users on linux

der.hans PLUGd@LuftHans.com
Tue, 23 May 2000 12:42:03 -0700 (MST)


On Tue, 23 May 2000, Mike Starke wrote:

> A bit if a strange thing is happening at work:
> I have had my first two user REQUEST linux

It's strange that you've only had two ;-).

> on their PC's (one a workstation & one a laptop).
> It is a bit strange in the fact that all my users
> have always been on NT or 9x. Only the servers
> or my pc has ever had Linux installed.
> 
> My question is this: If they need to use gcc, make
> and a host of other tools for compiling (they will
> be doing chip design), do they need root access?

They don't need root access for that type of stuff, but you might spend a
lot of time loading packages and updates for them.

> Root access has always been something I have always
> kept to myself as I never had a need to share it with

On the servers that is good.

> anyone else. As I find myself installing Linux more
> and more, I guess I'd like to learn how to deal with it as a 
> user's workstation.

It depends on who's using the workstation. We had engineers putting in
Linux themselves, so they had root. It was coming down to if the user had
root they maintained the box. If they didn't sys_adm was going to. That
part was still being worked out when I left.

You might investigate sudo to give them the access they need. sudo logs
everything, so it gives you more info to go with if they come to you with
a self-inflicted problem.

ciao,

der.hans
-- 
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