[PLUG] /dev/null for a login shell

Eric Wilhelm scratchcomputing at gmail.com
Thu Sep 15 15:27:18 UTC 2005


# from Michael Rasmussen
# on Thursday 15 September 2005 08:04 am:

>However, can you use the mechanism for running binaries with a
> specific ID?

By "mechanism", do you mean changing the login shell entry?  Yeah.  You 
can put whatever you want in there.

I have my notebook setup like this:

#########
$ grep ^ex /etc/passwd
ex::1000:1000:Nobody,Nowhere,,:/home/ex:/usr/local/bin/be_ewilhelm

$ cat /usr/local/bin/be_ewilhelm
#!/bin/sh
su - ewilhelm startx
#########

So, instead of starting a display manager, it boots to a login prompt.  
The problem with logging in as a user and then running startx is that 
someone can Alt+F1 and kill X to get your login even if you locked the 
X display.  If you do that with this setup, it drops you back to the 
login prompt because the "ex" user's shell exited.

I didn't exactly grok part 2 of your question, but maybe the above means 
yes.

--Eric
-- 
The only thing that could save UNIX at this late date would be a new $30
shareware version that runs on an unexpanded Commodore 64.
--Don Lancaster (1991)
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