[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: OT: My KControl modules disappeared
From:       Irwin K <emerald-arcana () rogers ! com>
Date:       2002-06-25 23:27:19
[Download RAW message or body]

On Tuesday 25 June 2002 05:08 pm, Nadeem Hasan wrote:
> Quoting Troels Tolstrup <troels@tolstrup.org>:
> > -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
> > Hash: SHA1
> >
> > On Tuesday 25 June 2002 15:27, Aaron J. Seigo wrote:
> > > AFAIK only root can do this, unless you have kde installed in your
> > > home directory or made $KDEDIR/share/applnk world writeable or some
> > > such oddness.

I did install KDE as my local user.  However, when I was working with the 
KMenu, I assumed (probably incorrectly) that the settings that would be 
affected would be in my home directory (under ~/.kde) rather than in the base 
installation directory in /usr/local/kde3.  I definitely did not go to 
/usr/local/kde3 and delete everything in the "share" directory.

By the way, I killed the settings on ALL the users on my system and not just 
me.  I shouldn't be able to do that.

Apparently bugs on similar lines were reported before.  I'm not entirely sure 
if this was a legacy bug resulting from my old, old KDE 2 settings or not.  
In any case I'm very peeved.

> > While this narrows the problem down, i dont think it removes it. I think
> > the real problem is that someone in the line of playing around with the
> > k menu can bring down vital parts of kde. I think this is a real
> > problem and i think the only sane way to solve it is to NOT have
> > kcontrol look in the applnk folder.
> >
> > But i guess this is off topic on this mailing list and should maybe be
> > brought up on devel or core-devel? (i base this on the fact that i
> > think it is a design flaw (bug), not a usability issue)
>
> I don't think its a design flaw or bug at all. If a user has write
> permission on /etc and deletes bunch of config files while playing with
> konqy, that would probably make his system unusable. Is this a design flaw
> of Unix itself? That is why we have permissions and previleges.

Sure, deleting /etc or your /usr/lib directory will cause problems.  It 
happens in Windows, too where people who are trying to "clean up their hard 
drives" delete everything that's not a DOC file.

It's a design flaw because it's in such an easily accessible spot that you're 
allowed and encouraged to play with (your K-Menu).  A similar concept would 
be including a single-click application in KDE that will delete all of the 
contents of your home directory, or a "friendly" installer program that 
deletes KDE applications without prompting you first.  No matter who you 
install KDE as, I don't think anything you play with in your menu, your 
panel, or any other user settings should ever, ever, EVER destroy the "global 
defaults" that are hidden.

Right now, I have *no* clue how to fix it other than to reinstall.  Definitely 
not fun, although it provides the excuse for me to upgrade to KDE 3.0.1.

-- 
-- Arcana  (Irwin)
_______________________________________________
kde-usability mailing list
kde-usability@mail.kde.org
http://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-usability
[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]