Fedora Backpedals on Password Free Installation
A new feature in Fedora 12 was that users could install RPM packages from signed repositories without a root password. "Not good," said many users, so the project decided to reverse the policy.
On November 19, project lead Paul W. Frields announced the update to Fedora 12 that would reverse the unprivileged package installation policy. In his words, "The update will require local console users to enter the root password to install new software packages," no matter what the origins of the packages are .
One reason for the original change in Fedora 12 was to forego the complicated password dialogs in previous Fedora releases, with the root password required at the end anyway, but rather to rely on a role-based mechanism. Many developers and users were pleased by the new policy. Unfortunately the way that the policy was implemented for the release, it didn't work well on multi-user systems in that the privileges applied to all local users.
Details on the reversal in the PackageKit policy and the reasons behind it are in a posting by Owen Taylor. In it, it becomes clear that the password policy originally implemented for Fedora 12 was not the intended solution, but a quick compromise to get Fedora 12 out on time as promised. A Fedora 12 update should be available "quite soon."
Comments
comments powered by DisqusSubscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.
-
Firefox 134 Offers Improvements for Linux Version
Fans of Linux and Firefox rejoice, as there's a new version available that includes some handy updates.
-
Serpent OS Arrives with a New Alpha Release
After months of silence, Ikey Doherty has released a new alpha for his Serpent OS.
-
HashiCorp Cofounder Unveils Ghostty, a Linux Terminal App
Ghostty is a new Linux terminal app that's fast, feature-rich, and offers a platform-native GUI while remaining cross-platform.
-
Fedora Asahi Remix 41 Available for Apple Silicon
If you have an Apple Silicon Mac and you're hoping to install Fedora, you're in luck because the latest release supports the M1 and M2 chips.
-
Systemd Fixes Bug While Facing New Challenger in GNU Shepherd
The systemd developers have fixed a really nasty bug amid the release of the new GNU Shepherd init system.
there's a way...