Enabling Root login

On the login screen, I can see my normal username login. Where is the root username and how can I enable logging in as root?

(I can log in on the terminal, but it makes it easier if I can just use the desktop instead)

You don't need root account, use sudo to do admin stuff.

2 Likes

Well yeah. But I need the root account to do stuff in folders and it is so much easier to do it using the desktop and not using sudo for everything

You can become root with sudo su - then you can do stuff as root.
Caja also allows you to open as Admin (File > Open as Administrator)

I see. So I did sudo pcmanfm /home/bio_hazard and it works.

BTW, if it helps explain things at all...

The dangers of the desktop session being root are rather high, as this means any and all processes spawned under it (apps, services, etc) are all granted elevated privileges. This comes with a lot of baggage, such as the potential breakage of applications that don't expect that kind of operation, or even allowing applications which misbehave to cause irreversible damage to your system if they modify things they shouldn't. There's also the matter of file ownership and permissions. Everything spawned under this kind of session belongs to root, which could make things inaccessible for your normal user.

All of that is a gross oversimplification, but the general gist of it is that the dangers are very, very real, and it's why disallowing root graphical sessions has become standard across most (if not all by now) DEs. While there are still dangers to launching some apps in this regard, as they could also break these things, especially if they're not made with that use case in mind, the dangers are minimized to an extent, as just a consequence of that one app (like a file manager or text editor, etc), rather than every process of the DE.

Please be exceptionally careful, nonetheless... As even text editors and file managers can cause breakages when spawned with sudo, and this could break permissions or file ownership, among other things.

2 Likes