$DISPLAY stopped working for one user

Question

Have 3 secondary users that I use daily on this desktop, that runs Arch x86_64 up-to-date (systemd compatible). WM is i3-wm 4.3-2.
As of today, USER2 can launch GUI applications, USER3 sudently can't.
Can't see what configuration I could have edited (I barely touch those secondary users config files).
First tho secondary users are allowed to use X with 'xhost +SI:localuser:<USER{2,3}>' in a startup script, so that I can launch various GUI apps.
Both share the same groups (audio,video,...) beside their own peculiar group.
Oh and a last one that is used for skype only (as per the wiki). It is launched with an alias:
alias skype='xhost +local: && sudo -u skype /usr/bin/skype'
Runs fine.
Logged as USER3:
$ echo $DISPLAY
$ leafpad
leafpad: Impossible d'ouvrir l'affichage:
translation: "Can't open display: "
Logged as primary User I typed successively:
$ xhost +SI:localuser:<USER>
$ xhost +localhost
$ xhost +local:
$ xhost + (access control disabled)
None worked.
As root:
# export XAUTHORITY=~<USER>/.Xauthority
Same thing than before :-o
Note : I happened to shift from Nvidia to nouveau while I had this issue; same issue
Only way I found atm is:
$ sudo -u <USER> -H PROGRAM
Which runs fine.
Please have you got a clue where this might come from?
Refs:
[Solved] Cannot open display :0.0  https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=132532 with the 2 links that eirika provided.
Running web browser as separate user?   https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 8#p1058358
Last edited by kozaki (2012-09-25 11:01:11)

Answer 1

Follow-up
Same issue happened after last update on my netbook, for both secondary users.
/var/log/pacman.log
[2012-09-26 13:31] Running 'pacman -S -u'
[2012-09-26 13:31] starting full system upgrade
[2012-09-26 13:32] removed eject (2.1.5-7)
[2012-09-26 13:32] upgraded coreutils (8.17-3 -> 8.19-1)
[2012-09-26 13:32] upgraded gtk-update-icon-cache (2.24.12-1 -> 2.24.13-1)
[2012-09-26 13:32] upgraded gtk2 (2.24.12-1 -> 2.24.13-1)
[2012-09-26 13:32] upgraded hwids (20120906-1 -> 20120922-1)
[2012-09-26 13:32] upgraded ladspa (1.13-3 -> 1.13-4)
[2012-09-26 13:32] upgraded libarchive (3.0.4-1 -> 3.0.4-2)
[2012-09-26 13:32] upgraded libsigc++ (2.2.10-2 -> 2.2.11-1)
[2012-09-26 13:32] upgraded mlocate (0.25-2 -> 0.26-1)
[2012-09-26 13:32] upgraded procps-ng (3.3.3-3 -> 3.3.3-6)
[2012-09-26 13:33] upgraded qt (4.8.3-2 -> 4.8.3-3)
[2012-09-26 13:33] upgraded util-linux (2.21.2-5 -> 2.22-6)
[2012-09-26 13:33] upgraded sysvinit-tools (2.88-7 -> 2.88-8)
As far  I can remember I haven't edited any config file on that system for last month - other than power management related: cpupower, jupiter and kernel-netbook
Problem hasn't changed on the desktop PC: $DISPLAY works fine with one secondary user, and not at all with the other. Have no clue as where it may comes from, so any advice would be much appreciated.