UNIX for Dummies Questions & Answers

dear members...
i am a newbie to unix, i am using the SUSE professional 9.2
i noticed many places, that when i am using IRC , i shouldn't be logged into the root account..
also when i switch the GPSdrive, it mentions to me that it is not goo to be logged thru the root account.
what is wrong if i was in a root account while using these apps?
thank you

Being root on a system opens you up to a lot of catastrophes, such as accidently issuing a rm -rf command, wiping your system completely clean. The reason MS Windows has problems with Virii is lack of user security. Anything and everything can be executed, and run from your account.
Root can execute any commands on the system that can damage your system. Someone could create a shell script which can force installation of trojan apps onto your system. If you were a user, then running such a script would limit the shell script from installing potentially damaging software.
With GNU/Linux, you can create many user accounts, and use su to temporarily become root, for installing packages, or better, use sudo to run installation programs.
What makes *NIX such a stable system is the file permissions, user permissions, by being root full-time you are loosing this extra security.
There is no reason you should be using your system under a root account. If you do not know how to make a user, ask that question.

thank you locustfurnace for your reply...
Well what you said, i basicly know it, an di know how to create a user, i already have...
But how could a user over the internet make a script, and let it run onto my PC, unless i run it by myself??
then, as a GPS application, as i know GPS will collect data from a known source, which is pre defined by the GPS application, like if i set the unix.com as a authorative site, that i don;t mind receiving things from it, so i don;t care if it is malicious...
thank you

Someone could DCC something to you on IRC.
If the IRC client has a discovered exploit, and if someone issues a CCTP, finger, whois...etc, to you, instead of getting information about your account, the exploit could be made to run a system command, causing damage to your system.
All the known issues today never means tomorrow something will not be discovered which could be extremely damaging.
Running as root may be OK today, but tomorrow a discovered hole in a program could be used to attack your system. Not all discovered holes in software code are public knowledge either.
If your box becomes compromised, then it could be used as a zombie to partake in further attacks.
This undermines one of the reasons to use GNU/Linux, is its security.
Is there really a reason you must be a logged in as root?

okeys locustfurnace, I think now i am ok, i got your point..
thank you , and sorry for any disturbance.
basicly i don;t use IRC, but i heared this issue from many persons, so i just wanted to get the point.