6 ms·

Why would I want an app, even one I write, to have root permissions? Do you operate your computer as root all the time? I know I don't, if for no other reasons

Why would I want an app, even one I write, to have root permissions? Do you operate your computer as root all the time? I know I don't, if for no other reasons than I sometimes make mistakes, and I'd to write an app that can wipe out my phone just because I made a mistake.

wolfgke 9y ago
> Do you operate your computer as root all the time? Not all the time, but sometimes - both under GNU/Linux and Windows - I want to/have to run an application with root/admin permissions.
- Retric 9y ago
  That's often a sign of poor OS design not really a goal on it's own.
  - wolfgke 9y ago
    You are not a hacker. :-(
    - CamperBob2 9y ago
      There's definitely a vanishingly-small proportion of hackers around here, relative to the reputation the site tries to encourage. Lots of people who might be branded "prescriptive social engineers," but not many hackers.
    - Retric 9y ago
      And you are probably not an engineer. As a passenger I suspect you would expect different standards from an Aircraft autopilot than a cellphone. But, there is a lot to be learned from system that just work.
      - wolfgke 9y ago
        > But, there is a lot to be learned from system that just work. From the hacker ethics by Stephen Levy: > https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hacker_ethic&oldid=783532696#The_hacker_ethics https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hacker_ethic&oldi... "Access to computers—and anything which might teach you something about the way the world works—should be unlimited and total. Always yield to the Hands-On Imperative! Levy is recounting hackers' abilities to learn and build upon pre-existing ideas and systems. He believes that access gives hackers the opportunity to take things apart, fix, or improve upon them and to learn and understand how they work. This gives them the knowledge to create new and even more interesting things. Access aids the expansion of technology."
- sigjuice 9y ago
  What are some examples of applications that you typically run as root?
  - deleted 9y ago
    [deleted]
  - wolfgke 9y ago
    Besides the usual suspects that you run as root because of the "limitations" of the OS, like installing applications/binaries etc.: All the kinds of debugging/tinkering tools needing special permissions, such as Wireshark, attaching a debugger to a running process, tools for generating and handling raw network frames (a capability that I need surprisingly often), ... This is what spontaneously comes to my mind. But if I reflected for some time probably more things would come to my mind.
    - dkersten 9y ago
      These are the kinds of tasks that I would expect to require root access. I don't want some random rogue application sniffing my network packets or attaching debuggers to other processes. While peoples use cases certainly vary, I've also never needed to or cared to do these things on my phone, so lack of root hasn't bothered me. YMMV.
      - wolfgke 9y ago
        > I've also never needed to or cared to do these things on my phone, so lack of root hasn't bothered me. You are not a hacker.
        dkersten 9y ago
        There are many definitions of hacker and sniffing packets on your phone or attaching debuggers to apps on your phone are only one narrow definition of many.
        9y ago

wolfgke 9y ago

> Do you operate your computer as root all the time? Not all the time, but sometimes - both under GNU/Linux and Windows - I want to/have to run an application with root/admin permissions.

Retric 9y ago
That's often a sign of poor OS design not really a goal on it's own.
- wolfgke 9y ago
  You are not a hacker. :-(
  - CamperBob2 9y ago
    There's definitely a vanishingly-small proportion of hackers around here, relative to the reputation the site tries to encourage. Lots of people who might be branded "prescriptive social engineers," but not many hackers.
  - Retric 9y ago
    And you are probably not an engineer. As a passenger I suspect you would expect different standards from an Aircraft autopilot than a cellphone. But, there is a lot to be learned from system that just work.
    - wolfgke 9y ago
      > But, there is a lot to be learned from system that just work. From the hacker ethics by Stephen Levy: > https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hacker_ethic&oldid=783532696#The_hacker_ethics https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hacker_ethic&oldi... "Access to computers—and anything which might teach you something about the way the world works—should be unlimited and total. Always yield to the Hands-On Imperative! Levy is recounting hackers' abilities to learn and build upon pre-existing ideas and systems. He believes that access gives hackers the opportunity to take things apart, fix, or improve upon them and to learn and understand how they work. This gives them the knowledge to create new and even more interesting things. Access aids the expansion of technology."
sigjuice 9y ago
What are some examples of applications that you typically run as root?
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
- wolfgke 9y ago
  Besides the usual suspects that you run as root because of the "limitations" of the OS, like installing applications/binaries etc.: All the kinds of debugging/tinkering tools needing special permissions, such as Wireshark, attaching a debugger to a running process, tools for generating and handling raw network frames (a capability that I need surprisingly often), ... This is what spontaneously comes to my mind. But if I reflected for some time probably more things would come to my mind.
  - dkersten 9y ago
    These are the kinds of tasks that I would expect to require root access. I don't want some random rogue application sniffing my network packets or attaching debuggers to other processes. While peoples use cases certainly vary, I've also never needed to or cared to do these things on my phone, so lack of root hasn't bothered me. YMMV.
    - wolfgke 9y ago
      > I've also never needed to or cared to do these things on my phone, so lack of root hasn't bothered me. You are not a hacker.
      - dkersten 9y ago
        There are many definitions of hacker and sniffing packets on your phone or attaching debuggers to apps on your phone are only one narrow definition of many.
        9y ago