[P1] Logging in as root

[Meg St. Clair]

This may seem like a really dumb question. I've heard all the admonitions
against logging in as root because bad things might happen. I have, on a
number of occasions logged on to one or another of my computers as root,
usually to delete something that just won't go away, even though I have an
admin account. Mind you, these are all perfectly visible files, ones who's
origin I know. Yes, I might be able to solve the problem by repairing
permissions but it takes longer. I don't check my email or generally run
programs, I don't go digging around in the system folder. Now, my question:
what bad things am I going to make happen? How bad could it be? Could I do
something that a reinstall won't fix? I'm really not trying to be flip.

Meg