[AktiviX-discuss] Breaking ubuntu...

Fri Oct 7 14:13:03 UTC 2005

On Fri, 7 Oct 2005, Dan Olner wrote:

> Date: Fri, 07 Oct 2005 14:09:23 +0100
> From: Dan Olner <dan at aktivix.org>
> To: aktivix-discuss at lists.aktivix.org
> Subject: [AktiviX-discuss] Breaking ubuntu...
> 
> Hia, 
> 
> Cheers... it's working with POP as mail server... er, which is odd.
> 
> But next problem: apologies if this is the wrong list...
> 
> I tried to install Thunderbird, and am still having fun learning how to
> install stuff with linux.  Some of it's straightforward enough, and some
> of it is horrendous.
> 
> But now I seem to have broken something.
> 
> I did this: I thought I needed the thunderbird app files in the usr/bin
> folder, since that's where apps go...? But it was CHMOD'd to 755, so I
> changed to 777 using SUDO to pretend to be root.
> 
> Now it won't let me change it back, even when using SUDO, and it's not
> letting me run the synaptic package manager any more.  I get this:
> 
> sudo: must be setuid root

OK, there's a special suid bit that comes before the usual 777 bits that lets
a program pretend to be root (you need to do this for things like sudo,
and passwd (the program for changing your password)).

So I'd say:
- press ctrl-alt-f1 to get a plain text terminal
- log in as root, using your usual password 
- at the # prompt, type: 
  chmod 4755 /usr/bin/sudo
- press ctrl-alt-f7 to get back to your GUI, open a
  console and try sudoing something

> When I try to CHMOD back to 755
> 
> EEK! What have I done? (it suddenly occurs to me I should have just
> moved the file using SUDO... ah well...)
> 
> So - 
> 
> 1. What should do about usr/bin? Where should I be putting apps?

That's generally a good place to put them - there or /usr/local/bin

> 2. Is there a good guide somewhere for beginner peeps like me, coz at
> the minute it's all google n forums, which is proving messy. (Me n a
> friend have already broken everything and had to re-install once when
> trying to get a local MySQL server going...)

http://ubuntuguide.org/ is pretty amazing, I'd also recommend the
oreilly books.

> 3. Which list should I be pestering?

Local Linux Users group? 

> Cheers!
> 
> Dan
> ---
> 
> 
> 
> On Fri, 2005-10-07 at 13:21 +0100, john levin wrote:
> > dan at aktivix.org wrote:
> > > Allo,
> > > 
> > > Next daft question from Ubuntu / linux novice.
> > > 
> > > Ubuntu going beautifully on me work puter - but been trying to get my mail from
> > > the aktivix server through the evolution mail client that comes with it.
> > > 
> > > Settings should be the same as Thunderbird (on my windows machine at home) and
> > > I've run through the instructions at 
> > > 
> > > http://en.wiki.aktivix.org/AktiviX:Help:Mail
> > > 
> > > Outgoing seems fine, but it won't work for getting mail from the server...
> > > 
> > > Has anyone tried with evolution before? Any ideas?
> > > 
> > > Could meet someone on and IRC channel if you send me a link...
> > > 
> > > Cheers,
> > > 
> > > Dan
> > 
> > Which version of Ubuntu are you using? Warty, Hoary or a Breezy preview?
> > Is your system up to date? (Use Synaptic from the System > 
> > Administration menu)
> > The instructions on the wiki are for Kmail, so there may be subtle 
> > differences with Evolution.
> > Personally, I use Thunderbird on my Ubuntu boxes, for a number of 
> > reasons, but I don't use Evolution because I found it very buggy. That 
> > said I haven't used it for about a year, so I presume it's improved 
> > since then. If you're already using Thunderbird, you might want to use 
> > Synaptic to install that and have the same program across your desktops. 
> > (It should be on the Ubuntu CD, if you don't have net access.)
> > 
> > HTH
> > 
> > John
> > 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> AktiviX-discuss mailing list
> AktiviX-discuss at lists.aktivix.org
> http://lists.aktivix.org/mailman/listinfo/aktivix-discuss
> 
> 

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