No More Dolphin Root Workaround?

[TWPonKubuntu]

I've logged in to the forum again just to respond to the direction this thread has taken.

1) I'm old enough (contemporary of GregGeek) that my inner anarchist resents being told "you can't get there from here". I started on mainframes when they were all we had.

2) A simple advisory that "Here be dragons" is all that is necessary.

3) We ALL learned by making mistakes, even if we kick ourselves in the rear for doing it again.
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4) I know it is a PITA to repeat instructions which are already on the forum. If we don't remember the exact thread containing the answer (very likely at my age), then a simple, polite: "Search this forum for xxxxxx" is easier on the newbie and encourages good skills.It also keeps the blood pressure from spiking.

Remember, we were all newbies at one time...

Ok, I have a core dump to analyze and my dot matrix printer needs more paper.Back later.

[GreyGeek]

Now it works again. Many thanks. I am so glad for the workaround. The anarchist in me rebels against being told what I can and cannot do on my system.

Especially on a Linux system. Total user control isn't a goal, it is a requirement.

Thanks, but I don't feel brilliant, I feel a bit sad, as I have a fairly firm belief that this sort of thing a user needs to figure out on their own, or at least search for it a bit.

I think half the reason is to nip the bud of the usual tired, old, boring, non-productive , and false-premise rants about bla bla bla my rights blah blah my system blah blah blargity blah forced blahblahblah i demand that they blahblahhblllahh 'I do what I want"

Searching for answers to problems on a Linux (or any OS) installation involves two fundamental skills:
1) the ability to frame the question on DuckDuckGo in such a way that a viable answer may be in the results of the query and
2) being able to implement the "answer" from the result.
Most newbs fail, especially those from a Windows environment, fail at both of those skills. They hardly ever do a satisfactory search, even of this forum, and when the get an "answer" they often do not know how to implement it.

This leads to oshunluver's dilemma:

There is an interesting moral dilemma here.

Not referring to anyone specifically including those on this thread; Do I tell a user how to do something that is highly likely to allow them to damage their install beyond repair, so likely so that the developer(s) have taken steps to block or at least obfuscate that ability? Or do I throw all caution to the wind and just dump the info on them, even though they appear to be unable to figure it out themselves? The premise being that if the user is not well enough versed to solve what is a minor problem, are they experienced enough to avoid the obvious pitfalls now open to them? This doesn't rise to the level of "sudo rm -f *" type stuff, but it's in the same ballpark sometimes.

A simple example is how the *Buntu's do not enable a root password by default. This prevents someone who isn't experienced enough to enable root login themselves unable to stumble into it and wreak havoc. I can say for sure that when I was a noob 20 years ago and pre-buntu, I killed at least three installs this way. Now-a-days if I really need root login (never to the GUI) for something specific I enable the root login log enough to complete the task, then remove the root password to disable root login so I don't do myself in again. However, it's been so long since I needed to do that I can't remember why I did.

My usual method to gauge my replies to a question that may lead to something potentially dangerous is to glean what I can about the user's abilities, and if I decide to go ahead, caveat strongly but pass on the knowledge. I err on the side of providing the info and let the user be responsible for the outcome. I have even talked users down off of the ledge on more than one occasion.

I've logged in to the forum again just to respond to the direction this thread has taken.

1) I'm old enough (contemporary of GregGeek) that my inner anarchist resents being told "you can't get there from here". I started on mainframes when they were all we had.

2) A simple advisory that "Here be dragons" is all that is necessary.

3) We ALL learned by making mistakes, even if we kick ourselves in the rear for doing it again.
-
4) I know it is a PITA to repeat instructions which are already on the forum. If we don't remember the exact thread containing the answer (very likely at my age), then a simple, polite: "Search this forum for xxxxxx" is easier on the newbie and encourages good skills.It also keeps the blood pressure from spiking.

Remember, we were all newbies at one time...

Ok, I have a core dump to analyze and my dot matrix printer needs more paper.Back later.

On other forums we've witnessed simple question being responded to in an arrogant and dismissive manner with a "Read The Fine Manual". We don't do that here. If we don't give the answer to the question we at least give them a link to an answer. Some newbs are so arrogant themselves in dismissing their own ignorance and/or blaming their problems on Kubuntu, when it is, most of the time, their own attitude, lack of knowledge and their demand that others do their basic work for them. These kinds of visitors are usually ignored because the fault is never theirs and they are never pleased with the answers given, even if the answers are spot on.

Linux users gain power because of knowledge. For that reason I will not withhold dangerous information from a newb, but will deliver such information with a warning as to the damage abusing that information will cause. Censoring information leads by necessity to a determination of what is dangerous and what is not. What is not dangerous for user A to do may be system suicide for user B. But, if user A asks about something that user C decides is knowledge too dangerous for A to have, if A is like me, A will simply seek answers at another site and never bother to return here again. That would be bad for both us and A.

[TWPonKubuntu]

@GreyGeek, Hear hear!

[GreyGeek]

@GreyGeek, Hear hear!

I forgot to add that the newb question I hate the most is the one in which the newb starts a post with demands and ultimatums. I never respond to a newb question that contains that content.

[claydoh]

Searching for answers to problems on a Linux (or any OS) installation involves two fundamental skills:

I didn't use a search engine to find the solution in this case, I simply read the error message, and ran the command it explicitly suggested, and the output said :

Command 'dbus-launch' not found, but can be installed with:

sudo apt install dbus-x11

And Viola! it worked.
Learning about what this package contains and does could involve web searches, of course

[Don B. Cilly]

Yeah, well... brilliant

And... "don't let it bring you down" * - which I know you won't.
Teaching and helping people is the best thing we can do as humans. We die, and have to start over. What would we be without teachers.

Me, I just give "cilly" advice here on what little I know... and some I just guess... because this forum has helped me a lot, and I just try to give back the little I can.
And first and foremost, claydoh is the one who helped me - and keeps helping others - as (misgivings notwithstanding) he can't help it ;·)
And a good thing that is for all of us.

*Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, yes ;·)

[Don B. Cilly]

I'll add:
personally, I don't need the workaround, I use Neon.
And this is the place I learned how to make a root-dolphin menu entry.
Which didn't work "properly" because I was ignorant, and had my ignorance explained to me.
(and I'd rather use Krusader as root anyway ;·)

But I find it brilliant that - after a while, eh :·) - it can be used by others who couldn't use it because:
even though being too lazy or ignorant may "disqualify" them from having the privilege, in this case...

- It's not that easy a solution (unless you're... brilliant ;·) - even with rather intensive searching.
- The risks-rewards-ratio/security-vs-usabilty-tradeoff - in this case does not seem to disqualify the not-brilliant-enough pupils to be allowed - given fair warning.
- Don't you ever ask them why, if they told you, you will cry,
- So just look at them and sigh
- And know they love you.

--- Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young- Teach Your Children - yes ;·)

[GreyGeek]

....
(and I'd rather use Krusader as root anyway ;·)

My favorite root command tool is mc. I've begun using krusader as root because it is, for all practical purposes, the GUI for mc, even though mc is not running underneath it. IOW, it looks like a GUI version of mc and is laid out the same and offers the same features, but with a GUI.

[WWDERW]

I do have one question though, why does this root workaround work when running Kubuntu in a live environment, but it does not after installation? This is a full install, not min, so that isn't an issue there either.

That's the main concern I have with that. It works on the try out, but not on the final install.

With regard to Krusader, I am just not a fan, at all.

As to safe guards, bla bla blah.

Part of the joy of Linux is being able to have full access to the system and to use it in the manner that you want to. Even if that is messing up that system. If knowledge is power, learning from messing up the system is apart of gaining said power.

[TWPonKubuntu]

I have Dolphin running, full install from the repositories, on my 64bit laptop. It DOES NOT allow running as root, as expected.
I then created a "link to application" on the desktop and used the pkexec script found in several threads here. It runs Dolphin as root.

I'm running Kubuntu 19.04, kernel 5.4.3. Yes, it is now EOL, but it still works and is getting security updates.

I'm not willing to upgrade to 19.10 because I've read that this kills the pkexec script operation. I don't need anything in 19.11, at this time, so I'll keep this configuration until 20.04 gets full release.

[claydoh]

I do have one question though, why does this root workaround work when running Kubuntu in a live environment, but it does not after installation? This is a full install, not min, so that isn't an issue there either.

That's the main concern I have with that. It works on the try out, but not on the final install.

With regard to Krusader, I am just not a fan, at all.

As to safe guards, bla bla blah.

Part of the joy of Linux is being able to have full access to the system and to use it in the manner that you want to. Even if that is messing up that system. If knowledge is power, learning from messing up the system is apart of gaining said power.

Because it is live installer session is running with full privileges, else it would not be able to do very much. I don't recall if it is running in Single User mode, or full root, or (most likely) has an account with full privileges.

[claydoh]

I have Dolphin running, full install from the repositories, on my 64bit laptop. It DOES NOT allow running as root, as expected.
I then created a "link to application" on the desktop and used the pkexec script found in several threads here. It runs Dolphin as root.

I'm running Kubuntu 19.04, kernel 5.4.3. Yes, it is now EOL, but it still works and is getting security updates.

I'm not willing to upgrade to 19.10 because I've read that this kills the pkexec script operation. I don't need anything in 19.11, at this time, so I'll keep this configuration until 20.04 gets full release.

As you are on 19.04, you will still have to upgrade to 19.10 before you go to 20.04, there is no skipping possible, unless it is specifically LTS to LTS upgrades.
And the root dolphin thing is simply a 'missing' package that was no longer needed (and not related to Dolphin or KDE at all).

[TWPonKubuntu]

Actually, I plan on a fresh install of 20.04, since I have my data backed up.

[GreyGeek]

Actually, I plan on a fresh install of 20.04, since I have my data backed up.

Ditto!

[WWDERW]

This is interesting now I'm getting an error msg for root Dolphin due to unable to load xcb plugin. It said that reinstallation of the plugin "may" solve the problem. It did not. It just repeats that error msg after reinstallation of xcb.

Edit: Apparently it's an issue with using Yakuake. Use Konsole no issue, use Yakuake and that issue shows up.