hi

I have sarge stable with gnome but cannot open files without an extension, like: /etc/network/interfaces
with gedit.
I get the following error:where can I change it ?

What doestell you? Mind you, this file is only accessible by root! Become root first, then invoke gedit withIf it fails again you might rename the file with a .txt extension (although I normally wouldn't recommend it, it might help solve your problem)

on my debian systems (8 in all) a normal user can open gedit
etc/network/interfaces simply by double clicking it. However it opens as read only.

Hi, cccc.

You didn't mention what file browser you are using. I use the FM that comes with Xandros (Debian-based), and that allows me to navigate to the appropriate place, then to choose the application by right-clicking on the file icon, and open-with-other -- however, I previously had added gedit to the list of applications in the master menu. The Xandros system also allows association of an extension with an application via the use of Control Center, but I don't know how htat is done in a standard Debian system.

That may not work for you, but as Dutch Master has implicitly mentioned, you could run gedit from the command line with the pathname to the file interfaces.

Another method is to run gedit, from the command line or desktop, and then click the open icon at the top, and use the navigation to get to the right place and file.

You almost certainly should not change the name of files in /etc or places other than the ones under your direct control -- system programs, scripts, processes rely on specific names, and if you change them, it may be difficult to reverse the action.

I installed gedit to see how it looks and works. It seems to be very large, but editors are as personal a choice as other things in computing.

Keep us posted, best wishes ... cheers, makyo

I'm using nautilus and try to open directly from nautilus.