*BSD News Article 96065


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From: Mike Ekholm <ekholm@mirage.skypoint.com>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.x,comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,gnu.misc.discuss,comp.unix.solaris
Subject: Re: unix acronyms -collecting a list?
Date: 24 May 1997 02:36:05 GMT
Organization: SkyPoint Communications, Inc.
Lines: 53
Message-ID: <5m5k6l$jbf$2@shadow.skypoint.net>
References: <5kd2ng$c8b$1@rzsun02.rrz.uni-hamburg.de> <337B106B.4021@att.com> <5li53q$gvo@overload.lbl.gov> <337C9EFF.10B4D946@uniQserve.com> <EAAHDD.7E2@midway.uchicago.edu>
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Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.shell:45364 comp.os.linux.misc:176702 comp.os.linux.x:62352 comp.unix.bsd.misc:3397 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:41518 gnu.misc.discuss:31463 comp.unix.solaris:107436

back with the good man pages. i wonder what the null device man page looks
like

In comp.unix.shell Eric Fischer <eric@fudge.uchicago.edu> wrote:
: Dr. Borg <vladiQmip@uniQserve.com> wrote:

: > >      su - super-user, temporarily switch to a new user ID
: > 
: > This is obviously wrong. One can 'su' from one user to another
: > and it doesn't have to be superuser. Also, one can 'su' from
: > superuser status to a regular user with normal privileges. I
: > think "Switch User" has been so far the best interpretation of
: > 'su' in this thread.

: No sense of history!  In early versions of Unix, the su command was
: only capable of switching to root.  It was extended to switch to
: arbitrary users beginning in the Seventh Edition.  I enclose a copy
: of the Sixth Edition man page below:

: ---------------------------------------------------------------------
: SU(VIII)                     10/31/73                    SU(VIII)

: NAME
: 	su - become privileged user

: SYNOPSIS
: 	su

: DESCRIPTION
: 	Su allows one to become the super-user, who has all sorts
: 	of marvelous (and correspondingly dangerous) powers.  In
: 	order for su to do its magic, the user must supply a password.
: 	If the password is correct, su will execute the Shell with the
: 	UID set to that of the super-user.  To restore normal UID
: 	privileges, type an end-of-file to the super-user Shell.

: 	The password demanded is that of the entry "root" in the
: 	system's password file.

: 	To remind the super-user of his responsibilities, the Shell
: 	substitutes '#' for its usual prompt '%'.

: SEE ALSO
: 	sh(I)
: ---------------------------------------------------------------------

: Eric


-- 
            ekholm@skypoint.com | http://www.skypoint.com/~ekholm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
      "All I ask for is a T1 to my house, is that too much to ask for?"