RFC: root/non-root bash prompts different colours?

[Frank Pineau]

On Wed, 2004-12-08 at 14:00 -0400, Ben Steeves wrote:
> On Wed, 8 Dec 2004 12:53:15 -0500, Nick Bargnesi <nbargnesi at gmail.com> wrote:
> > -- WARNING - LOGGED IN AS ROOT --
> > [root at machine root]#
> > 
> > Might look obtrusive but it gets the point across to the color blind
> > administrators and feature-less terminals.
> 
> Reverse video is supported on just about every terminal I can think of
> (I'm sure there are some that I can't, tho :-) -- and it works for
> colour-blind users, too.
> 
> Personally, all my root prompts are reversed video, with the
> background colour different on different servers.  It helps when you
> have root shells on four or five boxes open at once... wouldn't want
> to shutdown the wrong server, now would we ;-)


That was my prompt that Rahul posted.  Sorry about squeaking in mid-
thread, I just joined the list.

Yeah, it's an ugly prompt, but it works well for me :)  I used to use
all-red for root and all white for non-root, but I ran into some issues
on some terminals I was using.

It seems to me that if a user were colour blind, then it would be the
same net effect as not changing the prompt at all.  The prompt already
contains the user name, as well as a # or a $ (depending on state).

I don't like the idea of adding "-- WARNING - LOGGED IN AS ROOT --"
unless it's part of the actual prompt (which would be nuts).  When I've
got six terminal sessions running and half are root, I need more
indication besides a one-line banner when I first start the session.

-- 
Fix it! Fix it! Fix it! Fix it! Fix it! Fix it!... Fix it! Fix it! Fix
it!

--Fry
  Futurama - "A Clone of My Own"

-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 189 bytes
Desc: This is a digitally signed message part
Url : http://lists.fedoraproject.org/pipermail/devel/attachments/20041208/6fccc5f2/attachment-0002.bin