Root support

Interacting with the team

• Public matrix channel: #debian-root-support:matrix.org

Task description

This team support people that want to run as root on their computers if you don't want just don't do it and leave people free to own their machines.

Here there is an article that explains why running as root is safe (or not less-safe than running non-root): http://distro.ibiblio.org/fatdog/web/faqs/login.html

More article about running as root: https://www.garyshood.com/root/ https://bkhome.org/archive/puppylinux/technical/root.htm http://igurublog.wordpress.com/2010/01/16/fear-not-root/ http://web.archive.org/web/20080604034010/grafpup.org/news/?page_id=243 https://xkcd.com/1200/

Get involved

• Create a package that allow root log in where it is disabled for example on GNOME and KDE.

Remove root checks from the packages:

• nemo nemo-desktop has a root check, fixed in new version: "threat root as normal" option added by developers

• jhbuild

• accountsservice minumum uid 1000 check must be removed

• vlc needs --allow-root flag when it is built

• Make pulseaudio works for root without having to manually copy files from non-root user

• Make accountsservice threats root as normal

If someone doesn't want to remove root checks from packages we can make a root versions like for example nemo-rooted that a meta-package will install instead of the normal version.

Proposed names for the meta-package: root-allower.

For fixed packages: *-rooted.

For some packages may be necessary to make another version for root users, since some environments like company computers and shared servers in large network may want to restrict root use.