🚀 go-pugleaf

Dr. Borg <vladiQmip@uniQserve.com> wrote:

> >      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.

No sense of history!  In early versions of Unix, the su command was
only capable of switching to root.  It was extended to switch to
arbitrary users beginning in the Seventh Edition.  I enclose a copy
of the Sixth Edition man page below:

---------------------------------------------------------------------
SU(VIII)                     10/31/73                    SU(VIII)

NAME
	su - become privileged user

SYNOPSIS
	su

DESCRIPTION
	Su allows one to become the super-user, who has all sorts
	of marvelous (and correspondingly dangerous) powers.  In
	order for su to do its magic, the user must supply a password.
	If the password is correct, su will execute the Shell with the
	UID set to that of the super-user.  To restore normal UID
	privileges, type an end-of-file to the super-user Shell.

	The password demanded is that of the entry "root" in the
	system's password file.

	To remind the super-user of his responsibilities, the Shell
	substitutes '#' for its usual prompt '%'.

SEE ALSO
	sh(I)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Eric