Date: Thu, 18 May 2006 12:15:22 +0100 From: Barnaby Scott <bds@waywood.co.uk> To: John Nielsen <lists@jnielsen.net>, kdk@daleco.biz Cc: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Gtk-Warning **: Cannot open display Message-ID: <446C574A.5090904@waywood.co.uk> In-Reply-To: <200605171441.49907.lists@jnielsen.net> References: <446A2C57.3080401@waywood.co.uk> <446A38B2.20606@daleco.biz> <446A3F04.9090506@waywood.co.uk> <200605171441.49907.lists@jnielsen.net>
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John Nielsen wrote: > On Tuesday 16 May 2006 17:07, Barnaby Scott wrote: >> Kevin Kinsey wrote: >>> Barnaby Scott wrote: >>>> So, I installed Firefox from ports, having made sure everything was >>>> bang up to date. Evrything seemed to go perfectly well, but lo and >>>> behold, first attempt to use it and I get this: >>>> >>>> (firefox-bin:582): Gtk-Warning **: Cannot open display >>>> >>>> What the..? >>>> >>>> I have searched for this problem and found plenty of references >>>> similar error messages, but none of it seems to apply in my case. I am >>>> not trying to run Firefox as root, I am not doing it from a remote >>>> terminal, I am not standing in a bucket of water, I have the computer >>>> plugged in. >>> I think these are Good Things(tm), 'though I have been able to operate >>> a browser whilst standing in a bucket of water. >>> >>> Q: Are you running an X display at the time this message is given, >>> or are you attempting to run Firefox from the console? >>> >>> Kevin Kinsey >> I have tried both. It is running from the console that gives the message >> quoted - if I am running an X display at the time it fails with no >> message at all. > > This is a Firefox oddity. It needs to be run as root one time after it is > installed (or [sometimes] upgraded). Do this from an xterm: > > cd > su > cp .Xauthority /root > firefox > > Assuming the browser window comes up, you can just close it. You should be > able to run it as a regular user afterwards. > > JN Thanks for both bits of advice - one of them worked, though I'm not sure which! So now I can strat Firefox from an xterm, but 2 things still puzzle me though: 1) Forgive my stupidity, but why can I not start Firefox from the console? Or rather, what could I do to make it do so with a single command? 2) I thought Firefox wasn't going to start from the xterm, but really it just took ages - far longer than I am used to with my old OS (same machine). Is there something I am missing here too?
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