[sclug] su/sudo (sounds like a Phil Collins song!)

[Spiros Kapetanakis]

> Ubuntu standard install does not ask for a root password during setup, but
> the root account does exist. Sudo is the way forward there. Server & expert
> install do ask for a root password during install.
>
> Having used Ubuntu on my laptop a lot recently, I have now install sudo onto
> the server here, as it seems to make life a little easier.

AFAIK, there is only one (potentially crucial) difference between
using sudo and su. If you su into the root account and run a process
that requires you reading a config file, it will be read from root's
home directory /root. If, on the other hand, you "sudo run_command",
the config file will be read from the user's home dir /home/my_user.

I believe that there is a way to get sudo to read from root's home dir
(could it be -i ?) but I'm not sure. When in doubt, I just use su...


Spiros