do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

dannybtx · 2014-12-24 07:20:34

Hello,

I have installed xwindows and the i3 desktop environment on my root account by mistake. I created a user account and logged into it, but I could not start a xwindows because it wasn't installed on that account. Do I need to reinstall everything on the new user or is there a way to copy everything over?

Thanks

jasonwryan · 2014-12-24 07:25:16

If an application is installed by pacman, then every user should be able to access it.

Please paste actual errors: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=57855

loafer · 2014-12-24 07:25:56

Hi, you won't need to reinstall anything. There may be some configuration you need to do for your user though. See the Wiki and follow the same steps. You will be able to copy some config files but make sure the permissions on them are correct afterwards.

What is the actual problem you are having now? What errors are you seeing?

dannybtx · 2014-12-24 07:53:09

Thank you for your quick responses.

when I use startx, it says xinit: connection to X server lost.

Here is the log:
http://sprunge.us/fOPM

EDIT:
Sorry, this was an easy fix. As you can tell, I am very new to unix. I just needed to change the bash script that starts xwindows automatically to run with administrative privileges.

Last edited by dannybtx (2014-12-24 07:56:59)

jasonwryan · 2014-12-24 08:15:26

log file wrote:

[ 736.552] (EE) Server terminated successfully (0). Closing log file.

It is working: you just need to give it something to do. What is in your ~/.xinitrc?

Raynman · 2014-12-24 09:05:41

dannybtx wrote:

EDIT:
Sorry, this was an easy fix. As you can tell, I am very new to unix. I just needed to change the bash script that starts xwindows automatically to run with administrative privileges.

I don't know what kind of bash script you're talking about, but that doesn't sound like a proper fix.

Trilby · 2014-12-24 12:49:59

That's an understatement. It sounds like you are logging in as your regular user then using sudo/su to run X as root. This is very dangerous. Don't do this.

dannybtx · 2014-12-24 20:36:42

Upon further use, I realize that this was a terrible fix. When I use sudo to run startx from a normal user, I become root. Is there a better way to get this to work without sudoing?

Trilby wrote:

That's an understatement. It sounds like you are logging in as your regular user then using sudo/su to run X as root. This is very dangerous. Don't do this.

This is exactly what I am doing.

Last edited by dannybtx (2014-12-24 20:37:21)

Trilby · 2014-12-24 20:49:30

dannybtx wrote:

Is there a better way to get this to work without sudoing?

Yes:

jasonwryan wrote:

It is working: you just need to give it something to do. What is in your ~/.xinitrc?

Xyne · 2014-12-24 20:50:23

See the following:
https://www.archlinux.org/news/xorg-ser … available/
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xo … 28v1.16.29

Incidentally, is it "bad" to use

needs_root_rights=yes

in Xwrapper.config? When xorg-server 1.16 was released I used that fix to get it everything working with Openbox asap then forgot about the issue.

Trilby · 2014-12-24 20:54:55

Xyne, there is nothing wrong with using xorg wrap that way to run Xorg (the X server) as root. Running the x clients (window manager, terminals, web browsers) as root however is what is being done by the OP here, and this is an entirely different question - running all x client programs as root is a ridiculously bad idea*. There is no advice anywhere in our wiki or in any documentation that recommends starting x as root as it is dangerous to do so.

*off topic note, we do have a few linux veterans around here who chose to do this. I would not ridicule their choice, but I'd stand by my assertion that it is a bad idea. But they know all the dangers inherent in it and make an informed choice.

Xyne · 2014-12-24 21:06:07

Trilby wrote:

Xyne, there is nothing wrong with using xorg wrap that way to run Xorg (the X server) as root. Running the x clients (window manager, terminals, web browsers) as root however is what is being done by the OP here, and this is an entirely different question - running all x client programs as root is a ridiculously bad idea*. There is no advice anywhere in our wiki or in any documentation that recommends starting x as root as it is dangerous to do so.

I understand that and I agree that running X and everything in it as root is almost certainly a bad idea.

What I am still wondering is if using xorg wrap is a hack as opposed to some "cleaner" systemd solution. I still haven't read up on logind etc. so I may be doing something silly.

rebootl · 2014-12-25 00:13:24

offtopic @Xyne

What I am still wondering is if using xorg wrap is a hack as opposed to some "cleaner" systemd solution.

Well, simply not using Xwrapper.config, then Xorg will handle this on it's own (see man page extract below). I don't think Openbox has problems with this, so I think the problems you had would have to be looked at separately. But maybe better on their own topic...
'man Xorg.wrap'

[ ... ]
       By default Xorg.wrap will autodetect if root rights are necessary,  and  if
       not it will drop its elevated rights before starting the real X server.  By
       default Xorg.wrap will only allow executing the real X  server  from  login
       sessions on a physical console.
[ ... ]
       When auto-detecting the wrapper will drop rights if kms graphics are avail‐
       able  and  not  drop  them if no kms graphics are detected. If a system has
       multiple graphics cards and some are not  kms  capable  auto-detection  may
       fail, in this case manual configuration should be used.
[ ... ]

You're a bit late on that one

dannybtx · 2014-12-25 04:33:56

jasonwryan wrote:

It is working: you just need to give it something to do. What is in your ~/.xinitrc?

This is what is in my ~/.xinitrc file for my user: http://sprunge.us/ffLf.

In my root's ~/.xinitrc file, the only line is "execute i3"

jasonwryan · 2014-12-25 04:38:33

dannybtx wrote:

jasonwryan wrote:
It is working: you just need to give it something to do. What is in your ~/.xinitrc?
This is what is in my ~/.xinitrc file for my user: http://sprunge.us/ffLf.
In my root's ~/.xinitrc file, the only line is "execute i3"

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc

Arch Linux

#1 2014-12-24 07:20:34

do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#2 2014-12-24 07:25:16

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#3 2014-12-24 07:25:56

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#4 2014-12-24 07:53:09

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#5 2014-12-24 08:15:26

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#6 2014-12-24 09:05:41

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#7 2014-12-24 12:49:59

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#8 2014-12-24 20:36:42

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#9 2014-12-24 20:49:30

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#10 2014-12-24 20:50:23

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#11 2014-12-24 20:54:55

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#12 2014-12-24 21:06:07

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#13 2014-12-25 00:13:24

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#14 2014-12-25 04:33:56

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

#15 2014-12-25 04:38:33

Re: do I need to reinstall desktop environment for each user?

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