On Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:10:06 -0500 Rob Owens <row...@ptd.net> dijo: > On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 01:14:23PM -0800, John Jason Jordan wrote: > > On Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:50:52 -0800 > > John Jason Jordan <joh...@comcast.net> dijo: > > > > > On Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:53:56 -0500 > > > Tony Nelson <tonynel...@georgeanelson.com> dijo: > > > > > > > On 09-11-23 13:31:14, John Jason Jordan wrote: > > > > ... > > > > > 1) How can I fix Gnome? What part of the configuration starts > > > > > metacity and gnome-panel when the user logs in? Note that I'll have > > > > > to do this manually from XFCE, because I can't even get a terminal > > > > > running in Gnome. > > > > > > > > Try creating a new user. If that user works properly in Gnome, it's > > > > probably a user-specific config file, usually in a .gnome*/ directory, > > > > and diff'ing the files may help (I suggest meld, but I use vimdiff > > > > nowadays). > > > > > > Now, why didn't I think of that! > > > > > > Turns out that this was an excellent suggestion. I created a new user > > > (using XFCE4), then logged out and back in as the new user. When my new > > > user logged in I deliberately selected Gnome. And my new user got a > > > default Gnome desktop, complete with window manager and gnome-panel. > > > > > > So now we know that the problem is something in my configuration. > > > > > > The only thing I can think of is that Nautilus has a bug where clicking > > > on Preferences crashes it, so I used gconf-editor to change the way > > > Nautilus works. I could go back and set Nautilus to defaults (I think > > > there is an option somewhere for that), but I Gnome is not usable at > > > the moment unless I log in as my new user. > > > > Turns out that I can edit my configurations from an XFCE4 session as > > long as I log in as myself. I changed only one thing - so Nautilus > > would display the desktop. Then I logged out and back in again to Gnome > > as myself. Still no metacity or gnome-panel, but at least now I could > > create a launcher to start a terminal. I opened a terminal and started > > metacity and gnome-panel, and now things look as they did before. > > > > The problem is that if I log out and back in to Gnome again (or reboot > > and log in to Gnome again) I will have to use the launcher to open a > > terminal and start metacity and gnome-panel manually. > > > In most window managers that I've used, Alt-F2 will open a "run" dialog > box. Type into that "gnome-terminal". > > Also, you can delete your .gnome* and .gconf* directories and they will > be re-created when you log in. Although I would recommend moving them > rather than deleting them:
Tony suggested polluting my new user alter ego with the gnome configuration files from my regular self. I started by just renaming .gconf, .gnome2 and .gnome2_private, then logging out and back in again as myself. There was no change - metacity and gnome-panel still did not start. Yet they do start for my new user alter ego. So I used Tony's suggestion and copied my original .gconf, .gnome2 and .gnome2_private files to the new user, then logged in as the new user. The new user still had metacity and gnome-panel. Conclusion: The problem is somewhere in my configuration files, but not in .gconf, .gnome2 or .gnome2_private. Logged in as myself and having started metacity and gnome-panel manually from the terminal, I reinstalled gnome-panel and metacity and all their libraries and dependencies with Synaptic. No joy. I have spend hours googling trying to figure out where exactly metacity and gnome-panel start after the login window. They must be started by a script, a config file, or something. But exactly how must be a state secret. Still trying to figure out how to fix the problem. I could wipe out testing and reinstall, but this is the second time I have installed it and exactly the same thing happened last time. If I reinstall probably the same thing will happen again. Either I have to get to the bottom of it or I have to give up on Squeeze. I don't mind working around the occasional bug, but you can't do much without a window manager and a panel. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
