2008/11/30 Nick Holland :

quoted text
> farhan ahmed wrote:

>> Question is how can you make shell statically linked? I thought when you

>> install package it should be linked rather than manual compiling and

>> installing

>

> I think that is best left as an exercise for the asker.

>

> Here's what it boils down to:

> There is nothing wrong with a properly implemented 'bash' or any

> other shell for root.  Hint: when the system comes up single user

> mode, it will ASK you what shell to use.  The statically compiled

> part isn't even critical in OpenBSD, unless you are intent on

> running bash in single-user mode before all partitions are mounted.

>

> The problem is when you break things, you break 'em BIG.  Original

> thread is a case in point.  You win awards for courage, not wisdom,

> for still being intent on using bash as the root shell while you are

> still walking with a limp from your last experience.

>

> There's a lot of stuff that can go wrong when changing a user's

> default shell over the lifecycles of the system (think upgrades!),

> virtually all operator error, all avoidable, but errors that can

> happen tend to happen.  When you break JoeAverage's account, no big

> deal, as long as you can get back as root and fix it.  When you

> break root, you have a problem.  Yes, the goal is to do everything

> right, but another goal is to make it more difficult to do things

> wrong.

>

> If you don't know how to do it right, test it right, and recover it

> right, don't change the root shell.  I realize how it is such finger

> breaking work to type the five keystrokes "b a s h [enter]" at a

> command prompt after logging in...so horrible, I know, but until you

> know what you are doing, just manually invoke bash.

>

> You will know you know what you are doing when you realize you don't

> need or want to use bash on OpenBSD.  The only good reason I've

> found to use bash on OpenBSD is to make it feel like some other OS,

> and that's really not a good thing when you are administering the

> system (i.e., logging in as root!).

>

> ksh rocks on OpenBSD. :)

>

> Nick.

>

>

Why not set up a user (ex: bigguy) and then force his uid and gid to

be 0 and 0 with vipw?  Give that user a nice coloured bash prompt and

set up directories in his home.  This way you get a customized

superuser while keeping the real root environment pristine.
/juan