jdmeaux1952 wrote:Running as"root" is like giving a 16 yr old boy a 1971 Mustang Mach I; seems like a good idea at the time, but the damage that can be done.

I've re-installed so many OS on PC's for other people, it's not funny. Rather than follow directions to clean up a hard drive (use such-and-such program to clean-up), they try to do it manually. And I'll admit I've done it too.

I don't think giving a Mach 1 to a 16 year old has seemed like a good idea since I was 16 (and those cars were new enough to be fairly common on the used market). Even with my driver's license still warm from the laminator, I was willing to admit that was too much car for me. I'd have loved a 289 or 302 Mustang, though (had a high school friend who had a 1967 fastback with 289 and 3-speed -- that was a fun car to drive). Now, I'm just happy if my Aerostar starts every day and gets me to work while I try to fix the Escort (which burns about 1/3 less gas) -- and yes, you can take that analogy back to computers if you like.

Likewise, I'm happy not to run in a mode where I can hose myself with a typo or mis-click without so much as a warning (bad enough having to run a terminal as su to get certain things done; I close those as soon as I can). And I've now got a user account on the antiX install on the eMachine, just in case I need it...