Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > macOS > X11 App just not working

X11 App just not working
Thread Tools
SSebeny
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 25, 2004, 12:42 AM
 
Hi,

I have a QuickSilver tower and I use the X11 app all the time with no problems. (ssh to my school account with X forwarding and run remote apps viewing them locally.)

A few months ago I got an iBook, and I THINK I used X11 on it as well without any problems. Then I decided to reinstall things on the iBook because I was running a developer release of Tiger (yes, a legal copy) and wanted to go back to Panther. So I reinstalled from the DVDs that came with the iBook, and did all the software updates etc.

After finishing the reinstall the X11 app just didn't work. When I open an xterm and type a command it just gives me another prompt back without ever executing the command or printing any error or anything. This happens for ls or any command at all. I took a screenshot so you can see what I mean.

http://www.gician.org/screenshot.pdf

So then I reinstalled again from a newer 10.3.5 CD set, and everything still had exactly the same problem. I have been knocking my head against the wall here, but I can't figure out why the X11 app will not work. Any help at all would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!
     
Detrius
Professional Poster
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: Asheville, NC
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 25, 2004, 09:43 PM
 
When you reinstalled 10.3, did you do an Archive and Install? Check for invisible .xinitrc or similar files in your home directory: ls -A ~
ACSA 10.4/10.3, ACTC 10.3, ACHDS 10.3
     
SSebeny  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 25, 2004, 10:06 PM
 
No, I did not do an archive & install. I did a format (write all zeros) and a clean install from a 10.3.5 CD set. Then I went back and formatted again and did a "restore" from the DVDs that came with the iBook. Still didn't work.
     
SSebeny  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 25, 2004, 10:10 PM
 
There were no invisible files in my home directory (like .xinitrc) that appeared to have anything to do with X11 on either my QuickSilver tower (the machine that works) or the iBook (the one that doesn't) except for a .Xauthority file on both machines which was just an empty file on both machines.
     
suthercd
Senior User
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Midwest
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 25, 2004, 11:30 PM
 
Check your logs. Console makes it simple to do that.
C-
     
SSebeny  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 25, 2004, 11:40 PM
 
On the QuickSilver tower (the machine the works) when I launch the X11.app the following lines are produced in the consol.app console.log.

XFree86 Version 4.3.0 / X Window System
(protocol Version 11, revision 0, vendor release 6600)
[DRI] screen 0 installation complete
Screen 0 added: 1280x1024 @ (0,0)

I can then type any commands in the xterm and they all work fine. When I launch the X11.app on the iBook (the machine that doesn't work) the EXACT SAME 4 LINES appear in the console.log. Then when I enter any command in the xterm it does NOT work. And it produces no errors what-so-ever, it just gives me another prompt immediately.
     
stealthelephant
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Oct 2004
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 07:35 AM
 
hello,
i have the identical problem u are having, even the same thing being reported in my console logs,
i can work around it by lauching the program using /usr/bin/open-x11 as root user.
console also claimed that 1 file should be owned by root in /tmp so i chowned that to root too. all worked fine after that, but then again, every x11 app is run as root
hope it helps
( Last edited by stealthelephant; Oct 26, 2004 at 08:11 AM. )
     
suthercd
Senior User
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Midwest
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 08:33 AM
 
In Console, see if there a Crashrepoter log in ~/Library/Logs or /Library/Logs when you click on the Logs icon in the Console menubar.

The link to your screenshot has not been working for me. Wthat other dot files and directories are in your home directory> You mentioned .Xauthoirity, there must be others.

What is the date on your /private/etc/x11/xinit/xinitrc file? (ls -l /etc/X11/xinit)

Has the IP address of the problematic machine changed? You .Xauthority file may have access-control keys which become invalid when the System's IP address changes. You can delete that file and a new one will be created with new keys when X11 is launched the first time.

C-
     
SSebeny  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 12:50 PM
 
Originally posted by stealthelephant:
hello,
i have the identical problem u are having, even the same thing being reported in my console logs,
i can work around it by lauching the program using /usr/bin/open-x11 as root user.
console also claimed that 1 file should be owned by root in /tmp so i chowned that to root too. all worked fine after that, but then again, every x11 app is run as root
hope it helps
I tried launching the X11 app first by doing:

sudo /Applications/Utilities/X11/Contents/MacOS/X11

And it successfully launched the program, but it was still exhibiting the same problem, no commands typed in the xterm work. So then I tried your suggestion and did:

sudo /usr/bin/open-x11

This failed to even open the X11.app (xterm).
     
SSebeny  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 12:52 PM
 
Originally posted by stealthelephant:
[Bconsole also claimed that 1 file should be owned by root in /tmp so i chowned that to root too. all worked fine after that, but then again, every x11 app is run as root
hope it helps [/B]
I am not getting any errors about permissions in the console, in fact I am getting no errors anywhere, its just not working at all. But just for good measure I tried running repair disk permissions in Disk Utility, it did change a couple permissions, but it had no impact.
     
SSebeny  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 01:01 PM
 
Originally posted by suthercd:
In Console, see if there a Crashrepoter log in ~/Library/Logs or /Library/Logs when you click on the Logs icon in the Console menubar.
There is no Crash Reporter log. X11 is not ever crashing, its just not running any command I give it to run.


Originally posted by suthercd:
The link to your screenshot has not been working for me. Wthat other dot files and directories are in your home directory> You mentioned .Xauthoirity, there must be others.

What is the date on your /private/etc/x11/xinit/xinitrc file? (ls -l /etc/X11/xinit)
Link to screenshot should be good.

Yes, there are other invisible files in home directory, but just the usual stuff:
.CFUserTextEncodings
.DS_Store
.Trash
.Xauthority
.bash_history

The date on the /etc.X11/xinit file is Sept 14 2003.

Originally posted by suthercd:
Has the IP address of the problematic machine changed? You .Xauthority file may have access-control keys which become invalid when the System's IP address changes. You can delete that file and a new one will be created with new keys when X11 is launched the first time.
The machine has been low-level reformatted and had a clean OS installed twice. It uses DHCP to my home router for internet connection, it gets a (NAT) IP just fine and can access the internet. There is nothing in the .Xauthority file since I have never connected to anything from the machine yet since I haven't gotten X11 running!
     
SSebeny  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 26, 2004, 09:08 PM
 
Hi all,

I've done another low-level format and clean install and things still aren't working.

Stealthelephant can you tell me exactly what you meant by "i can work around it by lauching the program using /usr/bin/open-x11 as root user." I tried typing `sudo /usr/bin/open-x11` but that doesn't even launch the X11.app and xterm. Running the same command without sudo doesn't launch the X11.app either.

Anyone else have any other ideas?
     
SSebeny  (op)
Junior Member
Join Date: Aug 1999
Location: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 28, 2004, 09:43 PM
 
Well, I posted about this in Apple's support forums and got numerous responces with different suggestions. But still nothing that seems to work. I just figured I'd post the link to that post in case anyone is following this thread.

http://discussions.info.apple.com/we...36.689deaeb/12
     
suthercd
Senior User
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Midwest
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Oct 29, 2004, 08:00 AM
 
Double clicking the X11 icon in /Applications/Utilities doesn't work? Have you tried

open /Applications/Utilities/X11.app

in the Terminal?

What does 'ls -l /usr/X11R6/bin' display?

C-
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 01:29 AM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,