First, I want to make it clear that i am the only one using this pc, a Compaq Evo N620c w/ a 32M ATI video card, and I do not want to go thru the trouble of setting up a normal user account. I love the freedom I have as root anyway and I know what the root account is/can be.

Here's the error msg I get when trying to enable xscreensaver:

"Warning:

The XScreenSaver daemon doesn't seem to be running on display ":0.0". Launch it now?"

I click OK, and I get this error:

"Error:
The xscreensaver daemon did not start up properly.

You are running as root. This usually means that xscreensaver was unable to contact your X server because access control is turned on. Try running this command: xhost +localhost and then selecting 'File / Restart Daemon'.

Note that turning off access control will allow anyone logged on to this machine to access your screen, which might be considered a security problem. Please read the xscreensaver manual and FAQ for more info.

You shouldn't run X as root. Instead, you should log in as a normal user, and 'su' as necessary."

I ran the 'xhost +localhost' command and nothing changed. I know there is a way to fix this without using a normal account, and I fixed it before, but I don't remember how I did it.

Hi, and welcome to LQ!


Well... as the xscreensaver said "You shouldn't be running as root".

I'll second and third that. Create a separate user account, use that.
Your freedom is the first step to a broken or compromised system.

Cheers,
Tink

Thanks for the reply. The thing is that no one in my family really knows how to use linux and basically refuses to. And I know enough to not screw anything up. Plus, I have the root account customized the way I like it, and I don't feel like setting up another user account. Every time i try that it gives me the "Your last session was shorter than 10 seconds" error and won't let me log in on any other account.

Ummm ... I won't accept "And I know enough to not screw anything up." if
you can't get an ordinary user going at all ;}

How about you copy all the settings (dot-files and directories) from
/root to your new user accounts home, and chown the lot?

Really - working as root is a dumb idea. It may not be quite as
lethal in terms of potential exploits as running windows as an
administrator, but it's still bad, and downright stupid.



Cheers,
Tink

Well, you know,
I never really tried that hard bc i din't care if i got it working. the only reason i wanted to set up a normal account, is to see if that was really the problem. And I an no noob to Linux, just to this site. I said in the first post tha tI figured it out once, but forgot how. I KNOW ENOUGH TO NOT SCREW THINGS UP!!! By the way, it is only dumb to those who think security is everything. I don't keep personal files on my Linux hard drive on my laptop.

/me coughs ...
http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/faq.html#root-lock
Guess you must have hacked the source once, then.

And you seem not to care about being part of a bot-net,
or worse, used as a bot-master, either. Oh well, good
on yah. Keep trying. And think of yourself as smart
and knowledgable - all your decision, it appears. Got
a car without breaks, too, because you know how to drive?




Cheers,
Tink

You just don't get it do u? I didn't say I know everything, but I know enough to keep from doing something (such as deleting system files and the like)that should not be done. As for running as root, I will continue to do so, and I AM NOT "begging for disaster" by doing so. And you don't have to hack the source to know enough about linux to not screw things up.

And if you can't solve my problem, instead of offering alternatives, quit posting. I want an actual solution. It can be done.

You're heading into dangerous territory; and if the machine is
connected to the internet it's not just yourself you're putting
at risk. That's all there's to say. I'm sure that it could be
done - but that's the wrong approach, and I won't support you with
it, either. And I won't be stopping to say so, either :} ...

And the hacking the source was a reference to the FAQ entry on
the xscreensaver site; the program is built to stop you from
doing what you're trying, intentionally, because it's a stupid
and dangerous thing to do.

You obviously don't get it.



Cheers,
Tink

I can see that I am getting nowhere with this. If you have the power to delete or ban my account, I suggest you do so as I won't be logging on this site anymore. For the record, I have used linux for the better part of three years, am 17 years old, and am a certified A+ Technician and am working on Server+ certification at the local tech school. People like you are the reason noobs get discouraged from linux, bc you always answer with some sarcastic remark. I lost count of how many threads i've read that the so-called "Linux guru" wanna-be is sarcastic.


By the way, I read that FAQ for xscreensaver, and it never mentioned hacking the source, it mentioned deleting xscreensaver hacks, that's it. So YOU quite obviously don't get the fact of the matter.


"Cheers,"
Andy

We are trying to stop "noobs" from destroying their system by enouraging them not to run as root, if you actually listened to us then you wouldn't get sarcastic remarks. There is no reason to run x as root, and it is not necessary at all

First off, I never said the noobs were, and I quote, "destroying their system" by running as root, most understand that root is the admin and are scared to run as it. Most modern distros have warning signs of the root account for the noobs. I am not a noob and don't like being treated as one. My question may seem as a noob question, but as I have stated atleast twice before, I figured it out once, but forgot. All I want is a simple solution to the question I asked, not the alternative of "using a norm account."

And as for it "not being necessary to run X as root, it is actually not necessary to create a normal user account when I am the admin. In fact, I AM the only user for this pc.

I'm the only user for my pc, so your point is?, the simple solution to your problem is to make a normal user account

Never mind, I figured out what i did before. And I don't care that you are th only user for your pc, you do it the way you want, and I shall do it the way I want. Problem Solved.

So you stopped working as root? Excellent, and my
congratulations. Wise move.


Cheers,
Tink

Actually, I did just what I wanted. I disabled the access control. And if you are going to say, "that's stupid and dumb", don't because I don't think it is and I am tired of hearing it. It's MY pc, and I will use it the way I think I should. And not running as root and using su or sudo for everything is annoying and dumb. I'm not in a workplace ar anything like that. This pc is for my own, personal use.

And Windows may have taken 15 years to get this bad, but you apparently got "bad" overthe past few days. I said in the previous post that I fugured out what I did before. In simpler terms, I solved my problem the way I wanted it solved when I started this post.