Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

etnetu · 2019-03-12 22:26:55

When I right click a desktop icon, and click 'Execute' after a certain amount of seconds I get:

"Did not receive a reply. Possible causes include: the remote application did not send a reply, the message bus security policy blocked the reply, the reply timeout expired, or the network connection was broken."

This happens for every icon. In thunar, if I right-click and execute the same .desktop file, the programs immediately start.

How can I debug the whole process of launching a .desktop file? (apart from using strace that I tried but got too much information)

I'm on debian unstable, and I log in as root.
thanks

ToZ · 2019-03-13 01:19:57

Hello and welcome.

See this bug report.

etnetu · 2019-03-13 16:16:09

I must add that this happens for the root user, not for a normal user. So how can I know which security policy isapplied by my system?

ToZ · 2019-03-13 16:46:49

Yes. The bug report is about thunar failing to work properly for root user due to a recent change. What version of thunar are you running?

etnetu · 2019-03-13 17:17:58

I beg your pardon for the misunderstanding, but I have no problem with thunar, I cannot launch (as root) Desktop's programs by clicking on them
right-click & execute in thunar just works
so i'd like to know the chain of processes/programs involved in the lauch process

ToZ · 2019-03-13 23:44:19

Thunarx libraries manage the icons on the desktop.

What version of thunar and xfdesktop are you running?

When you say "root's desktop", are you logged in as root? Does it work in regular user account?

Try running root's xfdesktop in debug mode:

xfdesktop -Q && xfdesktop -e

...is anything displayed when you try to run executable?

Skaperen · 2019-03-14 03:12:04

i suspect, although i do not yet have a broad enough level of experience to know for sure, that many parts of Xfce dispose of their root privileges, and then are unable to carry out requests as root. can you start a terminal when logged in as root? i can't, but many other parts of my system are designed to prevent it. i login as user "admin" and use sudo to switch to a root shell if i need to do something that involves many steps as root. i am fully accustomed to using command line mine for system maintenance as that is how it was done on server (most of which, even today, have no GUI code, besides web interfaces). as a result, software developers are going to perceive very little GUI use, if any, for system maintenance. they will be making system apps for a CLI environment and resist spending time on another version for a GUI environment. it's a self-reinforcimg cycle.

etnetu · 2019-03-15 17:45:40

@ToZ
What version of thunar and xfdesktop are you running?
Thunar 1.8.4 (Xfce 4.12)

When you say "root's desktop", are you logged in as root? Does it work in regular user account?
Yes it doesn't work when I'm logged in as Root, and Yes it works for a normal User

I tried running root's xfdesktop in debug mode
and nothing is displayed when I try to "execute" a desktop icon, by means of right-click-"Execute"

@ Skaperen

Skaperen wrote:

can you start a terminal when logged in as root?

Yes I can
I always log in as root user

ToZ · 2019-03-18 16:35:59

etnetu wrote:

@ToZ
What version of thunar and xfdesktop are you running?
Thunar 1.8.4 (Xfce 4.12)

I don't see an xfdesktop version listed, but since you are running Xfce 4.12, I'm going to assume xfdesktop 4.12.x.

So, to work properly, xfdesktop 4.12.x requires thunar 1.6.x.
With thunar 1.8.x, you require xfdesktop 4.13.x.

etnetu · 2019-03-18 19:20:40

@toZ
I beg your pardon for the incomplete reply
xfdesktop -V gives
(xfdesktop:5261): dbind-WARNING **: 20:12:48.334: Error retrieving accessibility bus address: org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.ServiceUnknown: The name org.a11y.Bus was not provided by any .service files
This is xfdesktop version 4.12.4, running on Xfce 4.12.
Built with GTK+ 2.24.32, linked with GTK+ 2.24.32.
Build options:
Desktop Menu: enabled
Desktop Icons: enabled
Desktop File Icons: enabled

(Any idea how can I get rid of that a11y messages, it annoys me a lot since longtime)
I'm in debian unstable
and 'apt-cache show xfdesktop4' gives
Version: 4.12.4-2
no reference to version 4.13 (i'd prefer not install anything from experimental)

ToZ · 2019-03-18 22:37:19

The problem is that you are using an incompatible version of thunar with xfdesktop. The only way to fix this is to downgrade your thunar to the 1.6 branch or upgrade xfdesktop to the 4.13 branch.

Maybe you should create a bug report on the debian bug tracker.

Skaperen · 2019-03-19 00:08:59

etnetu wrote:

I always log in as root user

is that done at the graphical login greeter or at a terminal session? i login as a non-root user and switch a terminal session to root by doing "exec sudo -i". graphical things fail in root because environment settings are made for that non-root user. just thinking of that possibility. i don't know where logging in directly as root even works.

etnetu · 2019-03-19 21:55:56

Skaperen wrote:

etnetu wrote:
I always log in as root user
is that done at the graphical login greeter or at a terminal session? i login as a non-root user and switch a terminal session to root by doing "exec sudo -i". graphical things fail in root because environment settings are made for that non-root user. just thinking of that possibility. i don't know where logging in directly as root even works.

I log in by means of lightdm as root , and I don't use sudo.

alvinoo · 2019-04-14 02:27:47

ToZ wrote:

The problem is that you are using an incompatible version of thunar with xfdesktop. The only way to fix this is to downgrade your thunar to the 1.6 branch or upgrade xfdesktop to the 4.13 branch.
Maybe you should create a bug report on the debian bug tracker.

How, do I downgrade to a 1.6 version of thunar?
May I have the exact steps?

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#1 2019-03-12 22:26:55

Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#2 2019-03-13 01:19:57

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#3 2019-03-13 16:16:09

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#4 2019-03-13 16:46:49

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#5 2019-03-13 17:17:58

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#6 2019-03-13 23:44:19

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#7 2019-03-14 03:12:04

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#8 2019-03-15 17:45:40

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#9 2019-03-18 16:35:59

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#10 2019-03-18 19:20:40

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#11 2019-03-18 22:37:19

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#12 2019-03-19 00:08:59

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#13 2019-03-19 21:55:56

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

#14 2019-04-14 02:27:47

Re: Problem launching a .desktop Desktop's file

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