> I don't buy it. Most desktop computers (dos, win95/98, early macs) > don't even have a "root" concept, and all users have root-equivalent > power -- yet I've *never* met a person who deleted their system files > because they had root access. (I've been admin for a lot of systems.) > This just isn't a problem that comes it in practice.
Yes, your right. Older braindead "personal" OS's didn't have a root concept. That's partially the reason Windows is so fucked up though. Everyone pretty much NEEDS write access in areas that they should not mess with such as the Windows system folder. This is also why Windows viruses are so distructive, and why windows is so unstable. Anyone or anything can over write critical system files whether it be a user installed application, spyware, worm, etc. Even OSX requires you to have a separate "administrator" password, but you don't login AS administrator. I've seen LOTS of problems over the many years I've been in IT due to root level access. Even vetran senior sys-admins have their share of goofups due to playing in root when they should have been in their own user account. While I have not had anyone do an accidental rm -rf /, I have had them fuck up and take a critical system down for a day costing the company ~$500K or so. Windoze boxen are even worse. I hate to think of the billions lost every year in business due to root level access problems.
