Re: gnome-list Digest, Vol 62, Issue 11 item 1

[Desmond Armstrong <desmond armstrong gmail com>]

gnome-list-request gnome org wrote:
> Send gnome-list mailing list submissions to
> 	gnome-list gnome org
>
> To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit
> 	http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-list
> or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to
> 	gnome-list-request gnome org
>
> You can reach the person managing the list at
> 	gnome-list-owner gnome org
>
> When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific
> than "Re: Contents of gnome-list digest..."
>
>
> Today's Topics:
>
>    1. Gnome 2.26 can't write to vfat (N B Day)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:07:42 -0700
> From: N B Day <nbday charter net>
> Subject: Gnome 2.26 can't write to vfat
> To: gnome-list gnome org
> Message-ID: <1245017262 19668 18 camel aurelius plumas net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
>
> I'm using Gnome 2.26 on openSUSE.  The new regime with PolicyKit seems
> unduly restrictive: desktop users don't seem to be able to set power
> management, write to or delete from mounted vfat formatted usb keys, or
> (even when su root) do *anything* with the "Authorizations" module in
> the Gnome Control Center.
>
> I fixed the last with polkit-auth by just fooling around, but since the
> man page for this assumes you know all about it already and just need to
> be reminded of some of the more obscure arguments, I'm now terrified
> I've done something stupid and left myself wide open.  
>
> Three questions:
>
> 1. Is there any documentation for these changes in the default powers of
> ordinary users from 2.2x to 2.26?  I couldn't find any mention of this
> in the announcement and "Whats new" pages for 2.26.  The defaults seem
> to be lunatic so there should be some easy way to understand and change
> them.  
>
> 2. How do I enable ordinary users to write to their (almost invariably)
> vfat formatted usb drives?
>
> 3. Who decided these things: what the hell is freedesktop.org anyway and
> why do they suddenly seem to control what I can and cannot do with my
> computer?  What's the point of the "Authorizations" module in the
> Control Center if *nobody* can do anything with it by default?
>
> Thanks!
>
>
>   
The problem here (usually) is that the USB key has a mount point, this 
prevents mounting with the required privileges for normal users.
The way to overcome this is, in Mandriva, to use the disk tool in MCC 
and delete the mount point. This normally resolves the problem. Then 
pull it out and plug it in again and it should now automount properly.