Another thing I do from time to time is to change my host name, as I must share a network with many other people. The administrators of this network insist on using a ridiculously insecure password, which doubtless could be cracked by a script kiddie in a few minutes; moreover, the password has never been changed in at least 7 or 8 years. Myself and others have recommended changing the password, but nothing happens. After I did a little messing with that program that Nik suggested, nmtui, I wondered what else I might use it to do. I like these stone tools; once one has figured out the basics, then at least there is the possibility of controlling the machine. Even before I started this thread -- or the previous thread which spawned it, regarding my network problems, or tdenetworkmanager -- I was wondering about this problem of the hostname. Is there a way to change my hostname easily, without reinstalling my system? This (nmtui) seems like the right tool for the job; although of course, when running Linux, there are sure to be dozens of others that do the same or similar. These are probably stupid questions, and a thousand people out there can answer it: but the man pages do not cover these possibilities. I want to know, first, if one ought to disconnect from internet (or to connect) when changing the hostname like this. It seems to me that trying to change the hostname on a live connection may cause problems. On the other hand, when I am doing a fresh installation, I must set the hostname on a live connection, but then it is a new, unnamed connection. Second, should I run nmtui (or similar tool) as root in order to change my hostname? When I tried it out earlier, it seemed like it could do nothing with my connection unless I was running as root; but then, before my fresh installation, I could not use tdenetworkmanager, could not use internet at all, except as root. Can I, in ordinary circumstances, change my hostname without first becoming root? After I change my host name (that is, after a fresh installation), I seem to have no problems for a while. What I want is to be able to change the hostname periodically, without doing a complete new installation. Also, I block pings with my firewall, that kind of thing, but eventually these problems start up again, because some people out there (or their automated cracking scripts) apparently have nothing better to do than to search for vulnerabilities in other people's machines. All ideas or suggestions are welcome. Bill