The main point of this post is to express that I really love defaulting to root w/ the Puppy distros I've tried. I didn't even realize how much time I was spending sudoing, chmodding, and chowning in Ubuntu/Debian based distros. But I want to explain an issue I had w/ Debian to illustrate that.
I was brand-spankin' new to Linux, in hindsight would have been great to spend a year studying it before attempting to install it, but that just doesn't exist in reality for many people.
In the Debian installation, there is a screen to set a password for root, then another screen to name the user account and set that password. I didn't just blaze through it. I actually was looking up everything as I went. I later learned that standard practice is to leave the root password blank, set up the user account and you then log-in as a user with sudo-privileges. Which is what Debian wants you to do.
The issue is that if you give the root a password, not only can you still NOT log in as root, but the user you created is not in the sudo group either. So you wind up in a fresh OS as a user without sudo who can't install or remove apps, command line is useless, you seek help and get lectured by people about how a stupid newb has no business being root, etc... and meanwhile you barely know how to explain what it is you're hoping to do exactly, but you have correctly assessed that this OS is f'n worthless to you unless you can be root or sudo, etc... and that people keep telling you to put "su" in command line, but it doesn't work when you try it.
For me, I eventully figured out just re-install, leave password for root blank, now you have a user with sudo and that's what most Debian/Ubuntu instructional materials and online help is geared towards anyway.
This is embarassing for me to say, but here it is over a year later, I decide to install Debian again. I'm feeling quite confident. I've learned alot about Linux since that initial experience..... I do the same thing again. lol. Yes, I now have better ways of approaching the problem and I'll get it handled. But it's still confusing, it's still clear that, in general, they just don't want people using root access. I really don't know why their standard install .iso even has the screen for that.
I may not be the smartest guy, but I'm not a complete moron either AND I have spent a lot of time reading/learning Linux. I feel as if I was right initially that something is not quite right with this, and it wasn't just that I was a newb who didn't know what I was doing.
I want to offset a bit of what I've said so far, by also saying this. I can only imagine how difficult being a network administrator is, I spend a good amount of time just keeping one computer operating optimally. I can't imagine keeping a network of 100 or 1,000 computers. I also can understand corporation or educational institution that really needs different groups, permissions, and so forth. I know that if Debian made everything just how I'd like it, then it would be horrible for a lot of other people. I think I understand the reasons for it, the general idea of how it all works, I accept all that.
I just find myself in my Puppy distros more and more, and am not happy with user account w/ sudo any more. But Debian also tells me root account is only for administrative duties and should never, ever, under any circumstances being used as a personal account. Especially by a guy like me who goofs off, tinkers, and doesn't mind breaking an OS, wiping it and starting over. I'm probably their biggest nightmare of someone with a root account. But so what? It's my computer, right?
I think I'm going to try a fresh install of Debian 12 w/ root access, there's a good chance I'll figure out they're right and I'm wrong and it is a horrible idea. But I gotta try it to know. I might also just wipe their OS off my machine and never use it again at the end of this. Who knows?
