From owner-freebsd-ports@freebsd.org Wed Jul 12 18:46:41 2017 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-ports@mailman.ysv.freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:1900:2254:206a::19:1]) by mailman.ysv.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 65DA4DA0523 for ; Wed, 12 Jul 2017 18:46:41 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from mueller6722@twc.com) Received: from dnvrco-oedge-vip.email.rr.com (dnvrco-outbound-snat.email.rr.com [107.14.73.232]) (using TLSv1.2 with cipher ECDHE-RSA-AES256-GCM-SHA384 (256/256 bits)) (Client CN "dnvrco-oedge-vip.email.rr.com", Issuer "dnvrco-oedge-vip.email.rr.com" (not verified)) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 4C10972900 for ; Wed, 12 Jul 2017 18:46:40 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from mueller6722@twc.com) Received: from [74.134.208.22] ([74.134.208.22:40464] helo=localhost) by dnvrco-omsmta02 (envelope-from ) (ecelerity 3.6.9.48312 r(Core:3.6.9.0)) with ESMTP id AE/0A-25924-A8E66695; Wed, 12 Jul 2017 18:46:34 +0000 Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2017 18:46:14 +0000 Message-ID: From: "Thomas Mueller" To: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org Subject: Re: synth: Error opening terminal: xterm References: <201707121159.v6CBxspH039501@jail0199.vps.exonetric.net> X-RR-Connecting-IP: 107.14.64.7:25 X-BeenThere: freebsd-ports@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.23 Precedence: list List-Id: Porting software to FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 12 Jul 2017 18:46:41 -0000 from Anton Shterenlikht: > I'm starting using synth, never used it before. > I get this error: > # synth build net/mpich > Error opening terminal: xterm. > I'm supposed to run synth as root, right? > Is synth trying to open another xterm as root? > I've never allowed root access to a display: > # xterm > Warning: This program is an suid-root program or is being run by the root user. > The full text of the error or warning message cannot be safely formatted > in this environment. You may get a more descriptive message by running the > program as a non-root user or by removing the suid bit on the executable. > xterm: Xt error: Can't open display: %s > xterm: DISPLAY is not set > Am I wrong? I assume you were in X started as nonroot? Then root can't start anything graphic because of not owning the display. But, in icewm, where Ctrl-Alt-Space opens a prompt to input a command to run, uxterm -fn 8x16 -geometry 230x60 -title "rootwindow" -e su - gives me a root xterm. You don't need to copy all these exact same parameters. I believe this is not peculiar to icewm. I remember Linux Slackware, when in KDE, had a facility to open a root Konsole but didn't show what was behind this ability. Tom