Very Computer

    Why so many people are so raged at others using root for their E-mail?
Usually I do not do it but I know lots of people do. I do not think it is an
insult to other people, why would it be anyway. If a person uses root to login
all the time, he has the responsibility to manage the system as well. As long
as it is his machine, he has all the right to do whatever he wants on his
machine. If some bad thing happened, he also will be responsible for it. So I
just do not understand why lots of people think it is such a big thing.

You are correct in saying that if they're stupid enough to use root for
everything, they will have to be responsible for their own stupidity, but
that doesn't mean that those who seek to improve the species a bit can't
rail against the stupidity of doing it in the first place...

It must be Saturday. I'm never this undiplomatic in the middle of the
week...:-)

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a) If you send a mail as root, your name doesn't appear in the "From:"
   header.

b) It's not OK to flame somebody because he uses the root account for  
   normal use. However, a friendly reminder that it's a bad idea is in order.

c) Using root for every day things like reading/sending mail is a bad
   idea because you risk damage to  your system, and we care about other
   linux users :-)

d) If not-so-clueful users use root (as it is mostly the case), and*
   their systems, they usually blame the OS. Since we, linux users and
   advocates don't like that to happen, we suggest them not to do it.

e) Every manual on linux installation, every tutorial or doc on system
   administration, tells in the first 5 pages that using the root account
   for normal use is *evil*. So, using it shows that the user didn't read
   the docs or (heresy! :-) did read them and didn't follow the advice.
   So, reminding that use of root is evil, we are encouraging him to read and
   follow the docs.

That's some of the reasons. I'm sure others can come up with more.

Regards.

--

 ("\''/").__..-''"`-. .         Roberto Alsina

 (_Y_.)' ._   ) `._`.  " -.-'   Centro de Telematica
  _..`-'_..-_/ /-'_.'           Universidad Nacional del Lit*
(l)-'' ((i).' ((!.'             Santa Fe - Argentina

Time flies like arrows, but fruit flies like bananas.
Perry Piplani                http://perrypip.netservers.com

Al

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Quote:>    Why so many people are so raged at others using root for their E-mail?
>Usually I do not do it but I know lots of people do. I do not think it is an
>insult to other people, why would it be anyway. If a person uses root to login
>all the time, he has the responsibility to manage the system as well. As long
>as it is his machine, he has all the right to do whatever he wants on his
>machine. If some bad thing happened, he also will be responsible for it. So I
>just do not understand why lots of people think it is such a big thing.

And yes, I do manage this system. I have my root shell on the next
virtual console (and it's idle since the last login, so..).

So, the reason to tell them not to is to attempt to educate them
before something bad happens. At least I think this is why.
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