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Re: Rant (was Re: X Window : Newbie)



on Thu, Mar 20, 2003 at 09:12:13AM +1200, cr (cr@orcon.net.nz) wrote:
> On Thursday 20 March 2003 00:55, Joerg Johannes wrote:
> 
> (snips)
> 
> > You're right. But still it is non-intuitive that a regular user has not
> > the rights to "startx" by default. man "XF86Config" and "man startx"
> > won't tell you how to allow it to a normal user.
> 
> Is this so?   If I type 'startx' as me (non-root) then X won't start
> unless I go change some permissions?  (presumably, having opened a
> console window from the X login and gone su root to do so)

If you're saying you can't start an X session as a nonprivileged user
from a terminal within an X session:  this is as it should be.

The control for this is /etc/X11/Xwrapper.config.  The usual values are
'root', 'console', or 'anybody'.  This file is part of the
xserver-common package, and can be configured with:

   # dpkg-reconfigure xserver-common

> (I ask this because RedHat which I'm currently using does allow it by 
> default.

RH's default configs should *not* be referred to as best practice.  RH
is brain dead in numerous ways, internally inconsistant, and subject to
violent change from version to version.

> And I'm a *very* newbie since I just tried installing Debian, 
> failed to quite get it working, and am back in RH while I plan my next 
> attempt).

No problems.  You've heard of chroot installs?  You *can* have it both
ways:

    http://twiki.iwethey.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/DebianChrootInstall

Peace.

-- 
Karsten M. Self <kmself@ix.netcom.com>        http://kmself.home.netcom.com/
 What Part of "Gestalt" don't you understand?
   Keep software free.         Oppose the CBDTPA.         Kill S.2048 dead.
     http://www.eff.org/alerts/20020322_eff_cbdtpa_alert.html



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