Bug#245059: gdm: On X-server failure, view log works, reconfigure doesn't

[Tim Baverstock]

Package: gdm
Version: 2.2.5.5-2
Severity: normal

I've just installed 'stable' to a brand new machine, and am having
problems configuring XFree, but this bug involves GDM's response to a
misconfigured server.

GDM tries to start the server 3 times, then offers me the chance to look
at the log, and then offers to run the 'X configuration program' and
asks for the root password.

The screen blanks, some text - several lines - appears fleetingly, but
then disappears under the blue screen where GDM asks whether it should
try to start the X server again.

One or more of the following:

1. The x configuration program it wants to use isn't a dependency of its
package.

2. It doesn't run the configurator properly.

3. It doesn't detect a failure return code to give a decent 'Press
return to continue' to let the user read any messages.

4. The x configurator it wants to use doesn't give a proper return code.

-- System Information
Debian Release: 3.0
Architecture: i386
Kernel: Linux vermillion 2.4.18-bf2.4 #1 Son Apr 14 09:53:28 CEST 2002 i686
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C

Versions of packages gdm depends on:
ii  adduser                3.47              Add and remove users and groups
ii  debconf                1.0.32            Debian configuration management sy
ii  dpkg                   1.9.21            Package maintenance system for Deb
ii  gdk-imlib1             1.9.14-2          Gdk-Imlib is an imaging library fo
ii  libart2                1.4.1.4-3         The Gnome canvas widget - runtime 
ii  libaudiofile0          0.2.3-4           The Audiofile Library
ii  libc6                  2.2.5-11.5        GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii  libdb3                 3.2.9-16          Berkeley v3 Database Libraries [ru
ii  libesd0                0.2.23-3          Enlightened Sound Daemon - Shared 
ii  libgdk-pixbuf2         0.17.0-2woody1    The GdkPixBuf library.
ii  libglade-gnome0        1:0.17-2.2        Library to load .glade files at ru
ii  libglade0              1:0.17-2.2        Library to load .glade files at ru
ii  libglib1.2             1.2.10-4          The GLib library of C routines
ii  libgnome32             1.4.1.4-3         The Gnome libraries
ii  libgnomesupport0       1.4.1.4-3         The Gnome libraries (Support libra
ii  libgnomeui32           1.4.1.4-3         The Gnome libraries (User Interfac
ii  libgtk1.2              1.2.10-11         The GIMP Toolkit set of widgets fo
ii  libjpeg62              6b-5              The Independent JPEG Group's JPEG 
ii  libpam-modules         0.72-35           Pluggable Authentication Modules f
ii  libpam0g               0.72-35           Pluggable Authentication Modules l
ii  libpng2                1.0.12-3.woody.3  PNG library - runtime
ii  libtiff3g              3.5.5-6           Tag Image File Format library
ii  libungif4g             4.1.0b1-2         shared library for GIF images (run
ii  libwrap0               7.6-9             Wietse Venema's TCP wrappers libra
ii  libxml1                1:1.8.17-2woody1  GNOME XML library
ii  scrollkeeper           0.3.6-3.1         A free electronic cataloging syste
ii  xlibs                  4.1.0-16woody3    X Window System client libraries
ii  zlib1g                 1:1.1.4-1.0woody0 compression library - runtime