featherpad can only handle one user at a time on OpenBSD

[bdantas]

I compiled -master branch (version 0.10.0) on OpenBSD 6.4.

If I open a file as root then, while that file is still open, open a different file as bruno (my non-root user), the bruno instance says "a previous crash detected!"

Conversly, if bruno user opens a file first then root opens a privileged system file, root can't save changes because the root instance isn't running as root.

During hacking session I need the editor to run as root when launched by root and run as bruno when launched by bruno, with multiple files open by both users.

[tsujan]

Thanks for the report! I'll investigate it and might need to ask you questions about OpenBSD (*BSD).

[tsujan]

@bdantas

I think this is about neither *BSD nor FeatherPad but caused by wrong root environment variables.

(1) Which command do you use to open FeatherPad as root?

(2) What's the output of echo $USER as root inside a terminal that you open with the same command that you used to open FeatherPad as root?

I think the privilege program you use doesn't set the correct EVs as root. The output in (2) should be "root" but it's your user name; isn't it?

If so, that would be dangerous because it could change the permissions of your config files, so that you couldn't configure apps as user after you open them as root.

[bdantas]

(1)
In qterminal running as root: # featherpad /etc/somefile
In qterminal running as non-root user (bruno): $ doas featherpad /etc/somefile

(2) In all cases, output of echo $USER is bruno

it could change the permissions of your config files, so that you couldn't configure apps as user after you open them as root.

Indeed, for a long time I've had this issue.

So you are right. I don't think this is an OpenBSD bug or a featherpad bug, but a problem with my environment. I suspect the problem is with pcmanfm-qt and/or qterminal and/or LXQt because this issue does not occur in OpenBSD+MATE.

Any idea how to solve this, so that qterminal and pcmanfm-qt change value of USER to root when appropriate?

[bdantas]

I figured it out. Just needed to change /etc/doas.conf from this:

permit nopass keepenv bruno

to this:

permit nopass keepenv setenv { USER=root HOME=/root DISPLAY=:0.0 XAUTHORITY=/home/bruno/.Xauthority } bruno

tsujan, that was some extremely impressive deductive work on your part.

[tsujan]

I don't think this is an OpenBSD bug or a featherpad bug

Definitely!

Any idea how to solve this, so that qterminal and pcmanfm-qt change value of USER to root when appropriate?

If you use LXQt, upgrade to its latest release (0.14.X). lxqt-sudo had this problem but it was fixed at last, after a long discussion between another dev and me -- we had our differences about how to set the root EVs. I guess you have an old (buggy) version of lxqt-sudo.

If you can't upgrade LXQt for now, use the MATE privilege program inside it (gksu? gksu should be safe everywhere, as far as I know).

And never use the mere sudo with GUI apps! It could also change user permissions for the same reason.

Anyhow, it seems that FeatherPad's warning-bar revealed the problem here :)

[tsujan]

tsujan, that was some extremely impressive deductive work on your part.

That was because of your clean report :)

[tsujan]

I figured it out. Just needed to change /etc/doas.conf from this:
permit nopass keepenv bruno
to this:
permit nopass keepenv setenv { USER=root } bruno

For the sake of completeness, I should add that USER=root is necessary but, perhaps, not sufficient. The root EVs should be chosen with care; a good privilege program does that for you.

The above-mentioned discussion between that LXQt dev and me was about how careful we should be; IMO, he was too careful ;) Anyway, the final result was OK.