[NCLUG] root/superuser pwd question

[Paul Hummer]

> Your "problem" with Ubuntu is contrary to why it even exists.
> Distributions like Ubuntu and Fedora are looking to set up a Linux
> installation that "just works". Yes there are other (possibly better)
> ways of doing just about everything, but that's not what they are
> trying to accomplish. I'd rather have them document their way of doing
> things to get new users familiar with Ubuntu (or Fedora or whatever)
> rather than confuse them by explaining the other 373783832 different
> ways to do it.

This is exactly right.  Mark Shuttleworth recently sent out an email
Canonical-wide about a new initiative that has been formed at Canonical
for the sole purpose of increasing the usability and user experience for
open source applications (notice I didn't say Ubuntu).  It's based on a
blog post by Matthew Paul Thomas, a Canonical employee.

http://mpt.net.nz/archive/2008/08/01/free-software-usability

Face it.  Lots of open source software, while great in the idea, has
horrible usability, and we want to get away from that.  So yea, Ubuntu
takes away the idea of a "root" password, because people don't grok it
if they haven't used linux since Linus released 0.7 of the Linux kernel.
 It's more about becoming the "gateway Linux" for people who want to use
their computers.  Then, at some point, they'll try Fedora, or SuSe, or
Debian, etc.

Open source is about freedom, one freedom specifically is choice.  If
you want a GUI with a task bar, (K)Ubuntu or Fedora are good.  If you
want the "glory" days of Linux, you're probably better off with Gentoo
or Slackware.

-- 
Paul Hummer

http://theironlion.net