[Gllug] Running X apps as root in Debian

[Simon Stewart]

On Thu, May 02, 2002 at 08:25:37AM +0100, Paul Brazier wrote:
> I'm setting up a "user-friendly" desktop to be usable by someone
> non-computer literate (out with vim, emacs, mutt, etc., in with Mozilla,
> Abiword, Nautilus, xmms, etc.)
> 
> I'm trying to install Enigmail http://enigmail.mozdev.org/ in order to
> integrate GPG with Mozilla-Mail.
> 
> but the installer on the website requires that you be running Mozilla
> with root privileges.
> and Debian won't allow root to run X apps:
> 
> > # mozilla
> > Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
> > Xlib: Client is not authorized to connect to Server
> > Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display: :0
> 
> I could look into installing the xpi files by hand, but is there an easy
> way to briefly allow root to run X apps so I can install enigmail? (I
> know, security risk to allow remote scripts to run as root, etc.)
> 
> I've tried some suggestions like:
> xhost +localhost
> and=20
> export XAUTHORITY=3D'/home/login_name/.Xauthority'

xauth is the way to go, and you're half way there. Assuming that
you're logged on to X already, Debian will create your user a
.Xauthority file. As root, you just need to merge this into root's
authority:

# xauth merge ~user/.Xauthority

Things should work magically from there on in. HTH!

Cheers,

Simon

-- 
There are three kinds of death in this world.  There's heart death,
there's brain death, and there's being off the network.  -- Guy Almes

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