[maemo-users] Can I do root; then passwd to change root password?

[From: Oleg Hahm]

Hi,

sorry, my first mail was intended to be sent to the list, too.

Am Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 11:46:57AM +0530 schrieb Avinash Joshi:
> > Am Thu, Oct 21, 2010 at 08:35:47AM +0530 schrieb Avinash Joshi:
> > > Just
> > > ~ $ sudo gainroot
> >
> > in this context I've got another question:
> > I've never understood why I should use gainroot instead of simply typing
> > `sudo
> > su`. Is there any difference?
> >
> 
> Here is the thing (BTW, this is what i understand); Maemo N900 is not
> supposed to allow a user to gain root access. So, the rootsh package gives
> us a back-door entry :)
> 
> And, you can aswell do a `sudo su`; but we do not have the root password in
> the beginning. So, do a `sudo gainroot` and then change the root password
> and then `sudo su`

Okay, then maybe my problem of understanding has its origin in the fact that I
bought my N900 second hand. Although I'm supposed that the former owner did not
have done much with it. The thing is that on my N900 I was always allowed to
gain root access by `sudo su` without any password (although there is no entry
allowing su explicitly in the sudoers file...).

Regards
Oleg

-- 
"Dass der Mensch das edelste Geschöpf sei, lässt sich schon daraus abnehmen,
dass es ihm noch kein anderes Geschöpf widersprochen hat."
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
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