran]

I wish I could choose 2 options. I run Gentoo, and as such, do a lot of compiling. My box boots to a shell, and I'll typically log in as root to sync my portage tree and do any updates required, and I usually have a concurrent TTY (or 3) going with lynx, madplay, or other stuff as my unprivileged user.

I run X and my DE/WM as my unprivileged user and su in a terminal if I need to perform actions as root while in the GUI.

[GatorV]

I open a unpriveleged shell window and su or sudo commands.

lol at the last option:)

[matt74441]

I never log in to root, but use su all the time to use emerge or do kernel upgrades. Thats really all I use root for.

[markwolfe Veteran]

What's TTY?

Press CTRL+ALT+F2, and behold the glory of TTY!

Sessions attached from F1 to F6 (typically) are TTY sessions you can log into. Sort of like a local version of a remote terminal access. F7 will probably bring you back to your X session. It varies by distro, though.

EDIT: Oh, and six people have selected "I typically log into KDE/GNOME as root." :o Did someone link to this poll from the Linspire forums again? :p

[techbeck]

I use the ROOT logon from time to time. No security issue since I dont keep anything on my linux box nore do I use it in a production environment. If I used it as my main system or at work, then I would keep the root logon disabled.

I like to have full access to my system. Use SU or SUDO is fine, but if I am doing a lot of stuff on my system, its annoying having to enter the password all the time or remember using tho commands to get admin access.

[j79zlr]

I su mainly, but do log in directly from a VC if I have to do a bunch of administration tasks, or compile something [e.g. gnome] without X running. I'm pretty sure I logged into X once as root, but it was so long ago.......

[ServerMechanic]

I either SU to root from an unpriveledged window or run a concurrent TTY.

[UKer]

I always use sudo, saves having to type a password (as I've set it up anyway, not like Ubuntu) and I normally only have single commands that need root privilidges.

[Techno_Funky]

"I open a unpriveleged shell window and su or sudo commands"

For me

[ichi]

Always su, either from an unpriveleged shell window or TTY. And I never start a X session as root.

I've disabled direct root login and sudo is not installed, so su is the only way to get root priviledges.

[Tuxic]

I always su into root. Doesn't everyone? On the rare ocassions that I have logged in as root, I certainly haven't started X. Now that's just asking for trouble :laugh: .

[Silverity]

sudo and su only

[madd_matt]

I accidentally started X once in a root TTY without thinking, but otherwise never run X as root.

Mostly I use a TTY or xterm + su.

[Spacce]

I rarely...... rarely ever log in as root

i usually su - over to root usually

[David Scaife]

I tend to only use su in a terminal for root priveledges, but if for example the X server fails to start or dies something like that then I just go ahead and log in as root in a TTY or VC or whatever your distro calls it.