• AdrianTheFrog@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Is there a technical reason that Linux apps can’t/don’t just pop up an authenticator thing asking for more privileges like Windows apps can do? Why does nano just say that the file is unwriteable instead of letting me increase the privileges?

    • Mohamed@lemmy.ca
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      4 days ago

      Some do. I’m sure it is possible with terminal programs. In KDE, you do get authenticator pop-ups.

      • dubyakay@lemmy.ca
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        4 days ago

        With arch+xfce4 I mostly don’t. Except for when I do systemctl reload <service> in a cli without sudo and it pops a surprise elevation password request gui in my face. I haven’t figured out what makes it behave like that.

        I use Arch btw 👉🧐 eats booger

        • m0stlyharmless@lemmy.zip
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          3 days ago

          That’s the result of polkit (policy kit) authentication agents. These are typically DE-specific for their GUIs.

          pkexec is comparable to sudo and can be used from the terminal to get the graphical prompt for elevated commands.

        • AdrianTheFrog@lemmy.world
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          3 days ago

          Yeah, when I was on xfce on Arch I remember going into some places in the file manager where it wouldn’t let me edit files etc without running it from the terminal through sudo.

      • AdrianTheFrog@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        Hmm I just tried editing some systemd service with Kate and it did actually give me an authenticator popup when I tried to save it

        Although then the prompt expired and now it does nothing when I try to save it. Restarted Kate and now it works again…

        I haven’t tried that before

        When I try to go into the sudoers.d folder tho it just says I can’t, and the same thing happens when I try to open the sudoers file in Kate. If I try to copy and paste a systemd service in dolphin tho it just says I don’t have permission and doesn’t give a prompt.

        lol if I open it with nano through sudo it says ‘sudoers is meant to be read only’

    • blockheadjt@sh.itjust.works
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      4 days ago

      Iirc there are ways to format your command to get it to do this. So whatever app you’re using just chose to format its command the simpler way.