Bug#380055: gksudo (somtimes) not showing password prompt

[Thomas Fogwill]

Package: gksu
Version: 1.9.1-2

gksudo sometimes doesn't show the password prompt when it should. The
startup notification shows "Granting rights" in my task/window list, and
the cursor changes to the busy cursor, but no password dialog is
displayed, and the target app is not started. I get this on the command
line:

$ gksudo gedit
glibtop: This machine has 2 CPUs, 2 are being monitored.
GNOME_SUDO_PASS
tfogwill at orthanc:~$ gksudo -d gedit
No ask_pass set, using default!
STARTUP_ID: gksudo/gedit/7902-0-orthanc_TIME3079645632
xauth: /tmp/libgksu-fFQvCq/.Xauthority
cmd[0]: /usr/bin/sudo
cmd[1]: -H
cmd[2]: -S
cmd[3]: -p
cmd[4]: GNOME_SUDO_PASS
cmd[5]: -u
cmd[6]: root
cmd[7]: --
cmd[8]: gedit
buffer: --
No password prompt found; we'll assume we don't need a password.
glibtop: This machine has 2 CPUs, 2 are being monitored.
GNOME_SUDO_PASS

The process does not terminate. Usually, when killing it with Ctrl-c and
then re-running it, it works properly.

When it does work correctly, I get:
$ gksudo -d gedit
No ask_pass set, using default!
STARTUP_ID: gksudo/gedit/8234-0-orthanc_TIME3079735744
xauth: /tmp/libgksu-oVbJN9/.Xauthority
cmd[0]: /usr/bin/sudo
cmd[1]: -H
cmd[2]: -S
cmd[3]: -p
cmd[4]: GNOME_SUDO_PASS
cmd[5]: -u
cmd[6]: root
cmd[7]: --
cmd[8]: gedit
buffer: -GNOME_SUDO_PASS-
Yeah, we're in...

This problem occurs somewhat intermittently, and I'm not sure how to
reproduce it. Sometimes it happens within a newly created terminal. It
often happens with a new Gnome session - e.g. I start firestarter with
gksudo in gnome session - this then usually fails to display the
password prompt.

$ sudo gedit 
works as expected, so I doubt it's a sudo issue.

I'm running etch on a Dell Precision M90 (Intel Centrino Duo).

Installed dependencies of gksu:
ii  gksu                      1.9.1-2 
ii  gnome-keyring             0.4.9-1
ii  libatk1.0-0               1.12.1-1  
ii  libc6                     2.3.6-15      
ii  libcairo2                 1.2.0-3      
ii  libgconf2-4               2.14.0-1  
ii  libgksu2-0                1.9.4-3    
ii  libgnome-keyring0         0.4.9-1
ii  libgtk2.0-0               2.8.18-1     
ii  libpango1.0-0             1.12.3-1+b1
ii  libstartup-notification0  0.8-1         
ii  libx11-6                  1.0.0-7             
ii  libxcursor1               1.1.5.2-5        
ii  libxext6                  1.0.0-4             
ii  libxfixes3                3.0.1.2-4          
ii  libxi6                    1.0.0-5                
ii  libxinerama1              1.0.1-4                   
ii  libxrender1               0.9.0.2-4                 
ii  sudo                      1.6.8p12-4
ii  libfontconfig1            2.3.2-7 
ii  libglib2.0-0              2.10.3-3 
ii  liborbit2                 2.14.0-2 
ii  libxrandr2                1.1.0.2-4




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