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Linux question abount accounts. Mainly related to Ubuntu/Mint

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ace106

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This is a question about which account one should use for doing day to day things.

When using Windows, I have an admin account which is used once in a while just for installing programs, drivers, updates, etc. And I have a standard account for day to day use for running various programs, games, going online and so on.

With Linux, mainly Ubuntu and Mint, would using the admin account for day to day use not be recommended and that a standard account be used instead?

I ask because I read somewhere that said something about how Ubuntu has root turned off/disabled and that the admin account is different from it. I don't fully understand that but anyway, it went on about the admin account being safe to use due to the fact that it is not quite the same as root and that a password is always needed to make system changes. Something about that just doesn't seem right but it could just be me in that I'm so used to how I'd use Windows.
 
ace106 said:
I ask because I read somewhere that said something about how Ubuntu has root turned off/disabled and that the admin account is different from it. I don't fully understand that but anyway, it went on about the admin account being safe to use due to the fact that it is not quite the same as root and that a password is always needed to make system changes. Something about that just doesn't seem right but it could just be me in that I'm so used to how I'd use Windows.
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The root user still exists in ubuntu/mint, but you cannot log in as root directly. However, certain users with such admin accounts can act in the name of root by using the sudo command. To switch the role via sudo, you need to authenticate with your password. Basically its similar to the mac os way.
 
Yes, bad idea to login as root all of the time. This is like logging into Windows as Administrator all the time; maybe worse. You are a lot less likely to cause self-inflicted damage when logging in as a regular user (your name here).

On Ubuntu and Mint, when you need elevated privilege, you "sudo" by supplying your user password, or supply your user password to a GUI based administration tool.

I always create a root account and password in case I want to make extensive changes - much easier than continuing to type "sudo" repeatedly. I'm not sure whether Mint made me create the root account, but I do recall that Ubuntu did not have it until I created it.

Some software (e.g. Eclipse) must be installed by root, but this is usually explained in the software release notes.
ace106 said:
This is a question about which account one should use for doing day to day things.

When using Windows, I have an admin account which is used once in a while just for installing programs, drivers, updates, etc. And I have a standard account for day to day use for running various programs, games, going online and so on.

With Linux, mainly Ubuntu and Mint, would using the admin account for day to day use not be recommended and that a standard account be used instead?

I ask because I read somewhere that said something about how Ubuntu has root turned off/disabled and that the admin account is different from it. I don't fully understand that but anyway, it went on about the admin account being safe to use due to the fact that it is not quite the same as root and that a password is always needed to make system changes. Something about that just doesn't seem right but it could just be me in that I'm so used to how I'd use Windows.
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Last edited:
CAcreeks said:
I always create a root account and password in case I want to make extensive changes - much easier than continuing to type "sudo" repeatedly.
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sudo -i gives you a shell to work in like you were logged in as root.
CAcreeks said:
I'm not sure whether Mint made me create the root account, but I do recall that Ubuntu did not have it until I created it.
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I think also ubuntu always has a root user, but no log-in shell is assigned.

CAcreeks said:
ace106 said:
This is a question about which account one should use for doing day to day things.

When using Windows, I have an admin account which is used once in a while just for installing programs, drivers, updates, etc. And I have a standard account for day to day use for running various programs, games, going online and so on.

With Linux, mainly Ubuntu and Mint, would using the admin account for day to day use not be recommended and that a standard account be used instead?

I ask because I read somewhere that said something about how Ubuntu has root turned off/disabled and that the admin account is different from it. I don't fully understand that but anyway, it went on about the admin account being safe to use due to the fact that it is not quite the same as root and that a password is always needed to make system changes. Something about that just doesn't seem right but it could just be me in that I'm so used to how I'd use Windows.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Its highly not recommended to login with root/admin account. Instead you just login with normal account nd whenever you need to do something which requires admin rights, it asks for root password (root is account with highest admin rights).
 
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