Always have elevated status

[jack0987]

I am the only one who has access to the computer and there is nothing on it that needs to be secure.

So I do not have to type sudo all the time, can I elevate myself when I log on?

Please tell me how to do this. Thanks.

[Aztaroth]

I am the only one who has access to the computer and there is nothing on it that needs to be secure.

So I do not have to type sudo all the time, can I elevate myself when I log on?

Please tell me how to do this. Thanks.

Wrong, pal. You're not the only one. Mint,Ubuntu, PPAs, flatpaks, drivers install, scripts... have all access to your computer when upgrading, installing... The sudo password is a reminder something will perform a task with root privileges and you're asked to check that behavior and allow or disable it.
That's why, for example, an anti-virus is not needed on Linux systems : you are the AV .

[jack0987]

Well I need to do something. I was trying to edit a config file with the text editor and it would not save my changes.

Anyway, I still want to do as I asked.

[shedyed]

There was this person I encountered in a linux IRC channel, where I found out that he was used to doing everything as root. Whoa, where'd you learn to do that. He replied that he was getting tired of those error messages. But then he was so used to doing anything/everything this way that the normal random error message wouldn't have any meaning to him -- he had gotten so used to bulldozing his way through, that he ended up with an unusable system.

There is always the danger of breaking stuff, just when you thought that you had learned a lot. Then you find out you've been learning to use it the wrong way all this time.

[zcot]

I am the only one who has access to the computer

Well, until you connect it to any network.

[Hoser Rob]

What you're talking about is root access, which is disabled by default in both Mint and its Ubuntu base.

For good reason. Even in bigger Linux/Unix multiuser systems where there are a bunch of professional programmers on staff, the only user with root priviliges is the system administrator.

If you log in as root, the OS will at all times assume you know exactly what you are doing and will happily let you completely wreck the OS.

So stick woth sudo. I've never enabled the root account in Ubuntu or Mint. Not necessary.

BTW the reason you couldn't change that config file was that it was stored in the root (/) folder. That area is highly protected. To change a config file in / with your simple text editor do:

Navigate to the / folder with the file in file manager, right click and select "open in terminal" or watever it says for your FM, then enter, with the approppriate substitutions for your software:

pkexec <text editor> <config file>