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Thread: Password prompts

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
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    4

    Password prompts

    Hello there,

    i am reposting here as this seems a more appropriate forum than the general help.

    I recently installed Ybunutu 14.04 on an old laptop and I am getting sick and tired of the constant password prompts when trying to install/uninstall software etc. Can someone please tell me how to disable those prompts? What I have tried so far is going through a terminal, entering the command sudo visudo and editing the file at the line
    %admin ALL=(ALL) ALL
    to
    %admin ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: ALL.
    That had no effect whatsoever. Is there another way? I am still getting those annoying prompts. I understand it can be somewhat a security risk to turn them off but this is a single user old laptop with practically nothing in it. I am only using it to play with linux and learn some python.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    London, England
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    7,698

    Re: Password prompts

    You pretty-much can't turn them off. They serve the same function as they do in windows - protect your computer from system changes by unauthorised users or trojans.
    When you have finished your initial system tweaking, you should be able to settle into just being a normal user and you won't bump up against the password prompt so often.

    There should be a timer that only re-requests your password after 15 minutes anyway, so the password prompts are not "constant".
    If you know you are going to be issuing a lot of commands as root, you can always use "sudo -i" in a command prompt, which gains you root privilege until you exit again. That way, you don't even need to use "sudo" in front of the commands you issue.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
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    Lab, Slovakia
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    10,783

    Re: Password prompts

    Two things:
    1. You'll get used to it.
    2. Use KeepassX

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Beans
    4

    Re: Password prompts

    I didn't mean when issuing commands. In that case I know about the sudo -i "workaround". I meant when using the desktop. This is where it gets annoying, not in the terminal.
    I was thinking maybe I can be logged in as the superuser root constantly. That should get rid of them right?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
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    I think I'm here! Maybe?
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    Hidden!
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    Xubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish

    Re: Password prompts

    Quote Originally Posted by Vassilis View Post
    I didn't mean when issuing commands. In that case I know about the sudo -i "workaround". I meant when using the desktop. This is where it gets annoying, not in the terminal.
    I was thinking maybe I can be logged in as the superuser root constantly. That should get rid of them right?
    In theory, yes, you could do that.

    However it is a very dangerous way to use a computer as there will be no security "fence" around the whole OS. You will not get any help here on the forum on how to enable the root account, which is disabled by default, and if I, or any other person attempted to tell you how, that post would be removed by the forum mods, I think.

    Just accept that one of the reasons why Linux is secure is the password requirement to do anything that affects the OS itself; you can do whatever you like to your own files and folders in your home, but the OS is more protected from that kind of activity.

    You'll soon get used to it, and once you have set up the OS as you want it, it will normally be only for installing/uninstalling and updating packages that you need a password.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    London, England
    Beans
    7,698

    Re: Password prompts

    It would, but you really should not do that. It is disabled in the default install, and I don't know how to enable it (and don't want to know).

    As HermanAB says, you'll get used to it. And as I said, once you have the system bedded down you won't be making constant changes to the system configuration anyway.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Oct 2014
    Beans
    4

    Re: Password prompts

    Quote Originally Posted by ajgreeny View Post
    Just accept that one of the reasons why Linux is secure is the password requirement to do anything that affects the OS itself; you can do whatever you like to your own files and folders in your home, but the OS is more protected from that kind of activity.

    You'll soon get used to it, and once you have set up the OS as you want it, it will normally be only for installing/uninstalling and updating packages that you need a password.
    As I said in the first post I realise the possible security risks arising from what I am asking and that this is one of the features that makes Linux much safer than Windows. The way I see it though, what Linux offers compared to other OS is exactly the fact that it gives you the power to do anything. That is why I installed it and I do not want it blocking me from doing things "for my own good". Besides what's the worst case scenario? I do something I shouldn't have, destroy the OS, format the HDD and reinstall a fresh Ubuntu copy. Big deal. I have been googling this thing for two days now and all I see is the same response "I could tell you how but I won't because you shouldn't do it". Honestly I appreciate the concern but please let me destroy my computer if I want to.
    Maybe I have the wrong idea here but I thought the point of the Linux community is in part to teach noobs like me stuff, not to refuse to share information in order to "protect" them.

  8. #8
    Join Date
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    Xubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish

    Re: Password prompts

    I'm also on a single user laptop and I like those password prompts. They remind me when I have to think twice before doing something.

    By default there is a 15 minute timeout. If you use another sudo command in the same terminal within 15 minutes you won't get a new password prompt. If you wish, you can increase the timeout period. You can also use sudo -i to get a root shell. Then you don't have to use sudo or type any passwords to do anything as root until you terminate the root shell by typing exit.

    A graphical package manager like synaptic asks the password once when you start the program, then you can keep it open for as long as you want. I'm not sure about the software centre, as I never use it.

    Once you have installed all applications you want and have the system set up to your likings, you don't need sudo and those command prompts very often.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Not heaven... Iowa
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    Ubuntu

    Re: Password prompts

    Quote Originally Posted by Vassilis View Post
    Maybe I have the wrong idea here but I thought the point of the Linux community is in part to teach noobs like me stuff,...
    Perhaps you've missed the point of what they're trying to teach you...

    Quote Originally Posted by Vassilis View Post
    i am reposting here as this seems a more appropriate forum than the general help.
    You can use the Report Post button to request to have a thread moved.
    Last edited by Iowan; October 15th, 2014 at 11:53 AM.
    Linux User #415691 Ubuntu User #8629
    Iowa Team (LoCo): [Wiki] [Launchpad]
    IRC channel: #ubuntu-us-ia on irc.freenode.net

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    I think I'm here! Maybe?
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    Hidden!
    Distro
    Xubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish

    Re: Password prompts

    Quote Originally Posted by Vassilis View Post
    Maybe I have the wrong idea here but I thought the point of the Linux community is in part to teach noobs like me stuff, not to refuse to share information in order to "protect" them.
    It is, but as I said in my post above, this forum has rules and one of those is that any information we give has to abide by the Ubuntu and forum philosophy, ie a root account is not the way to do things.

    Google is your friend if you feel you must pursue this; this forum, however, is not allowed help you.

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