Odd Problem With Permissions

[RobbH]

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this. It has to do with Meanie's pdaXqtrom package, but not when using its X server. It might be C1000 specific, or it might be general. But I think it's more likely to be specific to the Sharp roms and descendants, like Cacko.

It doesn't help that I'm a Linux neophyte, and I don't necessarily know the right language to use in describing the problem. So I hope you will be patient with me.

I use a program that requires some libraries that are part of the pdaXqtrom, but it does not require the X server to be running. The program is Blassic, a BASIC interpreter, which runs from the console. Until recently, I simply ran it from within Midnight Commander, but as of today, I can no longer do so.

I find that the problem is that the interpreter can no longer be run by root. As installed in Cacko, mc is started by a sudo command. Attempting to start the interpreter from mc produces the following error:

"error while loading shared libraries: libSM.so.6: cannot load shared object file: No such file or directory"

This is the same error that was displayed when I first tried to use the interpreter, without the pdaXqtrom packages installed.

However, if I run the interpreter from a QKonsole session, without sudo or su, it runs without complaint.

I find the library in question (as well as some other pdaXqtrom files) is owned by Zaurus, and while execute and read permissions are universal, only the owner has write permission. Giving write permission to group and others did not seem to change anything, though.

I see how to get around the problem, but I do not understand what might have happened to cause it. Can anyone offer any suggestions or shed any light? I would like to have a better understanding of what's happening.

(By the way, I realize that some may find the use of a BASIC interpreter on the Zaurus at least undesirable and maybe even offensive. I bow to you and beg your indulgence. I have no illusion of being a "real programmer" in BASIC. But I do find it useful for certain things I want to do.)

Edit: updated description.

[miskinis]

Hi,

I've never tried this BASIC interpreter, nor cacko, but I'm curious as to whether or
not the following suggestions are helpful.  This library is part of X and provides
session management support.

1 - Execute the "ldconfig" command, then try again, if it works GOTO step 5.

2 - See if the directory that the library resides in, is listed in /etc/ld.conf.so, if not put it in, and
     GOTO step 1.  If it is, GOTO step 3.
   
3 - If you already have the shell variable LD_PRELOAD, add the full path to
      libSM.so.6 to it, otherise "export LD_PRELOAD=full_path_to_libSM.so.6",
      and try again.  If it works GOTO step 5

4 - Post the results, and STOP

5 - Enjoy BASIC  , post the results, and END

[RobbH]

Hi,

I've never tried this BASIC interpreter, nor cacko, but I'm curious as to whether or
not the following suggestions are helpful.  This library is part of X and provides
session management support.

1 - Execute the "ldconfig" command, then try again, if it works GOTO step 5.

....

5 - Enjoy BASIC  , post the results, and END
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It works! Thank you!

Do you know of any reason why this would have changed suddenly?

[Meanie]

Hi,

I've never tried this BASIC interpreter, nor cacko, but I'm curious as to whether or
not the following suggestions are helpful.  This library is part of X and provides
session management support.

1 - Execute the "ldconfig" command, then try again, if it works GOTO step 5.

....

5 - Enjoy BASIC  , post the results, and END
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=133232\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

It works! Thank you!

Do you know of any reason why this would have changed suddenly?
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you rebooted didn't you?

[RobbH]

you rebooted didn't you?
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I've asked myself the same question. I do not recall a reboot between the last time I was able to run Blassic from mc and when it stopped working. But it's possible that one has slipped my mind. If you think that's the likely cause, I'll accept it.

In that case, what made it start working in the first place? Just starting X didn't seem to make it happen.

[RobbH]

Heh. I may be inept, but at least I am not bored!

Since posting earlier, I have discovered that a new problem has arisen. I can no longer start Opera from the gui desktop. Or to be strictly correct, I can start it, and it opens, but then it immediately closes.

It runs successfully when started from QKonsole, but complains about a few things:

Code: [Select]

SlSharedManager: can't get proc entry
Display size = 480x640
opera: Could not find "ini/standard_mouse.ini"
opera: Could not find "ini/standard_mouse.ini"
QObject::connect: No such slot OperaPDABrowser::uploadDialog(QStringList&,const QString&)
QObject::connect:  (sender name:   'unnamed')
QObject::connect:  (receiver name: 'unnamed')
QDir::readDirEntries: Cannot read the directory: /dev/shm/.operasave
QDir::readDirEntries: Cannot read the directory: /usr/mnt.rom/card/.operasave
QDir::readDirEntries: Cannot read the directory: /dev/shm/.operasave
QDir::readDirEntries: Cannot read the directory: /usr/mnt.rom/card/.operasave
I have rebooted, so I can now confirm Meanie's suggestion about my earlier problem. But that had no effect on the Opera problem, other than removing the "can't get proc entry" line from the error messages displayed.

I will try later to log the errors generated when it's started from the desktop.

It is possible that this is unrelated to the orignal problem. I have been playing with dosbox in the interim, and it may have damaged something. Uninstalling dosbox has not changed anything.

I do not know if .operasave directories were formerly located where it is looking for them, but they are not there now. The only .operasave I find is in /home/zaurus

I am not really desperate for a solution; I am much more interested in understanding what's going on. I know how to get Opera to start, although it's slightly inconvenient. Being able to run blassic as root is hardly necessary. What I'm really seeking is information, or pointers to information.

[RobbH]

As one more data point, I have set Qtopia to log all command line activity, following the descriptions under "troubleshooting" in the Unofficial FAQ, elsewhere on this site. Here's the part that appears to be relevant to Opera:

Code: [Select]

[unnamed][Opera][8][opera]
[unnamed][Opera][40][opera]
[unnamed][Opera][10][opera]
[unnamed][Opera][10][opera]
opera: Could not find "ini/standard_mouse.ini"
opera: Could not find "ini/standard_keyboard.ini"
opera: Could not find "ini/standard_mouse.ini"
opera: Could not find "ini/standard_keyboard.ini"
[unnamed][Launcher][10][launcher]
KeyHelperWidget::set()
[unnamed][Opera][2][opera]
The only thing I get from this is that it's interesting that it complains about not finding the "standard_keyboard.ini" file, which definitely exists. It did not report this error when launched from QKonsole. (So far as I can tell, "standard_mouse.ini" does not exist.)

I have restored a NAND backup from before I installed dosbox, and the problem continues. So dosbox does not appear to be the problem. I think I last used Opera on Sunday, June 25, at which time it ran without any problems. I found that I could not run the blassic interpreter as root on Tuesday, June 27. And then I discovered that I could not start Opera from the Qtopia desktop on Thursday, June 29.

Whether these glitiches are truly related or not, I cannot say, but they seem to be synchronous. A reboot may be responsible for the blassic problem, but it shouldn't have caused the Opera problem... should it? I'm asking, because I know I'm ignorant, and trying to find a ray of light.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. As problems go, mine is very minor. It's the mystery that bugs me, and I will appreciate any help or direction anyone can offer that will help me understand it.

[miskinis]

Well, I think the reason Meanie asked you if you rebooted, and then blassic started
acting differently, is that the installation might have executed the "ldconfig" command,
which would then cause blassic to function as intended (programmed).  But then on a
reboot, the effects of "ldconfig" would have been lost, and it would be required to
execute that command again.   I hope this ray of light is bright and correct,  John

[RobbH]

Well, I think the reason Meanie asked you if you rebooted, and then blassic started
acting differently, is that the installation might have executed the "ldconfig" command,
which would then cause blassic to function as intended (programmed).  But then on a
reboot, the effects of "ldconfig" would have been lost, and it would be required to
execute that command again.   I hope this ray of light is bright and correct,  John
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Ah. That makes sense. Thanks. In this case, I am reasonably certain that the blassic installation did not execute ldconfig or make any other configuration changes, because there was no blassic installation. I manually extracted and copied the files.

In any case, I plan to restore an earlier backup and (I hope) put all this behind me... for now.