Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2000 21:42:15 -0700 From: Alfred Perlstein <bright@wintelcom.net> To: Trevor Johnson <trevor@FreeBSD.org> Cc: cvs-committers@FreeBSD.org, cvs-all@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: cvs commit: ports/misc Makefile ports/misc/sh-utils Makefile distinfo pkg-comment pkg-descr pkg-plist Message-ID: <20001018214215.D28123@fw.wintelcom.net> In-Reply-To: <200010190429.VAA79901@freefall.freebsd.org>; from trevor@FreeBSD.org on Wed, Oct 18, 2000 at 09:29:41PM -0700 References: <200010190429.VAA79901@freefall.freebsd.org>
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* Trevor Johnson <trevor@FreeBSD.org> [001018 21:29] wrote: > trevor 2000/10/18 21:29:41 PDT > > > Why GNU `su' does not support the `wheel' group > =============================================== > > (This section is by Richard Stallman.) > > Sometimes a few of the users try to hold total power over all the > rest. For example, in 1984, a few users at the MIT AI lab decided to > seize power by changing the operator password on the Twenex system and > keeping it secret from everyone else. (I was able to thwart this coup > and give power back to the users by patching the kernel, but I wouldn't > know how to do that in Unix.) > > However, occasionally the rulers do tell someone. Under the usual > `su' mechanism, once someone learns the root password who sympathizes > with the ordinary users, he or she can tell the rest. The "wheel > group" feature would make this impossible, and thus cement the power of > the rulers. > > I'm on the side of the masses, not that of the rulers. If you are > used to supporting the bosses and sysadmins in whatever they do, you > might find this idea strange at first. Summary: I want root, security and audit trails mean nothing to me, btw, where the heck are my twinkies? -- -Alfred Perlstein - [bright@wintelcom.net|alfred@freebsd.org] "I have the heart of a child; I keep it in a jar on my desk." To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe cvs-all" in the body of the message
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