user # access?

[Ralf Mardorf]

On Tue, 14 May 2019 23:20:39 -0400 (EDT), Robert Heller wrote:
>Well, you are not going to able to use a GUI out-of-the-box, unless
>you login to the GUI as root -- not something that is normally
>possible with an out-of-the-box install of Ubuntu (and is not
>something that is recomended even on a Linux distro with a real root
>login).

That is generalized nonsense.

Without root privileges a GUI app such as

  gparted

is useless! It is strongly recommended to run the GUI app gparted with
root privileges!

My Ubuntu 16.04 install isn't an OOTB install, but among other I've got
the

Ubuntu-Mate 18.04.1 live DVD
Xubuntu 18.10 live DVD
Ubuntu-Budgie 19.04 live DVD

at hand.

Usually I'm using those live DVDs to backup my Ubuntu 16.04 and Arch
Linux installs, but sometimes I'm using a GUI with root privileges to
access home of a user with incompatible UID and GID.

If a file browser is wanted I recommend to install caja when running
Xubuntu or Ubuntu-Budgie live media.

  sudo apt update
  sudo apt install caja

Ubuntu-Mate comes with it by default.

Open the terminal and run

  sudo -i

then run

  caja

close caja and run another GUI app.

When not using one of those live DVDs consider to start a X session
instead of a Wayland session. Install the package gksu. After that
start GUI apps with gksudo. For example

  gksudo caja

Regards,
Ralf