On Sun, Jul 17, 2005 at 12:47:55PM -0700, John Floren wrote: > andrey mirtchovski wrote: > >>And why do you have to reboot in order to change users? UNIX has had > >>that from the beginning, and I don't see any reason to drop it. > > > > > >this isn't unix :) > > > >the single most-important reason to switch users (do something as > >root) does not exist here, hence nobody bothered. when you set up a > >proper file/cpu/auth server on which you're going to have more than > >one users then you can always log in as the administrative user > >(bootes, in most cases) remotely or on the console of the server and > >administer. if you only have a standalone, single-user machine you're > >considered its owner. > > So when I'm not around and somebody decides to boot the computer and > delete all my files, that's just okay then?
in a full P9 system, files are not stored locally; typically, terminals are completely diskless. files are stored on and protected by a fileserver. regular users cannot connect to the fileserver without first authenticating themselves through an auth server, so your files are safe from deletion. you're thinking of P9 as a standalone, single system when it is, in fact, a distributed system usually made up of several hosts. -- Christopher Nielsen "They who can give up essential liberty for temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin
