There is a strange behaviour related to installations and system updates, which I have observed: it seems that somehow I am always some kind of superuser. When I do 'api APPLICATION' (or its extended version 'sudo apt-get install ...) in Terminal, I am never asked for a password.
If I do 'sudo apt install APPLICATION', however, I am asked for a password.
I would be grateful, if someone could help me understand...
sudo has a 5-minute grace period where it doesn't ask for a password. Is that what you're running into?
Also, did you check "don't require password to install packages" (or whatever it's called) when installing?
Where can I find it?
I do know about the grace period, but except for using apt instead of apt-get, I am never asked for my password, not even the first time.
/shrug
Is that a directory? Can't find it on my machine...Or does it just mean "I don't know"?
I practically always use apt, apt-get, gdebi or Synaptic for installions, and there no messages like this pop up, and also no checkboxes such as "Don't ask again". And I think that I already have seen such behaviour in previous Elive betas, when I still used zsh.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I meant in the Elive installer when installing the OS
Oh, if there is something like this there: honestly, I do not remember having seen it. If there was something like this, and it was already marked as "yes", maybe in a list, then this is possible. But this invokes the next question: Could you undo this choice later? And if yes, how? Basically I appreciate the obligation to authorize oneself, although, of course, it is less comfortable.
No, it is not marked by default ... it has to be enabled during install, i.e when creating the default user.
I'm not 100% sure where it's kept but supposing it's in the '/etc/sudoers.d/sudo_nopasswd_packagers_?? where '??' is your username and which should include 'apt' command too AFAIK. 
Just remove the file there, if you want to disable the behaviour.
Long story short:
You are NOT always 'root' (superuser is actually a misnomer).
Thank you! That;s exactly where it is! It's all neatly listed there: ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/apt-get for instance. So obviously during my first installation of Elive on this machine some years ago I must have opted for this, but the message asking for it does not seem to be there when you upgrade to a new beta version, so I was probably no longer aware. I have moved all the files except for the README out, and now the system policeman asks me for my password all the time...
It's a bit hefty to remove all the files there ...... that might bite you in the future.
Only 'sudo_nopasswd_packagers_*' would've sufficed for the particular issue you were asking about.
Now you'll be asked a password to:
shutdown or reboot, brightness, IP queries and more...... so for a pleasant DE experience I'd advise in moving them back in there.
Ouch! But I still have them - just moved them out of the root directory into a "hostel" directory in the home folder. I'll follow your advice... Thank you.
Make sure they have the right permissions when you put them back: i.e 10440.
owner 'root', group 'root' and set "read' for owner and group (root and root).
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