[ale] Linux Distributions

[Jim Popovitch]

On Tue, 2005-05-17 at 14:49 -0400, Jerald Sheets wrote:
> There have been instances where an application install was able to  
> detect that I was not actually root and would not install.  In this  
> case I can understand.
> 
> I won't argue the  matter either.  Lots of people with many more  
> letters behind their name say it is the BEST practice to never run as  
> root.  I, therefore, (having no letters behind my name) decide to err  
> with the best and brightest in the country and do what they say.   
> These are the people who write the software (and in some cases wrote  
> UNIX) and have instructed me to do so.
> 
> You are certainly within your rights to ignore them.  This is not a  
> flamewar unless you make it so.
> 
> It is not a matter of being "convinced"  it is a matter that I have  
> been educated otherwise from EXTREMELY early in my career (nearly 20  
> years ago) that this is the way it is done, and MOST security  
> personnel, education firms, UNIX companies, etc. instruct to do so.   
> I'm just not willing to assume  I know better than them.

I like that, and do agree with your position.  Trusting others, that you
can trust, makes good advice.  HOWEVER, globally applying one 20 year
old guideline to ALL people makes no good sense. Others may have more
up-to-date experience and knowledge that trumps the 20year old rule. ;-)

-Jim P.