X programs from terminal

[Master of Reality]

whenever i try to run an X program from terminal (openoffice installer to be exact) it says it cant connect to Xserver. I did "xhost +" to take off access restrictions completely, but it still doenst work. I am using Slackware, on konsole and "su -"'d as root.

[Void Main]

What is your DISPLAY variable set to?

$ echo $DISPLAY

[Master of Reality]

:0.0

[Void Main]

I actually meant, what is the DISPLAY variable set to after you "su -":

# echo $DISPLAY

but after doing a quick search it appears to be slightly more complicated in Slackware:

http://free.house.cx/~eil/slackwarenotes.html

Running X apps as root on a user's display
By default, root does not have the authority to start a client on someone else's X session. If such capability is needed, the following simple instructions will allow it. This method depends on there being only one regular user of the system (the one running the X session).

As root, cd to ~ and do:

rm ~/.Xauthority
ln -s ~user/.Xauthority

where user is the name of the user with the X session. Next, determine what display the session is using. To find out, enter:

echo $DISPLAY

as the user. Usually this will be :0.0. Put the environment variable and its value into root's .bash_profile and you're all set.

[Master of Reality]

erm... i cant edit the .bash_profile to "Put the environment variable and its value into root's .bash_profile" because i dont have a .bash_profile
...what should i do?

[Void Main]

Create one. Or add it to root's .bashrc.

[Master of Reality]

dont have a .bashrc

what should be in these files?

[Void Main]

Create one, "man bash".

[Master of Reality]

i got the bashrc and bash_profile (copied from redhat... doesnt seem to have any special settings in it so it should be okay)... but what does it mean "Put the environment variable and its value into root's .bash_profile and you're all set"?

[Void Main]

It basically means put this in:

export DISPLAY=:0.0