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2.2.  Logging in: a technical explanation

Fedora is a multi-user operating system. Multiple users, each with different access privileges, can be logged into the computer at the same time.
During installation, you provided a password for the system administrator account, sometimes called the superuser. The user name for this account is root.
After installation, Fedora asked you to set up a normal user account. Use that account, or any other such normal account, for daily use of the system, and the root account for administrative and maintenance tasks.
This design has many benefits:
  • Limited privileges reduce the possibility of doing significant damage to the entire system.
  • Each user account has individual settings.
  • Each user account maintains its data separate and private from others.
  • A problem in one user account does not put the entire system at risk.

Do not log in as root!

Do not use the root account for routine purposes. A normal user account can run all the desktop applications, and greatly increases your security and safety. Applications that require root privileges prompt you for the root password when they need it. There is no need to log in as root to use them.