When I had mandrake, I could start X apps from the console after su to root. Now I get:

root@darkstar:/home/toby# nmapfe
Xlib: connection to ":0.0" refused by server
Xlib: No protocol specified


Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display: :0.0
root@darkstar:/home/toby#

I think I need to enable sudo?

can anyone help me here?

check the sudoers file in /etc and see if user and the proper permissions. Slack 9 seems to configure differently for everyone, also look at the package installer, and see if "sudo" is installed, mine is version 1.6.6

su -l

thanks for your replies, but I did not make myself clear.
I thought sudo was maybe what I needed to setup, but it is not the case.
I can su to root ok, but I cant start an X display for root if I log on as user. I read elsewhere that I need to use xhost + , but this was not necessary in the previous distro I was using. The example I gave was nmapfe, which has different options available as root, so I used to launch it from a console in which I had su'd to root.

no, nothign to do with sudo. run this - "xhost +localhost" and that will let anyone locally conenct to the x server.

I don't know the reason behind this (security?). But to allow other users to use your display you have to spell it out now in your ~/.xinitrc file (or just from command line from a termnial emulator) that your box is one of the xhosts.
So simple:
xhost name_of_your_box
in .xinitrc or command line will let you have what you want.
General rule, don't use sudo if you don't have to.
best regards.

thanks a lot!
I shall experiment

you can probably achieve the same with /etc/X11/XF86Config but i don't know how.

I solved the problem. When I used mandrake, I always used to add '-nolisten TCP' to the kdm Xservers file. This stopped X from listening with the port 6000 open, which I considered a potential security risk. It never prevented me from opening apps from the console as root.
I did this immediately when I got Slackware installed, but it seems to make a much bigger difference with Slack, because after removing this I was ok again.
I will just have to rely on my firewall I guess, though I liked the 'boots and braces' approach, and the first thing I do after installation is try and make my box secure.( I still use Shorewall as a firewall, which I find very good)
Thanks for all your help.

That's overkill, mate...

all you need to do is add
xhost +localhost to your normal users profile
and export DISPLAY=localhost:0.0 to roots...


Cheers,
Tink

Would that be ~/.bashrc or ~/.profile?
Either way I need to create one as my fresh install has neither, I reckon I can make one up though...

depends on whether the terminal you use
starts as a login-shell or not :)

If it is, put it in .bash_profile or .profile, if
it's not, put it in .bashrc ...
for more detail...


Cheers,
Tink

tobyl,
putting xhosts into .bashrc is not going to work. at least in case if you do not use any of *dm (gdm, xdm, kdm etc.). because at the moment when your bashrc and profile are sourced no X server is running and DISPLAY variable is not set.
1) it will not brake you back to type "xhost ..."
2) if you want to do it automatically you have to use X related init scripts such as .xinitrc (or probably .xsession if you use *dm)

notAcoolNick is right, I shouldn't be posting
in the early morning ;)

xhost +localhost has to go in your normal users
.xsession file :)

Cheers,
Tink (yawn)

Thankyou both. I appreciate your help. I guess it is not that important to automate a one line command, I just like getting things 'just so'.

tobyl