How to start a window as root in X

Question

Hi everybody,
I managed to install Arch on my old laptop.
Besides some other problems (i might come back here) I'd like to start soem applications/windows (terminal or any other app.) in my DE (icewm) as root when I'm logged in as normal user.
How can I do this?
McQuack

Answer 1

Well now,
This 'never-do-anything-as-root' ideology is a bit paranoid if you ask me. There are many cases where it's very convenient to be logged in as root.
Windows users aren't getting in trouble because they run programs with Administrator priveleges, they get in trouble because they download obscure binaries from doubtful websites, and then decide to run them with Administrator priveleges. Windows users also use programs that have secret document formats that may contain hidden executable code. Then they use e.g mail programs that may seemlessly run those executables for you, without your knowledge (MS is always service-minded), if they should happen to turn up as an attatchment to some spam.
If you're not administring a big server park for some huge company, root could be a good thing. There are few (not none) security concerns. The biggest concern is that as root, you can mess up your system really badly. Using kdesu, gnomesu, sudo or sudoedit, whatever, will not protect you from your own messing around.
By the way, I actually thougt your question was about starting an X program as root.
You have probably started the X server as your normal user, and in Arch, that means only your normal user will be allowed to open windows, not even root will be allowed. To give root and all other users logged on to your computer (usually only yourself) permission to open windows, type this into a terminal (as your normal user):
$xhost +localhost
And if you have a network at home, you can let all the users on any machine open windows on your machine, like this:
$xhost +
It will probably let anyone on the internet open windows as well, but the programs will be running on their computers.
If your machine has the ip address 192.168.1.2 and the other has 192.168.1.3, then the other can open windows on your machine like this:
DISPLAY=192.168.1.2:0 qiv nice_picture.jpg
I remember a long time ago, in 1993, when the internet was mostly on university unix machines, and no one had to be concerned with security unless they had secrets to hide, I sat and read my mail, and suddenly a picture of Cindy Crawford popped up on my screen. Well, nowdays such things happen all the time if you don't have popup protection.
But what had happened was that some friends of mine studying in another town, had read from the totally open user list on my school's server, and found out exactly which machine I was logged into, and then they started a program on their machine, but let the display be on my machine hundreds of miles away.
Oh, I'm sorry, I'm a bit off topic here, but at least I think I gave an answer to the question asked