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From: mitroo@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Varun Mitroo)
Subject: Re: Another ... Suggestion for NeXT, Inc.
Message-ID: <1991May2.022327.21060@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu>
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References: <1991Apr29.082508.2376@wuphys.wustl.edu> <SCOTT.91Apr29122733@mcs-server.gac.edu> <BB.91May1005049@gomek.math.ufl.edu>
Date: Thu, 2 May 1991 02:23:27 GMT
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In article <BB.91May1005049@gomek.math.ufl.edu> bb@math.ufl.edu (Brian Bartholomew) writes:
>In article <1991Apr29.082508.2376@wuphys.wustl.edu>
>rdd@wuphys.wustl.edu (Rakhal D. Dave) writes:
>
>> What I'd like is to see an option in the user workspace menu, under
>> tools maybe, called superuser. Choosing this option should cause the
>> loginwindow to be displayed with root filled into the user field. On
>> giving the password, without rearranging the workspace to match the
>> root workspace and without halting any background processes it would
>> be great to get all the root permissions to rearrange files.
>
>This is certainly do-able, but it strikes me as extremely messy and
>very dangerous.  Mostly I think you would contradict many designed-in
>features of the "U*IX programming environment".  What would you have a
>program do that has already chosen what to do based on your userid?
>Would you require code to be added to every U*IX program on the box to
>check occassionally to see if its uid has been changed to root?  The
>idea of a big Frankenstein-style "Maintenance" switch is appealing,
>but I cannot visualize how to do it cleanly.
>

Why not just have an selection in the Workspace in the "View" option for
"New Viewer as user..." - just like opening up a New Viewer.  After
typing in the username and correct password, this would open a new File
Viewer "owned" by that user.

-- 
You are young, they are old Control is all they've got to give
Just live how you want to live Tiny things that make you slave
Like a chain, an anchor to the bed of the sea
