Raspberry Pi OS now asks for sudo password — and a Pi handheld

Raspberry Pi changed a long-standing default on April 14: new Raspberry Pi OS installations now ask for a user password before running `sudo` commands. (theverge.com) The change ships in Raspberry Pi OS 6.2, and Raspberry Pi said it applies from this release onward because passwordless `sudo` let anyone with access to a logged-in machine run administrator actions. (publicnow.com) `sudo`, short for “superuser do,” is the Linux command that temporarily grants administrator rights, like copying files into protected system folders or changing system settings. Debian-based systems usually ask for the current user’s password, but Raspberry Pi OS had long skipped that prompt by default. (publicnow.com) (raspberrypi.stackexchange.com) Raspberry Pi said the new setup still caches authentication for a short window after a successful password entry, so users do not need to retype it for every command. Desktop actions that need administrator rights now trigger a password dialog as well. (howtogeek.com) (beaktiv.com) The timing matters because Raspberry Pi boards are used far beyond hobby projects now, including classrooms, kiosks, home servers, and industrial systems where a logged-in session can control hardware, software, and network settings. A password prompt adds one more barrier if someone gets physical or remote access to a user account. (theverge.com) (publicnow.com) Users who want the old behavior can still turn passwordless `sudo` back on by editing the `sudoers` configuration, which means the shift is a default change rather than a locked-down policy. That keeps quick setup workflows available for labs, appliances, and scripts that depend on the old model. (revolutionpi.com) (mathworks.com) On the same day, Waveshare’s PocketTerm35 showed up as a handheld shell for a Raspberry Pi 4 Model B or Raspberry Pi 5, with a 3.5-inch 640 by 480 touchscreen and a built-in 67-key QWERTY keyboard. Waveshare lists the device as a portable Linux terminal for development and debugging. (cnx-software.com) (waveshare.com) The handheld exposes much of the Raspberry Pi’s usual input and output, including Gigabit Ethernet, two Universal Serial Bus 3.0 ports, and two Universal Serial Bus 2.0 ports, plus a 3.5 millimeter audio jack and stereo speakers. Waveshare also offers an optional 5,000 milliamp-hour battery and sells kits from $87.99 to $179.99, depending on whether a board and accessories are included. (cnx-software.com) (waveshare.com) The two announcements point in the same direction: Raspberry Pi is still a tinkering platform, but the software and hardware around it now look more like small general-purpose computers than single-board experiments. On April 14, that meant a stricter administrator prompt on the software side and a pocket-size terminal on the hardware side. (theverge.com) (waveshare.com)