More on login freeze-up

["David A. Cobb" <superbiskit cox net>]

I've identified one factor in the login-time freezeup that I reported 
before.
If GNOME-TERMINAL is running when I re-boot, and presumably it's saved 
as part of the session,
the startup sequence freezes with gnome-terminal being the last 
(rightmost) icon showing.

So, a route to failure is
1. Launch Root-Terminal, or
1b. Launch Terminal and do su  ...

2. Do something useful(?) -- like rebuilding the kernel

3. From the terminal do 'reboot'

URRRMMM -- Maybe 'reboot' isn't safe inside an X session?  Things may 
not get saved, even though everyone receives the TERM signal.

Now, when startup tries to restore the terminal, of course it cannot do 
so without the root password.
FREEZE.

One solution might be, any component that is running under another 
effective uid should not be saved as part of the current session.   I 
can do that as a work-around, if I remember. 

One help someone might offer is the minimum set of ".gnome*" files that 
need to be destroyed to restore normal functioning.  It would be nice 
not to have to rebuild my panels.

--
David A. Cobb, Software Engineer, Public Access Advocate
"By God's Grace, I am a Christian man; by my actions a great sinner." -- The Way of a Pilgrim: R.French, Tr.
Life is too short to tolerate crappy software!