FreeTDS Development Group

["Mark J. Lilback" <mark AT lilback.com>]

At 9:35 AM -0600 10/18/2001, Darryl Friesen wrote:
> That just goes without saying.  What unix software packages _can_ you
> install without being root?  Even most binary distributions require you be
> root before you can install them.  You mention having the Sybase java stuff;
> surely you must have been root to install that as well?

I install almost every package w/o being root. I change /usr/local 
permissions to allow the sysadmin group to have write permissions, 
that way I can have junior sys admins do work with root access.

Call me paranoid, but rarely will I ever let something run/install as 
root without knowing exactly what will happen. This is especially a 
problem with Apple's built-in installer on Mac OS X. It uses pax 
which has some really nasty bugs. There was a third party app that 
would trash all kinds of stuff when it installed. (I think the 
problem is something to do with symlinks.) Also, installers 
frequently change permissions in ways that I don't want them changed. 
(This happens when opening up tarballs, too.)

And java certainly doesn't have to be installed as root, as you get 
to specify where it should look for third party libraries (just like 
you can set your own LD_LIBRARY_PATH to access private libraries 
instead of the system ones).

The only thing that should have to be installed as root is something 
that needs to chown or make a file setuid. Proper permission tuning 
should be able to handle everything else.

--
__________________________________________________________________________
                                  "They that can give up essential liberty
Mark J. Lilback                    to obtain a little temporary safety
<mark AT lilback.com>                 deserve neither liberty or safety."
http://www.lilback.com/                               -- Benjamin Franklin