can't foreground job (Suspended (tty input))

[Ben Scott]

On 1/5/07, Bill McGonigle <bill at bfccomputing.com> wrote:
> Here's a strange job control problem.  I don't understand what the
> root cause was.  The original command was:
>
>    sudo emacs -nw /etc/yum.repos.d/rpmforge.repo

  Everyone else already explained what is going on, and better than I
could have.  I do have one question, though.  Why does it work for me?

	$ sudo emacs -nw /etc/hosts
	
	[1]+  Stopped                 sudo emacs -nw /etc/hosts
	$ fg
	sudo emacs -nw /etc/hosts
	$

  It appears to me that my shell (running as me) is suspending sudo
(started by me, SUID to root), which in turn causes emacs (started as
root) to get suspended.  I understand that I will not be able to kill
sudo or emacs as me (since both are running as root).  But I am able
to suspend sudo (and with it, apparently, emacs), put it in the
foreground again, and even attempt to background it and then put it in
the foreground again.

  This system is running:

Debian "Etch"
bash 3.1dfsg-8  (self-identifies as 3.1.17(1)-release)
sudo 1.6.8p12-4.
glibc 2.3.6-2
kernel 2.6.17-2-686

-- Ben