Logging In As Root User

Do you presently have a 'root' user account?

  • Yes.

  • Nope.

Results are only viewable after voting.
GadgetLover

GadgetLover

Senior Member & Tech Guru
There is quite a bit of discussion going back and forth on whether or not it is a good idea to create a root user account with FULL powers and permissions. I'd like to start a thread on this topic (as well as how to create a 'root' user account).

Let's see where it takes us . . . (it might help those folks out who don't want to use 'sudo' or who don't own 'SuperGetInfo'.).

Oh, and why not a sub-topic: an explaination of how to use the 'sudo' command within the terminal app.

;)
 
i had to get a lot of help from people here to set it up, but it was necessary to solve some problems that i was having. in the process i discovered some of the new aspects of osx and its security features that i was unaware of before that. this was my first real introduction into the linux side of things and quite frankly i wasn't comfortable with it. i wanted my mac os to act like a mac os always has. so i've actually kept root enabled and now i can freely move folders and files as i please. since i am the only one who uses my mac and i operate behind a firewall, i prefer this method. having used a mac for over 15 years, i know enough about what kinds of files to be careful with so i m not too worried i will mess with something i shouldn't. if i don't know what a file does, i normally err on the side of leaving it alone.

i'm certainly looking forward to learning more about the sudo command. but i would also like learning more of the gui methods of doing the same things when possible. you might notice i make a few typos here and there :p i am much more comfortable pointing and clicking with minimal typing to avoid real screwups. or teach me that my fears are unfounded!!
 
I came to Mac from the Linux side of things, so its no big hassle to pop open the terminal now and then. I keep a root account because one 'su' can beat a half-dozen 'sudo's any day! Makes it easier to shove files around and mess with the system.
Of course, thats a good reason for beginners NOT to get a root account.
 
I think everybody using OS X has a root user account on his HD.
So the question for the poll should b whether the root user account is activated or not...:)
 
I have been using X since the third beta as root. It works just fine as long as you "respect" all the wrong-doings you can do as root, such as discarding the /library or /system ..

The way I see it there are a lot of pros.. I.e. your view settings are a l w a y s saved and so on..

Go for it unless you are a complete newbie to *nix and / or x.

/dd.
 
I wouldnt alwayz work as root user. Not because I could screw up my system by deleting some important files, but because Apps I start would also automatically get root access. N this would open all doors to viruses or buggy programs.
 
I never get it why I should enable the root user account.
I always use sudo.
And if you need a root shell, then why don't you just type 'sudo tcsh'?
There you have your root shell, and you won't ever need the root account.
 
I originally come from an Apple II background (programming in both Apple Basic and Apple Pascal), and then transitioned to both the Mac and Unix when I went to college. Thus I'm very comfortable (in some ways more comfortable) with the command line rather than the GUI, and I'm very comfortable hacking around in the system files.

I admin two Mac OS X system. When I got the first system, I went right away and enabled the root account. I, like a lot of people, thought I would be missing something if I couldn't log in as root.

However, as I used the system, I found that I rarely was using the root account. In general, it was easier to just use sudo. So when I got my second system (my new TiBook which is my primary system), I decided to NOT enable the root account and instead to see if I really missed it.

That was back in November, and as of this day, I have not found any need to enable the root account, and I'm glad that I haven't. I've done things like enable sendmail and other system hacking, and I've found that I don't need an explicit root account. Only on one or two occassions did I need to move something in /System did I run into a problem. However, there's always Pseudo which will launch a GUI app with admin privledges, and there's always the terminal (my favorite).

The reason that I'm glad that I don't have a root account is that I travel and often take advantage of broadband internet services in hotels. In those situations, my system is effectively right on a public network with nothing guarding my system except the software on it. Without that root account, I've cut off 99% of the ways people can hack into a Unix system. Everyone should remember that Unix isn't perfect, and there are ways around the built-in firewall if the attacker is dillegent.

I will admit that if you're not comfortable with the terminal, but you are an experienced Mac user, you may run into situations where you need to modify something with /System. And for many users, there really is no security risk. For example, if your system is only ever connected to the internet through dial-up, the chances of you getting hacked are about the chance of snow in hell.

So the moral of this story is don't enable root unless you have no other choice. It's not me that I worry about, it's everyone else.
 
Unfortunately I don't use My MAC professionally It is my home computer and I am the only one who uses it (I bought my wife her own computer). I enable root because I don't like the idea of not having access to certain aspects of my computer. I hardly ever logon as root but at the rate I change things around I use SU in the terminal all the time.
 
Originally posted by GadgetLover
Oh, and why not a sub-topic: an explaination of how to use the 'sudo' command within the terminal app.
Click to expand...

Will someone please post general information and instructions on use of the 'sudo' command (and other temp root access alternatives). While my knowledge of OS X is high, I my UNIX experience is about a 3 (1-10 scale). Thus, I would hate to provide mis-information but I am interested in starting an organized instructional thread on how to solve 'permissions' and 'ownership' problems without necessarily having to use SuperGetInfo (or GetInfo, etc.) or logging in as 'root' (under booting under OS 9). So far Tigger's 'sudo tcsh' command (which, when done in the Terminal gives one access to the root via 'root#' prompt [but does not solve all permissions problems]) was the only substantive offering. (Thanks Tigger for getting the ball rolling).

Let's see what else our "power user" membership can come up with ....
 
Okay. This is a starting point:
- You can get instructions for unix commands by typing in 'man ' and then the command. You can use tab to 'auto-complete'. So, if i type 'ch' then hit tab, I get chown, chmod, etc. If I then press 'o' and tab again, it will complete it as 'chown' since thats the only command starting with 'cho'. I think this is where unix newbies should start - in the manuals!
- If you need to issue a command as root, and you are logged in as an administrator (such as the account you created when you installed OS X) then you use 'sudo ' followed by the command. You will then be prompted to enter your password.
- The most common things you're likely to use are:
ls - List files in a directory.
cd - Change directory.
chown - Change the owner of the file. This has autocomplete on the owner name, which is useful.
chmod - Change the permissions of the file. Have a look through 'man chmod' for hints with this one as there are several ways it can be used and they can be confusing.
rm - remove/delete a file (and there is on trashcan here, so be careful). Use the 'rm -rf' switch to force-delete a folder and all its contents.
md - Make a directory.

I figure thats a start for anyone new to Unix. Take the time to get used to the command line and flick through the manual pages.
 
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