Re: caja as administrator

[Dominic Knight]

On Sun, 2017-08-06 at 11:09 +0200, Frank wrote:
> Op 06-08-17 om 01:34 schreef Dominic Knight:
> > I guess this is something I have done at this end but, although it
> > works fine as a normal user (right click and open new instance),
> > when
> > trying to open any folder from Caja as administrator (right click
> > on
> > folder in Caja, select open as administrator) I get the message:
> > 
> > "Please start Chromium as a normal user. If you need to run as root
> > for
> > development, re-run with the - no-sandbox flag."
> > 
> > I wasn't aware of trying to run Chromium at all, it used to open a
> > separate instance of Caja with su privileges. Anyone else or
> > something
> > I have done badly somewhere and forgotten about?
> > 
> > Debian Testing(Buster)
> > Mate 1.18.0
> > Caja 1.18.3
> 
> It's possible a mimeapps.list has the wrong entry for
> inode/directory. 
> There are usually two or three copies of this file:
> 
> user's: ~/.config/mimeapps.list
> system: /usr/share/applications/mimeapps.list
> and possibly:
> root's: /root/.config/mimeapps.list
> 
> The location of the user and root list may be different in other
> desktop 
> environments (mine's Xfce 4.12, Debian testing).
> 
> When you run caja as user, your own copy takes precedence. Running
> as 
> root, root's comes first (if it exists). Anything that isn't
> specified 
> there, is looked up in the system list.
> 
> Make sure the inode/directory entry isn't messed up. If the entry in
> the 
> system copy is correct and the wrong one is in root's copy, simply 
> remove that.
> 
> Regards,
> Frank

Hmmm... Seems to have been a temporary glitch, installed the rest of
Mate's updates after they came through this morning and now all works
as expected.
I'll put it down to a partially upgraded DE and move on.

My thanks to Frank and Cindy for your replies,
Dom 

Re: caja as administrator

[Frank]

Op 06-08-17 om 01:34 schreef Dominic Knight:

I guess this is something I have done at this end but, although it
works fine as a normal user (right click and open new instance), when
trying to open any folder from Caja as administrator (right click on
folder in Caja, select open as administrator) I get the message:

"Please start Chromium as a normal user. If you need to run as root for
development, re-run with the - no-sandbox flag."

I wasn't aware of trying to run Chromium at all, it used to open a
separate instance of Caja with su privileges. Anyone else or something
I have done badly somewhere and forgotten about?

Debian Testing(Buster)
Mate 1.18.0
Caja 1.18.3


It's possible a mimeapps.list has the wrong entry for inode/directory. 
There are usually two or three copies of this file:


user's: ~/.config/mimeapps.list
system: /usr/share/applications/mimeapps.list
and possibly:
root's: /root/.config/mimeapps.list

The location of the user and root list may be different in other desktop 
environments (mine's Xfce 4.12, Debian testing).


When you run caja as user, your own copy takes precedence. Running as 
root, root's comes first (if it exists). Anything that isn't specified 
there, is looked up in the system list.


Make sure the inode/directory entry isn't messed up. If the entry in the 
system copy is correct and the wrong one is in root's copy, simply 
remove that.


Regards,
Frank

Re: caja as administrator

[Cindy-Sue Causey]

On 8/5/17, Dominic Knight  wrote:
> I guess this is something I have done at this end but, although it
> works fine as a normal user (right click and open new instance), when
> trying to open any folder from Caja as administrator (right click on
> folder in Caja, select open as administrator) I get the message:
>
> "Please start Chromium as a normal user. If you need to run as root for
> development, re-run with the - no-sandbox flag."
>
> I wasn't aware of trying to run Chromium at all, it used to open a
> separate instance of Caja with su privileges. Anyone else or something
> I have done badly somewhere and forgotten about?
>
> Debian Testing(Buster)
> Mate 1.18.0
> Caja 1.18.3


Hi.. What I'm about to write is more about WHY this is happening. I've
not used Caja, but I *might* have at least some insight.. kinda sorta.
Does Caja open up in part by using a web browser to do whatever it
does?

I've just tried "apt-cache show caja" and got some insight again. It's
talking about file managers in the description. I remember WAYYY back
when I was using Knoppix that something would open file manager type
sessions in a web browser. "apt-cache search kde web browser" to
the rescue when it reminded me that the web browser was Konqueror.

*IF* Caja somehow interacts with a web browser, that's what is going
on, that's why you're seeing that message. I learned about that
message accidentally when I was logged in as root while having
problems debootstrap'ing one time.

Root is and always has been about get in, get the barest minimum admin
duties accomplished as needed, and get out. So our systems default to
where we are *not allowed* to use games.. and we are *not allowed*
to use browsers for casual browser without giving it an extra special
flag. That extra special flag means we're capable and that we're
consciously aware we are web browsing as root.

A quick search on the Net hints that's what that "--no-sandbox" flag
is about. That's not what I used to get my browser to work. I was
offered the "--user-data-dir=DIR" flag during my fails.

After struggling for a long time, I realized what a similar error
message was trying to tell me in my case... use the offered flag along
with the "chromium" command. When you do, you're acknowledging that
you're really desperate to use a web browser as root (when it's not
the safest, secure thing to do) so there are flags that remain as an
advanced avenue to do so.

How to get Caja to work, I don't know because I don't know that
package. Is there a preference menu where you can set it to point to
something else file manager'y comparable?

That's the only thing I can think to do... unless there's an advanced
way under "Preferences" to addend whichever chromium flag will work
under these circumstances.

Hope this helps someone... some day.. :)

Cindy :)
-- 
Cindy-Sue Causey
Talking Rock, Pickens County, Georgia, USA

* runs with duct tape *