[SOLVED] Gnome on openSuSE defaults(?) to KDE

JZL240I-U · 04-30-2014, 06:31 AM

Usually I use KDE. But SuSE also maintains Gnome, so I wanted to try that. When I choose Gnome in the login menu -- KDE comes up?!?

I tried "dmesg" and looked into "/var/log/messages" but found no messages / errors. Where do I look and what should I try?

Thanks in advance

.

<edit> Aha. "root" can start Gnome. What would have to be changed so a normal user can, too? </edit>

jefro · 04-30-2014, 03:59 PM

Then the menu is messed up I'd suspect over the possibility of kde being wrong.

I think you don't have to use menu, you can get out of init5 and back to 3 then call kde from shell. Maybe some variables might be off.

I'd remove kde and install it again maybe.

In some cases you may need a complete install to fix. It may be possible to diag it all from where you are at.

John VV · 04-30-2014, 10:18 PM

on suse once the login menu comes up you can choose
default -last session
Gnome3 ( i uninstalled gnome on my install )
kde4
icedm
e17 ( or e16)
and so on

the default is to use the last session

How did you install gnome3 ?
you might not have installed everything you need

in yast
put a check in the pattern for " gnome Desktop Enviroment

JZL240I-U · 05-02-2014, 01:48 AM

@jefro Well, I don't think so. KDE is working just fine. Since "root" can start Gnome I'd suspect some permission(s) but where to look?

@ John VV Agreed. I changed session type from "KDE plasma workspace" to "Gnome" in the login menu, just as you describe (and thus de-selected default). In 12.3 I installed from DVD (as far as I remember) and 13.1 over the net. I checked, Gnome is there. And it runs, but only for "root". How to change that?

jefro · 05-02-2014, 03:28 PM

Now I see edited post.

Just uninstall it and re-install it. The log on screen shouldn't care who is logging in. If it does fail then it could be permissions but it would be other things generally.

Knightron · 05-03-2014, 04:50 AM

Before you uninstall, try to login to Gnome again, as a normal user and then if kde boots up, open up a terminal, a try the command:

Code:

kquitapp plasma-desktop

If you're abruptly in Gnome, then it means you've your auto start apps screwed up and the Plasma shell is overlapping the Gnome shell.

JZL240I-U · 05-05-2014, 09:31 AM

@jefro I'm living in the country thus going into the net via a mobile stick *sigh*. What's more, not only is speech always preferred over data transfer, my provider operates at its technical limit so I have currently a maximum data rate of about 8 kilo(!)-bit(!) per second. So you see a re-install is currently out of the question. Even more so, as that problem occurs both on SuSE 12.3 and 13.1.

@Knightron When I do that, I have no desktop at all, including konsole. <Alt><Tab> will bring back konsole on a black background. Funny enough I can get the KDE-desktop back by then typing "plasma-desktop" in konsole (plus a load of error messages about starting plasma etc.).

No, I still think it's a permission problem. But where to look?

<edit> Hmmm. Neither is LXDE, Xfce and IceWM starting.

</edit>

John VV · 05-05-2014, 10:38 AM

you use kde so KDM is used by xdm
open yast
"Kickoff" / computer / yast
then click on
"/etc/sysconfig Editor"
then under "desktop" / "display manager" /"DISPLAYMANAGER"

is kde used
( you should have many options )

JZL240I-U · 05-05-2014, 11:02 AM

It shows kdm. Choices are: kdm, kdm3, kdm4, xdm, gdm, wdm, entrance, console or arbitrary entry.

As I understand it, these are the managers for the login, but not the desktop environments themselves. I'll change it to gdm and have a look.

<edit1> that change runs into an unidentified error (correction: configuration script failed) </edit1>
<edit2> but gdm starts after reboot... </edit2>
<edit3> ...though it can't start Gnome either. *sigh* </edit3>

jefro · 05-05-2014, 09:24 PM

Then try init 3 in user logon and then start gnome to init 5.

JZL240I-U · 05-06-2014, 07:00 AM

???

How, exactly, am I supposed to do that, i.e. with which series of commands? I can switch to a console (e.g. <alt><ctrl><f2>) but for using "init" (which is in "/sbin") I have to log in as root. And "init 3" kills kdm while "int 5" starts kdm, the usual login manager, which can't start desktop environments other than KDE for whatever reason...

??? What am I supposed to accomplish?

John VV · 05-06-2014, 11:52 AM

you said you upgraded from 12.1 to 13.1
was this the recommended new clean install?
or did you use the 13.1 install dvd to upgrade
or a online using "dup"

only clean new installs between major versions are supported

for going from 12.2 to 12.3 "dup" can be used

JZL240I-U · 05-06-2014, 02:22 PM

No, I didn't.

I have a multiple boot setup, with both openSuSE 12.3 as well as 13.1, chakra, fedora, ubuntu, mint, freebsd...

<edit1> Both were new installs, not upgrades, 12.3 with the DVD, 13.1 with the life KDE and later install of Gnome via the net... </edit1>

And I said that in both installations of openSuSE I can't start Gnome as normal user but only as root. <edit2> Neither kdm nor gdm can start desktop environments other than KDE for normal users. </edit2>

JZL240I-U · 05-12-2014, 08:30 AM

Well, it was solved (in German) here, this time not on LQ:

http://forums.opensuse.org/showthrea...DE-startet-KDE

To make it short, ~/.xinitrc ran like this

Code:

#!/bin/bash
#executed by startx (run your window manager from here)

exec startkde

So my installation was "hardwired" to run KDE. Thus I renamed ~/.xinitrc since it is not required anyway, problem kindly solved by forums.opensuse.org

.