Bug 627

Summary:	Sudo'd shell: command line editing doesn't work
Product:	Sudo	Reporter:	Konrad Schwarz <konrad.schwarz>
Component:	Sudo	Assignee:	Todd C. Miller <Todd.Miller>
Status:	RESOLVED INVALID
Severity:	low
Priority:	low
Version:	1.8.3
Hardware:	PC
OS:	Linux

Description Konrad Schwarz 2013-12-03 01:25:28 MST

After creating a root shell via sudo sh, vi-style command line editing
(set -o vi) no longer works: the ESC character used to switch to
command mode is interpreted literally, i.e., echoed to the screen.
TTY settings as reported by stty are unchanged.

This is probably not a Sudo bug per se, but probably the result of
some interaction I don't understand; neither the manual nor
brief googling provide an explanation.

It might be worthwhile adding the appropriate information to the
manual or a FAQ.

Comment 1 Todd C. Miller 2013-12-03 08:09:00 MST

On many systems, root's shell does not support command line editing.  For example, Debian-based Linux systems (including Ubuntu) use dash as /bin/sh.  That shell does not have command line editing compiled in.  If you want command line editing, try running "sudo bash" instead.

Comment 2 Todd C. Miller 2013-12-04 08:54:54 MST

You can also use "sudo -s" as a shortcut to run your shell as root, rather than the shell configured for the root account.