Unix will lose one of its most distinctive and powerful features over the next two or three years, according to US reports the Unix superuser – su – is expected to become an optional extra to future System V.4 releases, not a standard integrated feature; the superuser login, a widely-used Unix programming short cut, enables Unix users to access hard-to-reach files and perform tasks quickly; the plan to phase out superuser is reckoned to be a direct response to the increasing demands for security – on top of functionality – in Unix, so that the operating system can try to make further headway in those securityaware commercial sites.
