Return to BSD News archive
Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!munnari.OZ.AU!news.ecn.uoknor.edu!feed1.news.erols.com!news-xfer.netaxs.com!cam-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!europa.clark.net!newsfeeds.sol.net!uniserve!not-for-mail
From: "Dr. Borg" <vladiQmip@uniQserve.com>
Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.x,alt.os.linux,comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,gnu.misc.discuss,comp.unix.solaris
Subject: Re: unix acronyms -collecting a list?
Date: Fri, 16 May 1997 10:53:04 -0700
Organization: Linux ACME Laboratories Inc.
Lines: 30
Message-ID: <337C9EFF.10B4D946@uniQserve.com>
References: <5kd2ng$c8b$1@rzsun02.rrz.uni-hamburg.de> <5l3c2f$i1j@pasilla.bbnplanet.com> <337A003F.6A7B@ncofsi.com> <3378D37F.462F3A47@gaijin.com> <Pine.SUN.3.95.970513170134.19438A-100000@omni2> <Pine.GSO.3.96.970513200952.7143D-100000@tree.Stanford.EDU> <Pine.LNX.3.95.970515180937.229A-100000@itclub.mur.csu.edu.au> <337B106B.4021@att.com> <5li53q$gvo@overload.lbl.gov>
NNTP-Posting-Host: van0102.tvs.net
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01Gold (X11; I; Linux 2.0.30 i586)
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.shell:45061 comp.os.linux.misc:175651 comp.os.linux.x:61760 alt.os.linux:21234 comp.unix.bsd.misc:3278 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:41056 gnu.misc.discuss:31318 comp.unix.solaris:106712
Brian V. Smith wrote:
..........
> |> > Clear this up... Substitute User
> |> > NAME
> |> > su - run a shell with substitute user and group IDs
> |> >
> |> <snip>
> |>
> |> All that means is that the person who wrote the gnu man page thought
> |> it meant 'substitute'. The solaris man page doesn't say one way or
> |> another. I think the answer is 'switch user'.
>
> The SunOs 4.1.3 "man 1 su" has "super-user":
>
> SU(1V) USER COMMANDS SU(1V)
>
> NAME
> 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.
--
My real email address is: <vladimip @ uniserve dot com>
#include <disclaimer.h> | *Good pings come in small packets*
Vancouver | Ceterum censeo Microsoftam delendam esse
British Columbia | SIGSIG -- signature too long (core dumped)