[Theforum] Re: root access

Joel Canfield Joel at spinhead.com
Sat Apr 27 09:48:26 CDT 2002


>The SC/Admins/top dogs should be able to revoke anything a
>working group does. Their access rights should be higher than
>those of any group.
>
>It's a kind of emergency power: if anything goes wrong, it
>goes *really* wrong. If an editor is angry and publishes a
>flame-article, the admins should be able to remove the article
>and revoke the offender's privileges, and fast. No
>consultations, just do it.

While I understand your reasoning, is that how it's been implemented in any
organization you've been part of? Does the CEO of the company *really* have
root access?

The rebuttal to your point is trust. I have absolute godlike power over
every bit of code, every piece of hardware in our building. If I was a jerk
I could bring a multi-billion-dollar corporation to its knees. But they
trust me, and rightly so. I've earned it thru a lifetime of professional
behaviour.

If we have to be concerned about someone we've given *root* access going
renegade the problem is that our barriers to entry are too low. Giving the
steering committee root access doesn't change that.

joel



More information about the theforum mailing list