"kwrite /etc/fstab" fails

[Neal ManBear]

Never heard of that!  With Mandriva I can simply do:

Bet you read somewhere that PCLinuxOS was based on Mandriva. Eh? Well that was years ago. PCLinuxOS is built from PCLinuxOS RPMs from the PCLinuxOS repositories. You'll find that there are many differences between the 2 systems. If you expect PCLinuxOS to be exactly like Mandriva, you're going to be disappointed.

The command posted by Texstar, dbus-launch kwrite is the correct command for PCLinuxOS systems and must be used as root.

[neal@localhost ~]$ su
Password:
[root@localhost neal]# dbus-launch kwrite

Works every time.

[mab33]

More options to edit /etc/fstab.

ALT-F2 runs Krunner and type kdesu kwrite /etc/fstab (works here).
Konsole (non-superuser mode): type kdesu kwrite /etc/fstab .

JohnW

I don't want to use kdesu because when starting with a new installation there are several root files I need to change, and I would prefer not to have to keep entering the root password with each 'kdesu'.

[kjpetrie]

Even if "kdesu kwrite /etc/fstab" works, the problem I would have (if kdesu is going to ask for the root password each time) is that - when starting with a new installation - there are a number of root files I need to modify.
 

Once you have kwrite open as root (however you got there) you can just go on opening new files with the open button. There's no need to close and re-launch the application. If it starts as root it continues as root until you're finished.

Hope that helps.

[muungwana]

mab33,
you were advised to use "dbus-launch kwrite" from the terminal logged in as root to start applications as root. This is how we start programs as root here. You have not said anything about this.

have you tried this? did it work? didnt it work? why you do not want to use this if it works?

[doctore]

dbus-launch kwrite yields this:

[root@localhost ~]# dbus-launch kwrite
No protocol specified
No protocol specified
kwrite: cannot connect to X server :0.0

type kdesu kwrite /etc/fstab yields this:
kdesu is hashed (/usr/lib/kde4/libexec/kdesu)
kwrite is hashed (/usr/bin/kwrite)
-bash: type: /etc/fstab: not found

[mab33]

The command in a root terminal is dbus-launch kwrite

I've just made an interesting discovery.
The problem I reported occurred when using a 'Terminal - Super User Mode' session, and "dbus-launch..." also fails there!

On the other hand, if I use a normal user Konsole session, I can 'su - root' then 'kwrite /etc/fstab' with no problem.

So all I have to do is stop using 'Terminal - Super User Mode' (an icon I found in PC/More Applications/Terminals)...

Many thanks for everyone's help in here. Much appreciated!

[mab33]

Never heard of that!  With Mandriva I can simply do:

   [mab@laptop ~]$ su - root
   Password:
   [root@laptop ~]# kwrite /etc/fstab

exactly this command sequence also works in PCLinuxOS, just did it myself.

And you should even be able to simplify it:

   $ su -
   $ Password:
   # kwrite /etc/fstab

worked a minute ago on my box. The hyphen seems to be necessary though in this incarnation of PCLinuxOS. (It makes the root shell a login shell.)

Yes, indeed - as I have just said further up!

The original problem occurred when using a 'Terminal - Super User Mode'  (in which 'dbus-launch kwrite' also fails, I find)) rather than a normal user Konsole session. (See PC/Other Appliactions/Terminals'.)  Looks like the former might be broken.
  With the latter - no problem with 'su - root', 'kwrite ...'.

So I am even more puzzled about the 'dbus-launch' approach mentioned by others.

[pinoc]

The command in a root terminal is dbus-launch kwrite

I've just made an interesting discovery.
The problem I reported occurred when using a 'Terminal - Super User Mode' session, and "dbus-launch..." also fails there!

On the other hand, if I use a normal user Konsole session, I can 'su - root' then 'kwrite /etc/fstab' with no problem.

So all I have to do is stop using 'Terminal - Super User Mode' (an icon I found in PC/More Applications/Terminals)...

Many thanks for everyone's help in here. Much appreciated!

some remarks:

a) user terminal: 'su - ' and then 'kwrite /etc/fstab' works fine. You do not need to specify 'su - root' because 'su - ' without a user name specified defaults to user "root". However, it is good practice to use the hyphen after 'su' in order to start the users login shell. Some more info on this can be googled or is found in wikipedia.

b) The 'Terminal - Super User Mode' provides a root terminal without the server access control program for X. The xhost program is used to add and delete host (computer) names or user names to the list of machines and users that are allowed to make connections to the X server. If X-server access is not granted then the new user can not start any GUI-application. Finally, enabling X-server access (allow: + or prohibit: - (default)) must of course be done by the session-owner of the current session, which when you are logged into you user-account, is you, the user. For example, if you are logged into your user-account, then open the 'Terminal - Super User Mode', provide your root-pwd, and then enter in this root-terminal "kwrite", it will not work. Next, open a normal konsole and enter "xhost +", then go back to your root-konsole and enter again "kwrite" (or "dbus-launch kwrite") which will now work because you have now given X-server access to the user "root" and hence root can start any GUI-application on your (the user's) X-server.
Ok, that was a bit long-winded but hopefully nevertheless helpful 
regards,
-p.

[Bald Brick]

type kdesu kwrite /etc/fstab yields this:
kdesu is hashed (/usr/lib/kde4/libexec/kdesu)
kwrite is hashed (/usr/bin/kwrite)
-bash: type: /etc/fstab: not found

It would. JohnW meant that you should type, i.e. enter, "kdesu kwrite /etc/fstab", not that you should enter "type kdesu kwrite /etc/fstab". "type" is a bash command that you certainly wouldn't need to start kwrite as root.

[mab33]

b) The 'Terminal - Super User Mode' provides a root terminal without the server access control program for X.


[/quote]

I obviously misunderstood the purpose of that function, by just assuming it avoided the need to enter "su - " etc.

But what is its intended use?