Re: Humptey-Dumptey

["Oliver Elphick" <olly@lfix.co.uk>]

Joseph Tiraco wrote:
  >... Xwindows will not start when logged on as a user. 
  >Since my machine is a single user box,  log ons, permissions and
  >authorizations boil down to mere troublesome convolutions. 
  >	However, the Debian system will not allow root to use the dial up ppp,
  >for security reasons, and the ordinary user, who is considered secure,
  >can't run Xwindows to fire up the browser,  the result is a
  >Humpty-Dumpty chicken and egg problem.
  >	 When xdm is started by the user,  a message, "Only root wants to run
  >xdm" appears.

xdm is used to put up a log-in window - it is normally started by
the boot scripts, rather than by a direct command.

If you log-in through a text console and want to start X, use the
command startx instead.  This will happily work for a non-superuser.

(A note about your personal X startup files: xdm uses ~/.xsession and
startx uses ~/.xinitrc.  These files should normally be linked together.)
-- 
Oliver Elphick                                Oliver.Elphick@lfix.co.uk
Isle of Wight                              http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver
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     "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall 
      stand at the latter day upon the earth"             
                                       Job 19:25