GNU bug report logs - #36583
26.1; emacs 26 tries loading original user's .emacs after su to root

Previous Next

Full log

Message #15 received at 36583 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Stefan Monnier <monnier <at> iro.umontreal.ca>
To: Glenn Morris <rgm <at> gnu.org>
Cc: 36583 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, Steinar Bang <sb <at> dod.no>
Subject: Re: bug#36583: 26.1; emacs 26 tries loading original user's .emacs
 after su to root
Date: Thu, 11 Jul 2019 18:58:40 -0400

> This is explicitly documented in the manual.
> "How Emacs Finds Your Init File".

FWIW, I find this behavior very surprising (and dangerous).

Apparently you can circumvent it by setting LOGNAME to "root".

I can't find the place in code which distinguishes this case from the
case where the user doesn't `su` but instead sets his $HOME to some
other place, such as:

    HOME=/home/monnier/tmp/home emacs

BTW, thinking about "dangerous" above, I guess the behavior might make
sense when you're `su`ing *from* root rather than the other way around.


        Stefan

Previous Next

GNU bug tracking system
Copyright (C) 1999 Darren O. Benham, 1997,2003 nCipher Corporation Ltd, 1994-97 Ian Jackson.