Bug#297985: GPS causes XServer to crash bug
Yossi Tamari wrote:
> I noticed you reported about the GPS problem. I was wondering if you
> know what is the staus of this bug and what is the estimated time it
> would be fixed. I would hate to install Windows for Ada
> programming...
The status of the bug is exactly as described in the report. Nothing
has happened since the last update, and I try to work on it on my free
time (i.e. after work) but I cannot yet explain or solve the problem.
I also cannot estimate the time required to fix it.
You don't have to install Windows. As Peter Keller reported, you can
use GPS if you install linux 2.6.8-2-386 and ensure that udev is
enabled. The problem is specific to linux 2.4, or 2.6 with udev
disabled.
> If I can help trace the origin of the problem please
> let me know -
Yes, you can help trace the problem; thank you for the offer. As far
as I understand, GPS is somehow causing the X server to shut down
cleanly i.e. the X server decides to shut down, like when you do
Ctrl+Alt+Backspace. You can try to attach gdb to the X server and see
why it decides to shut down; see my earlier comments in the bug
report, and bug #297895, for instructions.
Also, I suspect that the X server is trying to access a device file
which does not exist, of has wrong permissions, when udev is disabled.
This causes the X server to shut down. When udev is enabled, it
creates the device file dynamically and everything works. You can
help confirm this theory of mine, and determine what that device is
and what it's used for.
> I do not know to whome I should refer in the Debian team.
The Debian team for gnat-gps is one person - me. The best is to send
mail to 297980@bugs.debian.org, 297985@bugs.debian.org so that your
contributions are logged in the bug reports. Other people can help,
too, by reading the reports and trying things out. For that matter, I
am CCing the two bug reports; please feel free to followup there. If
you would like to be notified by email whenever someone sends mail to
one of the bug reports, go to the package tracking system[1] and
subscribe to the package gnat-gps.
[1] http://packages.qa.debian.org/g/gnat-gps.html
--
Ludovic Brenta.
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