root user and any GUI

[Dazed_75]

On 11/28/06, Dan Lund <situationalawareness at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> I totally misunderstood you.  The route you take is the route I was
> suggesting.
> Instead of getting a root shell, have you just tried:
> su - root -c "whatever"
> ?


nope, but su - root -c "gedit whatever" fails with cannot open display:
(null) just like doing it from within an xterm in which I had su'd to root.
BTW, gedit is not the issue, just an example.

Also if it's something you do on a regular basis, you could always
> smack together a script instead of dealing with typing the quotes and
> all.
> I start up gui tools that require root like this, a lot.


I don't do much of anything on a regular basis as computing is the hobby,
not the tool for some other hobby.

"xhost +" removes all X auth problems, except MIT cookie items I
> believe.  Others may be able to elaborate on that.


That removes access control for all hosts but apparently does not provide
what root would need to use the tool.  root user still gets the cannot open
display message.

--Dan
>
> On 11/28/06, Dazed_75 <lthielster at gmail.com> wrote:
> > Either I am missing something or I am not being clear to you.  95+% of
> the
> > time I simply use sudo or gksudo to do things needing root permissions.
> I am
> > happy to do so and do not mind having to enter my password.
> >
> > The other 5-% of the time just having to add the sudo and sometimes (I
> don't
> > always know why) having to quote parts of the command line is just plain
> > irritating.  I "su -" and enter roots password and go on my merry way
> > KNOWING that I need to excercise extra caution but not having to take
> extra
> > steps to do my work.  During those times it would sometimes be handy to
> use
> > tools available via the gui desktop without having to spend 20-30
> minutes
> > finding out HOW to do so since they are tools I do not know how to run
> from
> > the command line.
> >
> > I think I should be able to do that without removing the need to use a
> > password with sudo.  I further think someone was on the right track
> earlier
> > with xhost but I suspect that is only part of the solution.  But then I
> am
> > probably just wrong.
>
>
> --
> "Courage is like love; it must have hope to nourish it."
> -Napoleon Bonaparte
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