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

[Chris Green]

On Thu, Jul 17, 2014 at 12:26:18PM -0500, Lutz Andersohn wrote:
> On 07/17/2014 10:13 AM, Chris Green wrote:
> > 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!
> >
> >
> Shouldn't one be running synaptic with gksu instead of sudo?
> 
One shouldn't have to run it from the command line at all.  On all my
other 14.04 systems (I have several) it just works from the menu.

-- 
Chris Green