Yes, there is a way. You can become root of your system, then it will not
ask you the password everytime. But you can not login as root from login
screen. You will have to enable root to login. You can find the way to
enable root login at
www.linuxquestions.in/.../

NO, NO, NO, NO ,NO !!!!!!!!!

Never ever use the system as root - such is the way to damnation and
killing Ubuntu !!!

Apparently I am going straight to heck then. But of course to each his
own.

My own preference is to practice good system security by myown definition.
That does, in my practice though, not exclude operating as root for short
durations during administrative tasks and system modifications. There's
really no point in typing 'sudo' several hundred times when Ubuntu is
storing your sudo 'login' for fifteen minutes at a time by default anyway,
right?

What sort of system administration needs that sort of root access ?

Also it's not just a security issue - when logged in as root you can
cause untold damage if not 100% sure of what you are doing. I've hear
it said that even very experienced Linux users tremble at the thought
of root access and what it can do It's all too easy to either
wreck the OS itself or inadvertently open up a vulnerability that you
won't be aware of.

Do it if you must but be prepared to wipe and re-load if/when it all
goes bad.

cb> There's really no point in typing 'sudo' several hundred times

In general, I agree with most of what you said. I primarily only take
issue with the idea that one should never switch to root as a matter
of concrete fact. I'm not an expert, and that is merely my opinion.
But what I've seen occasionally is those insisting that root must
never be used, and even seen some belittling new-comers for doing so
or inquiring about it. My own preference and view is that choice and
freedom is important in the unix/linux world and that it fosters
development and progress. When it comes to root access, I've always
thought that the best option is to educate new users about the reasons
for the setup Ubuntu uses and make sure they are aware of the
potential harm and destruction they could cause if they so decide to
hang around as root. Why? I've known a few people in my life that
when you tell them "no", they suddenly no longer care about the
reasons and will do it any way just because they were told "no". :)
Not that I'm one of those ... :)

Of course, I'm in no way suggesting the responses in this thread were
contrary to a good discussion that is informative and educational to a
new user (or even seasoned ones). I think it was good. A few other
comments below:

I think that establish protocols should be followed to the letter, except
by people who know precisely what they are doing and are prepared to deal
with the consequences. Giving such information to new users and then having
them post their problems here is asking for trouble. That is why I push
following protocols to new users. They need to get used to them. Know the
power and logic behind them. Once they understand a bit then they think
Linux and not follow past operating system practices.

Established users can break the rules as they choose because they
understand what they are doing and know the risks and are prepared to
accept them. I think that is why Ubuntu went to sudo and the one password
system. New users from, Windows would think that one password was too much
and two is over the top. Sudo is very powerful. It took me two years to get
used to it. I was forever using sudo su, but once I got used to sudo
and understood why it is used then I started using it and defending it.

You can argue the different approaches, but one is not better than the
other. They just approach the same problem from different directions. You
can add a root user to Ubuntu and in fact I did this in the early days, but
soon found it extraneous because I could do the same without logging out or
running a virtual terminal (Ctrl+Alt+F[1-7]) by using sudo in a terminal or
as an Atl+F2 command to launch a graphical application, such as sudo
nautilus. I know there is gtksu or kdesu, but I use multiple desktops and
one command for all is simpler.


So go ahead and break the rules. We learn by doing. But do not give
information to people not ready for it. They will ask when they are ready.
My opinion. ;)

B> Is there any way that I can prevent the system asking me for my
B> password each time I try to install new software?

No - it's a core security procedure and in fact until Windows came
along the need to enter passwords to make system changes was the
default. This ability to make kernel level changes at whim is one of
the core reasons Windows is in the mess it is with malware - UAC is a
sticking plaster over a compound fracture

In every day use the password isn't a problem and doesn't get in the
way - you aren't going to be installing things all the time !

It is worth your while to put up with the minor inconvenience of
having to enter your password to make system changes. It's the only
way to ensure that your system isn't taken over by nasty malware. A
few seconds delay is a small price to pay for real security - the
spyware and spambots can't enter your password and so they don't
install.

It should be done privately because we do not want to promote this kind of
behaviour. It is okay for one person to mess up their computer but others
may try too and then we will have our hands full of problems. It is best to
contain the damage to one person.

You can do it, but it is not a good idea. There is a reason why Linux
is secure. It has set protocols that work. If you circumvent them then
you defeat the purpose.

Linux has separate permissions and for different types of users and
separate userspace and separate root space. They should be kept
separate.

I will not tell you how to do it because you should not be doing
something that you do not understand the consequences of.