Re: ✘"Sudo? Sudon't!" and "Saving U-blox Configuration"

[Gary E. Miller]

Yo Joshua!

On Tue, 19 Jan 2021 12:17:11 -0500
Joshua Judson Rosen <rozzin@hackerposse.com> wrote:

> On 1/18/21 1:23 PM, Gary E. Miller wrote:
> > If you wish to ignore my sage advice, feel free to run insecure
> > systems.
> > 
> > But this list is for discussion of gpsd.  Not sudo.  
> 
> Then why are you so insistent on discussing the general security
> issues of sudo and whether people should use it at all, instead of
> just describing what the actual issue is with _specifically as
> applied to gpsd_?

Because I hate wasting my time on dead ends.

It is for the teach to show the student the right ways to do things.
It is for the students to discover all the wrong ways.

> I don't understand how this remark is consistent with your stated
> goal:
> 
> > Just sudon't.  

Uh, which remark are you refertring to?  I'm very bad at indirection.

The text clearly says that sudo breaks ubxtool examples.  What more do
you need to know to not use sudo with ubxtool examples?

>  From the context of this whole discussion, it seems like your issue
> of `users shooting themselves into the foot with "sudo ubxtool"'
> probably actually has little or nothing to do with sudo's default
> password-requirement policy and more to do with "inconsistent UID
> usage"--or something like that? It's not really clear just from the
> ubxtool-examples text addition that you showed.

Yup, not clear.  I do not want to waste my time crashing cars into the
wall so I can examine the wreckage.  If you wish to do so, then have at.
Just run the ubxtool examples and the crash will  be obvious.  No need
for me to ewaste my time detailing the wreckage.

I much prefer to document procedures that end up with good results.

gpsd users all already too good at finding things that do not work.

> Assume that you convince everybody to get rid of sudo;
> so now they're using "su -c" instead. Is that fine?

No, that also breaks ubxtool examples.  And what you suggested has been
suggessted by nobody.

I thought this was vey clear:

https://gpsd.io/ubxtool-examples.html

    ubxtool never needs root access, but will run fine as root.

>  Or does that also
> break the same ubxtool examples that sudo breaks?

Yes, but without the security problems.

Howcum everyone wants to discuss this ad nauseum, but not take the
10 minutes to see why it fails?

RGDS
GARY
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Gary E. Miller Rellim 109 NW Wilmington Ave., Suite E, Bend, OR 97703
        gem@rellim.com  Tel:+1 541 382 8588

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    "If you can't measure it, you can't improve it." - Lord Kelvin

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