preferences - I don't get it

Michal Jaegermann michal at harddata.com
Wed Feb 2 06:32:58 UTC 2005


After very recent updates the whole Applications->Preferences
menu just vanished and together with it all entries for configuring
such details like fonts and how they are rendered, keyboard layout
and shortcuts, how menus and windows and mouse behave, network
proxy settings, options for removable media, screensaver, themes,
you name it.  All the basic stuff.

It is true that something called  Applications->Other showed up and
which covers stuff which really only root should ever see.  There is
also something new named Desktop->Preferences wasting together with
new "Places" more of a valuable space on a panel.  None of the
things mentioned above show up there.  There are some _extremely_
important things in this submenu like "Login Photo".  And there is
something called "Mail Transport Agent Switcher" which shows up even
if you have only _one_ MTA installed and there is nothing really to
switch.

But assuming that you have at least two MTAs it will indeed switch.
Moreover it will do to that from a non-root account and without
asking for any passwords.  Truly amazing!  I am not sure how it
does that; it does not seem to be something obvious like
"suid root" somewhere, at least not where you would look, but this
does happen.  Links in system directories do change.  Now every
Dick and Harry can randomly mess, at any moment, with yours carefuly
crafted and configured mail setup.  A barrel of fun.  If you happen
to have two MTAs installed this must be, obviously, to provide
some entertainment.

Is all the above just unfinished yet a version transition or some
kind of an elaborate joke?  If this is a joke then I do not get it.

   Michal




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