Egregoros

@benis_redux@cawfee.club remote

4w

Tangent: To my knowledge Linux DEs not supporting the whole "administrator with root privileges is another user" that Windows has is a large mistake. If I install Mint for someone that just opens a browser once a week and enable automatic updates for them, they shouldn't be allowed privilege escalation rights, but instead a separate "admin" user (me) should have those (with a different user password of course).

If you want to make the year of the Linux desktop happen by letting normies use it, at least make the experience for the people administering those machines simple and not allow users to shoot themselves in the feet. Polkit in DEs is basically useless by not supporting this. It might as well not exist unlike UAC which is great.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

Mysterious charmer

4w

@phnt remove the user from sudoers after making a different admin user?

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

Trav

@7073M@noauthority.social remote

4w

@phnt if we went to school with each other i would have kicked your ass and made you eat rabbit shit

regularly

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

Pilgrim

@pwm@darkdork.dev remote

4w

@phnt the other day I went to visit my folks.
My mom (who I set up on mint > a year ago) reported that her desktop was acting strange, the start menu wouldn't open.
I go, check the uptime, and it hasn't been restarted for like, 6 months. Some auto updates had run but others were pending a restart.
I was like, "mom, you gotta turn it all the way off once in a while, and install updates and restart if it asks"
I went on to explain that humanity hasn't figured out how to let a computer program run forever without intervention (little white lie but broadly true).

Replying to @benis_redux@cawfee.club

Phantasm

@benis_redux@cawfee.club remote

4w

@benis_redux The dialogs don't allow you to change the user you are authenticating with. They all use the logged in user with the logged in users password. When an unprivileged user on Windows triggers a UAC prompt, it asks for the password of the administrator, not the unprivileged user.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

Mysterious charmer

4w

@phnt I thought Plasma allowed you to input any admin's password but it's been a while since I've had to

Replying to @benis_redux@cawfee.club

Phantasm

@sun@shitposter.world remote

4w

@benis_redux I don't remember, but Plasma would probably be the only one that has such a feature.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

Blurry Moon

4w

@phnt it seems like if you make the turn-on annoying then that solves the problem

Replying to @7073M@noauthority.social

Phantasm

@menherahair@eientei.org remote

4w

@7073M ok boomer
post-keep-it-to-your-self.mp4

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

menherahair

4w

@phnt just play with pam for half an hour, sudos on my family pcs authenticate with my pgp key, surely polkit can do it too

Replying to @sun@shitposter.world

Phantasm

@pesekcuy@stereophonic.space remote

4w

@sun Yes, and anybody that wants to use Windows seriously wipes the OEM install on their laptop anyway right after they get it. (Or at least I do.) So a checkbox there wouldn't even be annoying to those that are supposed to use it.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

pesekcuy

4w

@phnt If my parents had any use case of a desktop/laptop computer I'd just pirate windows ltsc for theirs and leave it at default settings. Best adversarial efforts they'd ever get are mere scam whatsapp calls anyway (which they fortunately are already well aware of)

Replying to @pwm@darkdork.dev

Phantasm

4w

@pwm I don't know anybody besides my boomer parents with the desktop PC I built for them and power users, that actually shuts down their computers. They all just walk away from their laptops/desktops and let it go to sleep and hibernate later. The only reason my boomer parents do it is because they really care about savings and not wasting electricity to the point of being really annoying with it.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

Phantasm

@hj@shigusegubu.club remote

4w

@pwm
>not wasting electricity to the point of being really annoying with it

That includes toggling off the PSU AC switch. Had to replace that switch two times already in 5 years, because surprise, it is not made to be toggled multiple times a week for years.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

Fedi Developer (of crushes)

4w

@phnt @pwm bro. Get one of these. If you don't mind small current draw you might get one with ZigBee instead.

Replying to @menherahair@eientei.org

Phantasm

@SpectralActivity@annihilation.social remote

4w

@menherahair Clanker said you can add this to Polkit rules, so apparently it is supported in Polkit. But only KDE supports it properly and allows you to choose from a list, Gnome apparently only shows the first option.

polkit.addAdminRule(function(action, subject) {
    return ["unix-user:username", "unix-group:wheel"];
});

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

Spectral Activity

4w

@phnt @pwm i bought my refurbished late 2014 iMac around 2016, 27 inch 5k one, had it on since 2016 without shutting it down. It has had no issues. I ran Linux on it, currently running Sequoia with opencore legacy patcher. I believe 10 years is pretty good for a computer, and probably due to not shutting it down with old apple build quality.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

GNU/翠星石

@Suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com remote

4w

@phnt @benis_redux >When an unprivileged user on Windows triggers a UAC prompt, it asks for the password of the administrator, not the unprivileged user.
`su «user»` asks the password of the relevant user (which can be privileged), not the unprivileged user.

Just alias `sudo` to `su root -c` and change /etc/pam.d/su to; "auth required pam_wheel.so group=su use_uid" if `sudo «command»` is the only use case - all users in the su group can run something as root, if they know the root password.

GNU's functionality where you can login as whatever user via `su` from root, is 1 million times superior, as you can actually install, fix and test things for the user, without needing to know their password.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

ロミンありん

@romin@shitposter.world remote

4w

@phnt @benis_redux this is false, I get asked my admin user password instead of the regular user, maybe get a better distro with sane defaults

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

:VD15_0::VD15_1::VD15_2::VD15_3::VD15_4::VD15_5::VD15_6::VD15_7:

@VD15@pl.valkyrie.world remote

4w

@phnt One must accept that the simplest answer to the normie question is to simply kill them. You can dumb things down for them all you want, but all the handcuffs and guardrails in the world shall not save them from their own incompetence. For they will always make a bigger idiot, with bigger feet with which to shoot himself.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

御園はくい

@hakui@tuusin.misono-ya.info remote

4w

@phnt just give them a distro that doesn't require updating, like hannah montana linux

Replying to @Suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com

🐘🐘 Humpleupagus 🐘🐘

4w

Or just ssh into the local host using the sudo users account. It's that easy. No need to alter anything. Ssh is a simple solution where su fails.

Replying to @Humpleupagus@eveningzoo.club

🐘🐘 Humpleupagus 🐘🐘

4w

This is honestly the problem with you computer niggers. You overthink and create problems where none exist and then propose elaborate solutions where none are needed. Being complicated is midwittery.

Replying to @Suiseiseki@freesoftwareextremist.com

Phantasm

4w

@Suiseiseki @benis_redux It's actually unfathomable how retarded you are.

Replying to @Humpleupagus@eveningzoo.club

Phantasm

4w

@Humpleupagus @benis_redux @Suiseiseki Neither of you read the thread at all.

>JuSt OpEn TeRmInAl AnD uSe Su
>JuSt SsH iNtO tHe CoMpUtEr

Are both of you seriously expecting anyone with average computer skills to do that.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

🐘🐘 Humpleupagus 🐘🐘

4w

What I read is that you wanted a way to access an admin account. I gave you one no harder than logging into email.

Replying to @Humpleupagus@eveningzoo.club

Phantasm

4w

@Humpleupagus @benis_redux @Suiseiseki

RT: https://fluffytail.org/objects/24493bae-7a18-4e55-9dc4-92cc15a2b2de

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

🐘🐘 Humpleupagus 🐘🐘

4w

Yes. I just gave you a solution. Maybe you need to read what you wrote or learn to write what you actually mean. I'm not sure which is the issue. It's not me though.

Replying to @VD15@pl.valkyrie.world

Phantasm

4w

@VD15
normies-shouldnt-use-computers.jpg

Replying to @Humpleupagus@eveningzoo.club

Phantasm

@fristi@56k.dile-up.nl remote

4w

@Humpleupagus @benis_redux @Suiseiseki
>If you want to make the year of the Linux desktop happen by letting normies use it, at least make the experience for the people administering those machines simple

Dicking around with ssh while I'm possibly not even on the same network (remote desktop exists), or dicking around with PAM is not simple in any definition of the word. No idea what is so hard to understand about a GUI prompt asking you for an administrator's password instead of the user's being simple and easy to use.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

『 Fröschti 』

4w

@phnt @VD15 this

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

🐘🐘 Humpleupagus 🐘🐘

4w

I'm not going to argue with a faggot. You wanted admin privileges that a normal user doesn't, learn to use ssh or just kill yourself. I'm sorry for solving your issue or not. Maybe your issue is that you're a hoped up on cum and can't think straight.

Replying to @Humpleupagus@eveningzoo.club

🐘🐘 Humpleupagus 🐘🐘

4w

Learn cron too while you're at it, you fucking twat.

Replying to @Humpleupagus@eveningzoo.club

Phantasm

4w

@Humpleupagus @benis_redux @Suiseiseki lol, lmao even. Funny how the Loonix community has turned to all being GNU/Retards or

clones saying "you don't need that.", "what's the usecase."

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

Phantasm

4w

@Humpleupagus @Suiseiseki @benis_redux blocked over a UAC prompt.
Screenshot_2026-08-17-12-41-15-98_5dca195d7d09adf043e42a8f3ad62b19.webp

Phantasm

4w

@LukeAlmighty @Humpleupagus @benis_redux @Suiseiseki No, he thinks I should be using SSH X11 forwarding or dicking around with system files where one small mistake means you are locked out of the system to get a basic administration feature Windows has for two decades.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

PalePimp

@PalePimp@poa.st remote

4w

@phnt None of this is a problem:

sudo -S -u otheruser

Replying to @PalePimp@poa.st

Phantasm

@mischievoustomato@0.5dollah.click remote

4w

@PalePimp I know you can do that, same with su. But what I actually want is a feature that Windows has for 2 decades.

You can do it with polkit (not with defaults though), but DE support for this leaves a lot to be desired. Only KDE seemingly supports this properly.
image.png

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

johnny peligro

4w

@phnt @pwm i only reboot my laptop when i have changes that require a reboot. otherwise i reboot on weekends due to uodates

Replying to @VD15@pl.valkyrie.world

Zanzibart, forgive me...

4w

@VD15 @phnt i dunno, Apple seems to be handling this quite well with macOS.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

Zanzibart, forgive me...

@VD15@pl.valkyrie.world remote

4w

@phnt @PalePimp implementing this would mean killing the last pieces of the UNIX model that are left. In UNIX, access is separated on per-fd basis, meaning if your code has access to an fd, it can do literally anything. In Windows, object access is much more fine-grained.

In other words, in order to get what you want in Linux you'd need to re-implement half of NT. Nobody's gonna do that, because right now Linux works fine as a server system. The only people who want it for desktop are Gaben and a bunch of autistic nerds.

Replying to @newt@stereophonic.space

3w

@newt @phnt I've had the misfortune of interacting with mac os three times in my life and I'm pretty sure I'd kill myself if I had to daily drive it.

Replying to @VD15@pl.valkyrie.world

Phantasm

3w

@VD15 @newt You just have to picrel
lain-apple-think-different.gif

Replying to @VD15@pl.valkyrie.world

Zanzibart, forgive me...

@VD15@pl.valkyrie.world remote

3w

@VD15 @phnt it might have inconvenient UX, but at the same time Apple has mostly nailed making a system usable by both massive retards and power users. Fwiw Mac today has more UI customisation options than L'Eunuchs. And I don't mean replacing one WM with another, but more like adding quality of life features.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

3w

@phnt @newt Always thought that's a strange way of spelling "incorrectly"

Replying to @newt@stereophonic.space

Phantasm

3w

@newt @VD15
>And I don't mean replacing one WM with another, but more like adding quality of life features.

Aqua or whatever the compositor is called is quite customizable. But a lot of things you take for granted is missing and in 3rd party software. Things like window snapping was added to macOS only last year. But that is probably one of the few features that was missing.

Replying to @phnt@fluffytail.org

Zanzibart, forgive me...

3w

@phnt @VD15 that's minor. The thing with Linux is, almost all software is 3rd party software.

It's a shame that Apple hardware sucks so much tho..

Replying to @newt@stereophonic.space

Phantasm