su root before setup -net Open Office

[Ken McAllister]

I have OOo1.1, thanks to helpful advice from the group re. wget.  (4 
hours 30 minutes and 7 interruptions).

I have "setup."
I have "setup -net"  for a good reason (which I forget) dating from last 
years installation of OOo1.0.

I am told by setup -net that I need root privileges.
My fingers hover over the keys "su root."
Is this wise?  Is it elegant? Is it advisable?  Is it a good habit?
What should I be reading, in order better to understand a very recent 
thread?