This post is partly an open letter to Canonical, Ubuntu Desktop developers ‘n Mark Shuttleworth.

After some 28 years with Linux Desktop sitting at around 2% of all Desktop users isn’t it about time some Linux Distro (besides a ‘pretender’ from GOOGLE) actually places some focus on overtaking Apple/Macintosh/Mac on Desktop usage?!?

IMHO, Linux has two main Desktop advantages over Windows 10: 1) Old computers ‘n 2) Portability of the OS (e.g. on USB). Why do so many Linux Distros (some 2000++ if Flavors, SPINS, Desktop Environments, etc. are included) still force ‘Pesky’ Passwords onto the Desktop users of those two options? Am I the only Desktop user in the entire world who doesn’t like being asked for a password every time I want to do something on my *OWN* Desktop computers?! On the following linked page are *Three Examples* of Linux Distros that have addressed the ‘Pesky’ Password problem…

OK … that concludes the open letter portion of this post.

(Note: The cartoon doesn’t show the mysterious Sudo Deity’s voice asking for the ‘Pesky’ Password before the ‘make a sandwich’ command will be carried out – cartoons can get away with it.)

What is Sudo?

  • Sudo (su “do”) allows a system administrator to delegate authority to give certain users (or groups of users) the ability to run some (or all) commands as root or another user while providing an audit trail of the commands and their arguments. For more information, see the introduction to Sudo. Sudo is free software, distributed under an ISC-style license.

Humble me is a simple Desktop computer user – why on earth would I need a “system administrator to delegate authority” over my Desktop usage? Or, why on earth would I want to waste time delegating authority to myself when using one of my Desktop computers? Why do Linux Distros claim to also be for Desktop users, but create OSes that seem mainly focused on some kind of ‘System Administration’ OS meant for businesses?

Here’s how Windows 10 handles system administration on a simple Desktop home computer: User Account Control, i.e. they offer a lot of options. Most Linux Distros also offer an option to login without a password, but require a password to even ‘go to the bathroom’ after that…OK, maybe the bathroom example is a tad exaggerated. 😉

Under User Account Control I have 4 options from Always notify to Never notify, and have found that the second option is not too ‘Pesky’.

Now, I am no *REAL* ‘System Administrator’, but I build (‘n upgrade) my own computers, install my own OSes ‘n other software for what I call ‘Desktop Duty’ (Desktop usage). A Linux Distro insults me each time it asks for a ‘Pesky’ Password when I want to open GParted, or use Synaptic Package Manager, or change a setting, etc. When testing a Linux Distro I may use GParted a dozen or more times before tests are done…sometimes within minutes apart. Hey, maybe ‘Keyboard Jockeys’ don’t mind punching a keyboard’s keys all day long, but I’ve hated keyboards since my 1992 DOS days! Don’t get me started on the ‘Linux Mouse’ problems…

I have used Puppy Linux since about 2006 … terrible DE, but excellent USB portability & unsurpassed at rescue ‘n other tasks that no other OS will do. I don’t recall Puppy Linux ever asking me for a ‘Pesky’ Password, and I’ve had it go into Windows ‘n Linux OSes to recover or delete stuff that other OSes said couldn’t be done. If they ever add a GNOME or Cinnamon DE choice, then other Distros might as well get out of ‘Desktop Duty’ and stick with the ‘Baby Sitting’ server sudo keyboard stuff.

There are other Distros that don’t require ‘Pesky’ passwords for every task – most are too small, too toyish, or just not what I like; however, I recently found two major Linux Distro OSes that don’t require a user password, Fedora ‘n CentOS…they do it like this:

I usually address the Installation Destination first, then the Root Password, and User Creation last. Fedora’s default Workstation GNOME version requires a user password (workstations are a little different than desktops, but the option to opt out of password should still be offered, IMHO), but the SPINS don’t. The installation process of Fedora ‘n CentOS are almost the same. Here’s the root account setup:

For major changes, usually involving the terminal/command prompt ‘n sudo or su stuff, both Distros want that root password then. Here is user account setup:

Check make user the administrator, and uncheck or leave blank the Require a ‘Pesky’ Password for the account.

Am slowly using Ubuntu LTS less ‘n less … am starting to use CentOS more than Fedora recently, mainly for the simplicity of updates/updating. With WIN10 being my primary OS ‘n Ubuntu LTS being my second OS (with a ‘Pesky’ Password requirement), Ubuntu LTS is becoming less useful to me since Fedora ‘n CentOS showed up. Oh, here is the Karmi’s Top 10 Linux Distros page.

Ubuntu LTS is still #1 of the Linux Distros, but in a weak usage position with WIN10 being my primary ‘n CentOS becoming my main working Portable OS (no ‘Pesky’ Password requirement when busy testing).

As Puppy Linux has shown for over a decade, Linux Desktop users don’t need a password requirement. Some of the Linux password advocates use the same ole boring talking points over ‘n over ‘n over again. I hate discussing them anymore, but basically, here are my two responses to two of their ole boring talking points: 1) a Linux Distro can still be deleted even if a password is required. 2) Linux has never been a secure OS – see *Linux Security Issues* page.

‘Think different’ – Linux Desktop should not be akin to a ‘Baby Sitting’ server for Windows OSes, and create a *REAL* Linux Desktop that can surpass the Apple/Macintosh/Mac ‘tHiNgIe’ posing as a Desktop OS.

Rule of Thumb – if you can’t install Ubuntu on it, then you can’t install any Linux Distro on it.

Advertisement