Mon, 31 Dec 2018 12:00:01 -0600
> Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2018 21:08:32 -0600 (CST)
> From: gerry <gsker at skerbitz.org>
> To: TCLUG Mailing List <tclug-list at mn-linux.org>
> Subject: Re: [tclug-list] tclug-list Digest, Vol 168, Issue 8
> Message-ID: <alpine.DEB.2.21.1812302034100.19075 at skerbitz.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
> 
> I'm pretty sure I read an email from Danny saying he/she was a noob.
> I can't find a tclug list archive to verify that, though....
> 
Yes, he did say he was a newbie.
So what?
We all were at one point. Did you learn anything by avoiding exposure
to that thing?

> At the very least we should not ask a novice user to use vim to mess with a
> shadow file. That's just brutal.
> 
What's brutal about it?
Especially since I gave instructions right down to the key strokes
required for vi/vim and pointed out exactly which field of shadow file
to delete.
I'm just a dumb assed construction worker. If I can figure it out, it
can't be that hard.

> If the command
>     mount -o rw,remount /
> 
> works for them, then the user can just run
>     passwd danny
> to change the password for the "danny" user.
> 
Another possible solution. Almost wish I had thought of it.

From a reply from gerry to iznogood:
>I dug into how someone might do this from the LiveDVD while doing as
>much as possible without the command line.
>
>I couldn't even mount the drive in that interface without the terminal.

Don't know what file manager is on LiveDVD but Thunar,Dolphin and
PCmanFM file managers can mount drives and some live distros allow for
installation of software- just for session, gone with a reboot. It does
require enough ram to work though.
So if LiveDVD allows installation of software and there is enough ram
one could install one of those file managers if available but still need
root permissions for passwd or to edit shadow file.

harv