[mythtv-users] what in the world is going on with database password??

[Stephen Worthington]

On Fri, 2 Nov 2018 14:14:47 +0000, you wrote:

>On 02/11/2018 12:57, Stephen Worthington wrote:
>> On Fri, 2 Nov 2018 08:02:29 -0400, you wrote:
>> 
>>>> The mythtv user is often set up as a minimal configuration - no
>>>> password.  So adding a password to it can help with login problems:
>>>>
>>>> sudo passwd mythtv
>>>>
>>>> Then you can login using the mythtv user directly.
>>>
>>> I think I want to do this. Besides giving mythtv a password, how do I
>>> make it a full user with bash shell like $USER?
>>>
>>> Does this do it?
>>>
>>> "sudo chsh -s /bin/bash mythtv"
>> 
>> Yes.  You may also need to have a look at the /home/mythtv directory
>> and see if it has the usual files to help bash work properly.  In my
>> /home/stephen, there are .bashrc and .bash_logout files, and I think
>> you will need to copy them to /home/mythtv and change their ownership
>> to get bash to work normally.  Without them, I think the environment
>> variables will not be set up properly.
>> 
>Easiest way is just to create mythtv as a normal user - after you install the OS but before you add 
>any mythtv software. That means you have full control over where the home directory goes, what UID 
>and GID it is given[1] and other matters like those you mention.
>
>Simply logging into it after creation should populate some of those files above.
>
>[1] the mythtv user used to have a home directory of /var/lib/mythtv, and be given system UID and 
>GID values, ie less than 1,000. I don't know if it still does. This can cause untold chaos during 
>upgrades, when system UIDs and GIDs can be reassigned to other subsystems; that home directory is 
>not protected against destruction or re-use the way it would be under /home.

In Ubuntu the mythtv user has been created as /home/mythtv for a very
long time now.  In Debian, I think it is still created as
/var/lib/mythtv, which causes endless problems.