[sudo-users] Defaults authenticate "feature"?

[Paul Stepowski]

Hi,

Just something I noticed using the default flag authenticate.

When sudoers has:

Defaults        authenticate

set (which is the default behaviour), the following commands
produce the following output:

---snip---
$ sudo -K
$ sudo date

We trust you have received the usual lecture from the local System
Administrator. It usually boils down to these two things:

         #1) Respect the privacy of others.
         #2) Think before you type.

Password:
Thu Dec 23 10:44:02 EST 2004
---snip---

When sudoers has:

Defaults        !authenticate

set, the following commands produce the following output:

---snip---
$ sudo -K
$ sudo date
Thu Dec 23 10:45:22 EST 2004
---snip---

So when you disable user passwords, you're also disabling the
output of the sudo banner. This surprised me, I would have
thought the two would be independent. So IMHO, it violates
the principle of least surprise. It's not a big deal but I'm
curious if this was done deliberately.

Is this a feature or a bug?

Thanks,

Paul