Move software to Applications directory?

D

dlarmour

Registered
Hi

The first day I installed OS X I was able to move software into the Applications directory. The next day the message came up that I did not have the authority to do this. Under the terminal the user of that directory is root and as an administrator of the machine I do not have write privileges.

However, at installation I was not given the chance to set the root password. How can a person work on the machine if they don't have the proper authorities? I know that Apple is trying to hide some of this but then they need to look at this issue. Maybe the authorities are set at the Group level.

How to change or set the root password so that I can give myself write privileges for that directory?

David Armour
 
Try rebooting osx from the installation CD.
When the installation window appear in the menu bar u have someting like reset password, that allow to insert the superuser password.
 
I've read that the root password defaults to the password of the first user account created, who is assumed to be the owner and administrator. I'm not in front of my machine right now or I'd try it (sorry).

There are also several Application directories. There's the top level /Applications, there's /Network/Applications, and /User/foo/Applications. Any administrator should be able to write to /Applications. I haven't figured out enough about NetInfo to set up shared network-wide applications -- perhaps that's what MacOS X Server is for? Of course, you can always put stuff in your user application directory, but that's not where you want it if you share the machine.
 
Originally posted by laird
I've read that the root password defaults to the password of the first user account created, who is assumed to be the owner and administrator.
Click to expand...

That seemed to be the case with the PB, if I remember right, but is not now. Now the root has no password; you can't log in as root. Unless you hack around a little in NetInfo Manager or equivalent (sudo passwd root).

As the user that was set up during the install process, however, you are a member of sudoers (by being in the admin group), and can sudo any command.

One approach:

cd /
sudo chown -R youruser Applications/
sudo chgrp -R yourgroup Applications/

I recall this problem installing a previous build, possibly 4K73 -- all .apps and corresponding directories were owned by root, which is retarded. It's unusual that the final version's installer could make the same mistake -- unusual but, sadly, not too surprising.
 
I tried logging in as root with my password (as the first admin) and it does not work. When I logged in with

su myusername

I still was not able to chmod 777 on the directory for my admin user. I am/was referring to the root level Applications directory. It seems like any admin for the machine ought to be allowed to write shared apps to that directory. Pretty frustrating last night. I will try some of the suggestions.

It seems that if the root password is kept from the user, then it should not be used to own or install any of the software on the machine.
 
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