[NBLUG/talk] What controls the "prompt"?

[ME]

While you are in a gnome session where the xterm does not work:
$ ls -la /dev/ptys* /dev/tty* > /tmp/my-tty.txt
(attach the file "/tmp/my-tty.txt" in your response.)

Todd Cary said:
> Here is the result of getting the permissions for /dev/ and /dev/ptmx:
>
> drwxr-xr-x   21 root     root       118784 Aug  4 11:53 /dev
> crw-rw-rw-    1 root     root       5,   2 Jan 30  2003 /dev/ptmx
>
> I have not been able to find any entries in /dev/pts under any
> circumstances.
>
> Todd
>
> ME wrote:
>
>>This suggests issues with one of the following:
>>Permissions of a dev, File Locking, permissions to one or more required
>>libs/shared-objects.
>>
>>Examine Mitch's e-mail message and check your pty ownership and tty
>>owenership in /dev.
>>
>>If after working through the permission of dev ptys, you still find no
>>success, then I'd like you to perform a trace of the startup of the
>>gnome-terminal and send it to me (not the list as the attachment will be
>>too big.)
>>
>>-ME
>>
>>Todd Cary said:
>>
>>
>>>Another piece of information is the keystrokes are being processed by
>>>the system in that the blink of the cursor stops if I press some keys
>>>and after a second or so, resumes blinking.
>>>
>>>Todd
>>>
>>>ME wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>>So you are saying the results of the suggested test provide no file in
>>>>/tmp  when you tried from the broken terminal window?
>>>>
>>>>Imagine typing "blind" and after you paste that (or something like it)
>>>>into the "broken" terminal and press return, you won't see any text.
>>>> Then
>>>>check to see if the file is there.
>>>>touch /tmp/my.file
>>>>touch /tmp/your.file
>>>>(etc)
>>>>and check to see if the files actually are there in another window.
>>>>
>>>>We need to diagnose this:
>>>>
>>>>Is this a problem with the display of the terminal (not showing you any
>>>>I/O even though it is actually doing the work) OR
>>>>
>>>>Is the terminal "hung" in a kind of "wait state" where no IO is going
>>>> on.
>>>>
>>>>Once we have an idea which is the issue, we have started the process of
>>>>diagnosis. However, I can't help much without feedback on results.
>>>>
>>>>-ME
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>Todd Cary said:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>Except it works fine if I am logged on as root.....that is the
>>>>>bugaboo....iI just have to get to root and I can only do that with KDE
>>>>>terminal mode...then "gnome-terminal" brings up the Gnome terminal
>>>>> with
>>>>>prompt.....
>>>>>
>>>>>Todd
>>>>>
>>>>>ME wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Try this:
>>>>>>Start the terminal that does not display anything.
>>>>>>Paste in this text:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>touch /tmp/test123.txt
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Then go to a terminal that does display text.
>>>>>>See if the file /tmp/test123.xt exists.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>If it does, then I would inspect the number of BPP you have selected
>>>>>>for
>>>>>>your card (8bpp?) and see if the window manager/env manager has just
>>>>>>used
>>>>>>up all of you colors. Parhaps KDE does not use as many colors as
>>>>>> Gnome.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>If you have an XFree86.log (check /var/log) please send that.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>-ME
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Todd Cary said:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Eric -
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>><<<
>>>>>>>Do you mean that when you're not root and run the terminal, it comes
>>>>>>>up
>>>>>>>without any prompt
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Correct!  No prompt...just a white screen/window.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>This is RH 9.0.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I did not notice this in the beginning since I set the default to
>>>>>>> KDE
>>>>>>>where everything runs fine...in fact, coming from Windows, I am very
>>>>>>>impressed.  Then one day I decided to "take a look at Gnome".  When
>>>>>>> I
>>>>>>>tried to bring up the Terminal window, there was no prompt (I
>>>>>>> thought
>>>>>>>it
>>>>>>>was a keyboard problem).  By going back to KDE and using the
>>>>>>>"gnome-terminal" command from it's terminal window I was able to
>>>>>>> gleen
>>>>>>>the information I have presented.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Todd
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Eric Eisenhart wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>On Mon, Aug 04, 2003 at 05:54:08AM -0700, Todd Cary wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>If I bring up the Gnome Terminal ("gnome-terminal") and I am root,
>>>>>>>>>all
>>>>>>>>>is well: I get the root prompt.  However, if I am not root, the
>>>>>>>>>terminal
>>>>>>>>>window comes up without the prompt.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Do you mean that when you're not root and run the terminal, it
>>>>>>>> comes
>>>>>>>>up
>>>>>>>>without any prompt, or that it comes up with something different
>>>>>>>> than
>>>>>>>>the
>>>>>>>>root prompt?  Does a terminal window appear at all?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>What Linux distribution are you using?
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>--
>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>
>>>>>>.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>--
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>>>.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>
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>
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