From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Date: Sun, 17 Jul 2005 12:45:27 -0700 From: Christopher Nielsen To: Fans of the OS Plan 9 from Bell Labs <9fans@cse.psu.edu> Subject: Re: [9fans] First-timer help Message-ID: <20050717194527.GT66020@cassie.foobarbaz.net> References: <49460fd96304713b16408f43232eecf9@plan9.ucalgary.ca> <42DAB5EB.3020109@moseslake-wa.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Disposition: inline In-Reply-To: <42DAB5EB.3020109@moseslake-wa.com> User-Agent: Mutt/1.5.3i Topicbox-Message-UUID: 692e9b3a-ead0-11e9-9d60-3106f5b1d025 On Sun, Jul 17, 2005 at 12:47:55PM -0700, John Floren wrote: > andrey mirtchovski wrote: > >>And why do you have to reboot in order to change users? UNIX has had > >>that from the beginning, and I don't see any reason to drop it. > > > > > >this isn't unix :) > > > >the single most-important reason to switch users (do something as > >root) does not exist here, hence nobody bothered. when you set up a > >proper file/cpu/auth server on which you're going to have more than > >one users then you can always log in as the administrative user > >(bootes, in most cases) remotely or on the console of the server and > >administer. if you only have a standalone, single-user machine you're > >considered its owner. > > So when I'm not around and somebody decides to boot the computer and > delete all my files, that's just okay then? in a full P9 system, files are not stored locally; typically, terminals are completely diskless. files are stored on and protected by a fileserver. regular users cannot connect to the fileserver without first authenticating themselves through an auth server, so your files are safe from deletion. you're thinking of P9 as a standalone, single system when it is, in fact, a distributed system usually made up of several hosts. -- Christopher Nielsen "They who can give up essential liberty for temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." --Benjamin Franklin