Logging into kde 4.2 as root in Sabayon 4.1

[Gallienus]

I've recently installed the kde version of Sabayon 4.1 in a virtual box virtual machine.

Sabayon like many distributions has adopted a policy of preventing the root account from logging into KDE 4.2. I understand why this is. However I like being able to run kde as root. It's a personal preference I have. I know I can do most things using su or sudo that I can in root's desktop. I have spent the last few days trying to find a solution to this problem and I've found a work around but it's not all that good.

Here is what I've done so far

I've edited the kdmrc file so that Root logins are allowed. But, when I try to log into kde the log in screen blinks then goes back to the log in screen.

I've tried going to a console log in from kdm as root but when I run startkde I get this error.
$Display is not set or cannot connect to the X server

The work around;
I've removed xdm and X-setup from Sabayon's boot level, this causes the computer to boot to a command prompt. From the command prompt I can start XFCE4 as root but when I try to start kde or fluxbox I get these errors respectively as both root and user

kde's error is: $Display is not set or cannot connect to the X server
.
fluxbox's error is: /root/.fluxbox/startup :line 12: /usr/bin/bsetroot: No such file or directory
Error: Couldn't connect to XServer

Apparently there is something else blocking root from actually logging into kde I just haven't figured it out yet. I was wondering if it could be a pam setting but I didn't see anything about pam and kdm. I did see pam settings for gdm. Any help on this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Additional info/comments
It is a vm so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with this problem.

I'm not new to linux, my first distro was Caldera Open desktop. I've used linux exclusively since I installed Slackware 8 or 9 when it came out. If I need windows for something I have windows xp installed in VMWare Workstation which runs in sabayon 4.0 which is the os that runs this computer. I know and understand the princples of linux security and why it's set up like it is.

I know someone is going to read this and want to respond, "Just use su or sudo". Don't, I've spent the last three days trying to find a solution to this. I've read numerous posts on this issue. Save your time my time and Justlinux's bandwidth and space. If you're wondering what I want to do that I can't do in su or sudo, the answer is simple. I want to log into root's desktop, so far as I can tell you can't do that using su or sudo.

To the "Just don't do it" crowd. Sorry, it's my computer. I know the risks and if I want to log into root's desktop that's my right, this is linux remember? Freedom to use the software the way I want.

Sabayon is based on gentoo so at it's heart is a source based distribution. Preventing root log ins is no safe guard against screwing up the system. Emerging a newer version of something with the use flags changed with su can screw the system up just as or more easily and completely as logging into kde as root.

Yes I feel this issue is a distro dumper. I installed and removed ubuntu from my system within a day for three reasons. No root account, having to do everything in sudo, and that ghastly brown color scheme.

Again thanks in advance for any tips or insights into this issue. And thank you for your restraint as well.

[gamblor01]

Yes I feel this issue is a distro dumper. I installed and removed ubuntu from my system within a day for three reasons. No root account, having to do everything in sudo, and that ghastly brown color scheme.

Actually, you can just run the command "sudo passwd" and it will set a password for the root account and open it up. You still have to deal with the ugly color scheme though. I just install some themes to replace the default stuff. ;)


As for your KDE error -- I'm not sure. It looks like it wants the variable $Display to be set, but I'm not sure what it wants it to be set to. I would suggest you try:

1) setting it to whatever $DISPLAY is. Type


echo $DISPLAY


and then set whatever is returned into the $Display variable. In fact, you could just do this with one command:


export Display=$(echo $DISPLAY)


2) Launch a KDE session as a non-root user and echo the value of $Display to see what it should be set to. Then exit out of KDE and switch to root at the console. Before you start KDE you would just export Display to the appropriate value.

[mmills]

odd that sabayon would do this on the KDE version of the distro, I am running the GNOME/fluxbox and I can login as root at bootup, not that I advise it, but you can.

matt

[Gallienus]

echo just returned a blank line.

Interesting that it can be done with the Gnome version and not the KDE version. I wonder what was changed between the two, aside form qt and gtk+. Have you done all the available updates with sulfur?

[mmills]

yup, im am 100% current I do a daily update so I dont miss a beat.

I have gnome sabayon on both my desktop and my laptop.

Quote: dont leave home without it, linux

matt

[Gallienus]

Okay thanks for the info. After getting responses to my posts in the kde, and gentoo forums it seems it's something that the folks at sabayon have done.