How do I view etc/passwd in Linux (Ubuntu)

I changed directories to etc/ and I listed all the files in /etc/ with the ls command and I can see passwd and another file called passwd- but i don't know how to open them. when i type open passwd nothing happens. I want to access my passwd file so i can run a cracker against it to test the strength of my passwords,How do I view etc/passwd in Linux (Ubuntu)
Make sure you're the owner of the system before you attempt this.



1. Log in as root

2. cd /etc

3. cat shadow



This will dump out the password hashes in your system.How do I view etc/passwd in Linux (Ubuntu)
While there are various programs to test password strength, (yahoo search) or use johntheripper. It honestly looks like your doing something kinda freaky deaky, and maybe even tweaky. I will tell you this, open is not a valid command. Good Luck!



P.S. The more numbers you have in your password, the stronger your password will be. And as a general rule, don't use dictionary words.