Re: XScreenSaver daemon

[Telsa Gwynne <hobbit aloss ukuu org uk>]

On Fri, Aug 25, 2000 at 10:43:49AM -0400 or thereabouts, Brandon S. Allbery KF8NH wrote:
> On 08/25/00 10:33:20 -0400, "Paul D. Smith" <pausmith@nortelnetworks.com> 
> wrote:
> +-----
> |    sr> This is happening while I am logged in as user root. I do not get
> |
> | Make sure your $DISPLAY variable is set to "0.0" (note ".") not "0:0".
> +--->8
> 
> I suspect the correct answer is "xscreensaver refuses to run as root; hack 
> the source if you absolutely insist on opening a security hole by running 
> it as root".  (and jwz is unlikely to be swayed by anything like the recent 
> whining about gmc doing the same thing.)

This has been coming up a lot recently. I had a look at the xscreensaver 
FAQ (whose URL I think is referenced in the error messages on the console
you started X from, if you used startx and tried to use xscreensaver as
root).

http://www.jwz.org/xscreensaver/faq.html

Questions covered: 

    3. How do I use xscreensaver in conjunction with XDM or GDM?
    4. When I'm logged in as root, xscreensaver won't lock my screen!
    5. When I'm logged in as root, xscreensaver won't launch at all!
   19. I'm running Gnome, and when I install a new version of
       xscreensaver, the Gnome control panel doesn't list all the display
       modes. What's wrong?
   20. The Gnome control panel doesn't list any of the display modes,
       but xscreensaver-demo works. What's wrong?
   21. The xscreensaver-demo program won't let me run any other hacks
       except the one that I selected in the Gnome control panel. Why?

Since I know some people are going to object to his answers, it is 
probably worth suggesting that people don't flame them here on this
list. I doubt jwz (the xscreensaver author) reads it, and it will thus
accomplish very little. 

Telsa