[gcmd-dev] Re: GNOME authentication manager

[Michael]

Piotr:
> I'm not sure if I grok your settings properly...

I don't run any gnome session. i don't even log in via gmd.
Just via plain old startx from textconsole. My 'xsession' file just executes 
wmaker. 
It's the coolest desktop i found so far :) See footnote pleading (*)

Here's tonight's log in sections:

I. session

- Installed gdm and started a complete ordinary gnome session
- g.k.d was launched by session-manager at session startup with no options, as 
user process, i'm sure it's the same when i do it manually

II. ftp 2 remote server

- Started gedit and tried to ftp to remote server -> always "could not find 
file" && no g.k.d popup
- The same situation for accessing local ftp server (details below) at this 
point

III. countercheck: console ftp

- log in via terminal ftp worked; log out -> 'disconnected'

- After that, suddenly all the previous gedit URI variations work, in gedit.
I conclude the login 'lease' iss still active at remote server (is there no way 
to teminate it ?? must look up the rfc)


IV. gnome keyring manager

- launched gnome-keyring-manager -> immediately told me that there's no default 
keyring yet ! I created one. Still empty (no keys.)

I wonder if that popup should have appeared earlier, when gedit accessed gkd. 
Or maybe that's not a bug but a feature = if you don't want to use keyring you 
simply never configure one and then remote URI work only if you log in via 
other means before ? Note that i tried also address@hidden URIs (w/o ftp://) 
and that didn't initiate a popup either.

- gedit still opens files on remote server with no popup, and does not store a 
key in the keyring.


V. ftp into local server

- Tried to access my local proftpd -> voila, the first gkd popup -> filled in 
the form.
- Afterwards, still "could not find file"
Note the server is fully functional, the domain gandalf.lan is ok (etc/hosts) 
and configured in proftpd, and i can verify anything works via console ftp.
- I also tried the short alias 'gandalf' and that popped up another gkd dialog, 
creating a seperate key.
- After that still no access via gedit.

The test files are world readable. I can open them in gedit directly from 
filesystem.
I can do that ftp from commandline.
In the auth log i can see lots of login /logout as that user and no login 
failure.
gedit just can't find the file ! But the syntax examples i tried are ok, e.g. 
they work on the remote server (via gedit Ctrl+L)!

In the xsession log i find some of these:
"Oct 23 04:18:19 gandalf gnome-keyring-daemon[6925]: couldn't read 4 bytes from 
client"  (nice message :P)

i've no clue what to think about that.

VI. gnome-commander

- finally, i set up new connections in gcmd and tried them -> crash, no popup

Immediately this message in the xsession log:
Oct 23 05:21:56 gandalf gnome-keyring-daemon[6925]: couldn't read 4 bytes from 
client: 

And gcmd crashs as described in the first post.

Debug log:
No server selectedNo server selected[MM] Opening connection
[MM] Opening FTP connection
[MM] FTP: Connecting to ftp://www.bla.foo (obfuscated)
(killed)

Is it working for anybody else ??

btw I got confused by the gcmd remote-server manager:
If i removed or created entries but did not conncet, then i'd expect that 
'cancel' would revert to the previous state so i looked for a 'close' button. 
But when i used the close-window action instead, the last removal was not 
stored, which appears to be much more a 'cancel' then what the button does. 
(But only the last action? isn't that convincing either)
I think the button could be titled 'close' and there's no urgent need for 
'cancel' anyway (you can do that easily manually anyway.) the 'close-window' 
should not prevent  storing on-file.


-- enough, i'm very tired excuse if there are mistakes.

(*) To staify your unasked questions,
- I need my user account to be password-protected, no auto-login
- i had to enter at least the password in gdm
- but i disabled the users password and do log in on textconsole, which is 
effectively the same: type in one string.
- after that it's one arrow up and <enter> for 'startx' which is bearable.

This spares the time of a launching gdm, and it's more flexible: If you're in a 
hurry and just need to lookup a small file with phone numbers or addresses, 
(and you can lookup office docs easily with console tools) or if you're finally 
going to write yor urgently needed backup script (and mc and several console 
logins is all you need then), - why should you launch a noisy xsession with all 
the beguiling cool distractions like icq,  calendar notifications, myspace & 
youtube, google-earth, music library, email...?

It also can be an advantage when you run a debian unstable/experimental with 
daily updates, and xorg or nvidia or whatever else with your desktop session 
gets broken regularily. You still can look up your files easily and don't have 
to fight with failing login managers first.

And the best thing is, i'm rather peaceful when i'm away for weeks, because 
most overcurious sneakers switching this box on would simply not know what to 
do without a mouse. (heh, i should also move to csh some day ;)

Another point is wmaker. You don't need any gnome-panel or desktop icons 
anymore, because wmaker has all that (in unusual style which also looks unusual 
cool.)
This is by far not just a window maker.
You can have all sorts of information via myriads of 'dock-apps' (like clocks, 
network traffic, space-weather in orbit) and just create your own launchers. 
Mounting is done via file-managers, for special needs there's a terminal, what 
else do you need ? 
It's launching very fast and takes very few resources. 
And no gnome-session installed means some hundred packages less to update. 
(i have gnome stuff only for study and debugging like this)

This is a setup that even worked on a 64M (yes!) 360Mhz slow-as-ass-HD Laptop, 
and although i use both latest gnome and kde occasionally, on modern hardware, 
i still find this setup more efficient.

uh what a plaeding!