[xubuntu-users] Synaptic doesn't work on a new 14.04 installation

[Chris Green]

I have just installed xubuntu 14.04 on an IBM Thinkpad x201i.

I like to use synaptic for adding software so I installed that (from
the command line using apt-get) but it doesn't work, there are various
symptoms according to how you try to run it:-

    Run from the menus - asks for authentication in the normal manner
    but nothing further happens, no GUI, nothing.

    Run from the command line as ordinary user - synpatic GUI comes up
    OK but of course with the message that you can't actually install
    anything as you don't have root privilege.

    Run 'sudo synaptic' and you get the following errors after
    entering the password:-

        No protocol specified
        **[synaptic:10781]: WARNING **: Could not open X display
        No protocol specified
        error: XDG_RUNTIME_DIR not set in environment.
        **[synaptic:10781]: Gtk-WARNING **: cannot open display: :0.0


Wierdly enough if I 'ssh -X ...' into the system from another computer
on the LAN I *can* run synaptic successfully!


-- 
Chris Green