lindows comes to walmart

[Tyler Regas]

> Now just "why" would I want to receive a warning message every time I 
> need to make a change as root? If I'm running as root, I'd damn well 
> better know what I'm doing, otherwise I shouldn't be doing it. That 
> solution reminds me of a paperclip that always tried to offer advice. 
> Stupid users that are unable to make a decision without being prompted 
> with "are you sure?" should either seek more training or a different 
> occupation. I sure wouldn't want a doctor or mechanic that needed to be 
> prompted with that. And yes, the information, financial records, credit 
> reports and other data can be just as important as a doctor's scalpel or 
> a mechanic's wrench. Can you imagine someone's investment portfolio 
> suddenly disappearing because everyone had root?

VMware Workstation offers warnings on all operations that can be
disabled when the user is familiar with everything. There is also an
option to turn them all off at once. I wouldn't be surprised to find
that there was an option in the console install that turned it off
before it ever showed the first warning.

This is just me, oc, but I don't find that to be anything like that
damned paperclip. VMware Workstation is considered a tool for
professionals. The very same professionals that you claim don't want
warnings for everything. Its very likely they don't, but continued
experience with a system is required before even the smartest admin
doesn't need help anymore.

Using your doctor reference... Imagine if a doctor was using a laser to
correct your vision and that the slightest mistake would leave you blind.
When the doctor sets the coordinates or whatever they set into the
system, would you want him or her to just blindly click the "Burn"
button, confident that despite their humanity they never make mistakes, or
would it make you feel better if they were required to doublecheck all
of their settings against your needs before proceeding? Is your sight
worth an additional minute or two?

I don't make this argument because I don't understand. I make it because
we need to develop interfaces (which doesn't necessarily mean GUI) that
work with whomever gets on the system. Nobody, even an admin, should be
allowed to destroy an entire installation because they have the
priviledges to edit config files. This is bad design. In another light,
would you feel slighted or shut out if you were disallowed from changing
a LILO or GRUB configuration parameter that would cause the system to no
longer work? Would it not be enough to be able to modify LILO or GRUB to
boot in various ways without having access to damaging alterations?

Maybe you're right. Maybe I just don't get it...

> <snip>
> Not a slam, just trying to help you "grasp the idea" from the other 
> point of view.

Not taken as such. :)

-- 
Tyler Regas
listmanager AT writerbase DOT com