I think an equivalent way to phrase this that feels very different is: "On both Windows and Linux the default installed users are, practically, root equivalent"

I think an equivalent way to phrase this that feels very different is: "On both Windows and Linux the default installed users are, practically, root equivalent". I guess on the basis that the user performing the installation should be in control of the system (I mean, they are; they could've just not done the installation. Where are your access controls now, blank system!) > When was the last time sudo said "no" to somebody for a reason other than a password typo? Sudo doesn't say no to people, much like UAC doesn't say "no" to people. In both cases, people (admins) are meant to say "no" when they don't expect to be performing an administrative operation. People who are not admins and yet need to do such operations need an administrator to authorise it. In both cases, if it's not a single-person system, whoever is setting the machine up should be setting up limited accounts for regular use.