Incorrect Cygwin/X behavior leads to .X0-lock related fatal error

[Ken Klein <kk_oop at yahoo dot com>]

Here is tool behavior that seems like a bug in 1.7.1 related to the Cygwin/X FAQ item 3.4 (A2)called "Fatal server error: Can't read lock file /tmp/.X0-lock."  I am posting this, because the faq item states that the buggy behavior happens "For reasons which are not well understood at present."  This post presents what I consider to be incorrect behavior that leads to this error.

If I log on as a user without admin rights (on Windows XP), and I start Cygwin/X using the XWin Server program shortcut, the referenced lock file gets created and gives me read/write access.  The Everyone user just has read access.  When I then close my XWin session, the lock file remains.  I log out of Windows, then someone else logs on (also without admin rights), and they get the fatal error as described in the FAQ item, since they do not have write access to the lock file.

If, however, I had originally started Cygwin/X by opening a Cygwin window then entering startx, when I eventually end my Cygwin session, the lock file gets deleted.  So in this scenario, the next person to log on will not get the fatal error, since Cygwin didn't leave the lock file behind.

My opinion is that the startx scenario behaves correctly, and the XWin Server shortcut scenario presents a bug, namely, it leaves behind the lock file after the session is ended.




      

--
Unsubscribe info:      http://cygwin.com/ml/#unsubscribe-simple
Problem reports:       http://cygwin.com/problems.html
Documentation:         http://x.cygwin.com/docs/
FAQ:                   http://x.cygwin.com/docs/faq/