Run-As-Root desktop shortcut

[hornetster]

It used to be possible to have a shortcut on the desktop, that you could click and drag a file/directory to from a file manager, a pop-up would then allow you to sudo, and the result would be an editor/file manager, logged in with root privileges (sooooo handy.)
Believe it used gksu %u , or similar to do the trick.

Realise that gksu is not generally available these days, but is this still possible using a different utility?
Thanks.

[Holger_Gehrke]

A drag-and-drop capable shortcut for editing could use something like

env EDITOR=/usr/bin/mousepad SUDO_ASKPASS=/usr/bin/X11/ssh-askpass sudo --askpass -e %F

This uses 'sudo -e' which - just like sudoedit - copies a file, runs an Editor (chosen through the environment variable EDITOR) on the copy then copies the edited file back. This has the advantage of not running an editor as root. It uses ssh-askpass from the package from the package of the same name to ask for the password in a graphical form.

Holger

[TheFu]

I don't think Gnome3, the default DE on Ubuntu, allows desktop icons. There may be an addon for Gnome3 to enable this or you can use some other DE which does support desktop icons.

But really, you can just use sudoedit.

[ActionParsnip]

Could use nautilus-scripts to do same (I assume Gnome here). Sounds pretty useful for GUI kids

[dragonfly41]

Nautilus Python scripts here

e.g. open-as-root.py

[ActionParsnip]

Nautilus Python scripts here

e.g. open-as-root.py

Pretty much what I said, just more exact

[HermanAB]

Note that for small utilities, there is a method called suid root. A little googling for "linux suid root" will find you more information.

On an engineering machine, it is useful to set the network utilities such as ifconfig, ip, route and a few others to suid root. What will then happen is that the utility will run with root permissions when launched from a common user account, without the need to invoke sudo or similar annoyances.

For a computer used by an unsophisticated user in an office environment, this is not a good idea, so these utilities are not set that way by default.

[hornetster]

So... am I getting thicker and thicker... Sorry, coming from Opensuse (and may be going back )
Does drag'n'drop to open a file with an app, not work at all by default in Gnome? ie can't drag and drop a file on an executable, to open that file?

[dragonfly41]

Does drag'n'drop to open a file with an app, not work at all by default in Gnome? ie can't drag and drop a file on an executable, to open that file?

Personally I don't follow that drage&drop workflow. Instead I use a tool (in my case Krusader dual-pane file manager), right click and select from list .. Open With. Then a list of relevant apps show. You can adapt this workflow to suit.

Also in Krusader I can open file with root permissions when needed, but largely I use in local user mode until I really needed root.

[hornetster]

Think I'm going to head back to Opensuse for a while.
Although I quite like the way ubuntu/gnome works, and have been persevering with it for a month or so, now, I don't like the current 'disabled' desktop.
Will try again later....