[SOLVED]Am I missing something here?

[Alamo1]

Hi All,

Complete newbie to Linux and Debian here and also my first post on this forum, so please be gentle.

A few days ago I decided to try my hand at installing stretch 9.1.0 and chose the Xfce desktop. Installation seemed to go smoother than I originally expected, but there doesn't appear to be anything within the GUI environment to add/modify 'users and groups'. I am aware that this is a task best suited to the CLI, but had expected the option to be there within the GUI to use at least until I find my around this new fangled OS.

On installation I chose not to enable the root account and am logged in as the default user who is a member of the sudo group. For all I know, there could be several other things missing which should be there, but one thing at a time is perhaps the best way to go.

Could someone help please by pointing out my error?

Thanks in advance,

Alan

[Bulkley]

Do a fresh install. This time create a root password when prompted to do so. Create the user account and password. You need them both.

[GarryRicketson]

Well, I am not a XFCE user, but if it was me , the first thing I would do is
try: How to modify users and groups using Xfce

And the first hit : https://helpdeskgeek.com/linux-tips/cre ... fce-linux/
This seems to give a very straight forward answer, did you try that ?

I am aware that this is a task best suited to the CLI,

That is how I do it.

Code: Select all

man adduser

Code: Select all

man useradd

Code: Select all

man groups

Could someone help please by pointing out my error?

Well, I would rather not, because people all ways get offended when it is
pointed out, but have you tried reading any of the abundant documentation
at Debian.org and https://wiki.debian.org/ ?
any way you asked,...

by Bulkley » 2017-09-22 09:12
Do a fresh install. This time create a root password when prompted to do so. Create the user account and password. You need them both.

Read the installation documentation carefully before doing the install, instead
of after a failed or botched install.

[alan stone]

And have a look to what shows up when searching for example: debian GUI to add/modify users and groups or xfce add/modify users and groups

[Alamo1]

Do a fresh install. This time create a root password when prompted to do so. Create the user account and password. You need them both.

I tried that before posting here, but have just completed a fresh install to make absolutely sure. Both root and user passwords created during install......same result, still no 'Users and Groups' control panel!
I've installed and re-installed more times than I can remember during the last few days. Also tried different ISO images with various combinations of install options, but get the same result each time.
Just to be sure I haven't gone completely mad and missed something obvious, I've replicated the exact procedure used above with an install of 9.1.0 Cinnamon and everything works fine.

[GarryRicketson]

still no 'Users and Groups' control panel!

Did you look at the link, I showed, It should be there:
"applications" > system > users and groups
The pictures are very clear.
From: https://helpdeskgeek.com/linux-tips/cre ... fce-linux/
===== edit ====
Removed image, it was to big, and also not accurate:

====edited===
Ok, well maybe it is not there by default :
Using the results from : https://duckduckgo.com/?q=xfce+add%2Fmo ... ups&ia=web
as suggested by alan stone , I found this:
https://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=6251

Really??
Which distro are you using?

I am a Debian user and gnome-system-tool does not have all those dependencies...None it has nautilus as dep.

~$ aptitude show gnome-system-tools
Pacchetto: gnome-system-tools
Stato: installato
Installato automaticamente: no
Versione: 2.30.2-2
Priorità: opzionale
Sezione: gnome
Responsabile: Jose Carlos Garcia Sogo <jsogo@debian.org>
Dimensione pacchetto installato: 11,0 M
Dipende: gconf2 (>= 2.28.1-2), libatk1.0-0 (>= 1.29.3), libc6 (>= 2.3.6-6~),
libcairo2 (>= 1.2.4), libdbus-1-3 (>= 1.0.2), libfontconfig1 (>=
2.8.0), libfreetype6 (>= 2.2.1), libgconf2-4 (>= 2.27.0), libglib2.0-0
(>= 2.18.0), libgtk2.0-0 (>= 2.18.0), liboobs-1-4 (>= 2.30.0),
libpango1.0-0 (>= 1.14.0), libpolkit-gobject-1-0 (>= 0.94),
libpolkit-gtk-1-0 (>= 0.94), perl, system-tools-backends (>= 2.9.4),
policykit-1-gnome

[Alamo1]

Well, I am not a XFCE user, but if it was me , the first thing I would do is
try: How to modify users and groups using Xfce

Been doing that for days on end and haven't come up with an answer yet. Hence my reason for registering here.

And the first hit : https://helpdeskgeek.com/linux-tips/cre ... fce-linux/
This seems to give a very straight forward answer, did you try that ?

I would if I had a 'Users and Groups' control panel to try it with.

I am aware that this is a task best suited to the CLI,

That is how I do it.

Code: Select all

man adduser

Code: Select all

man useradd

Code: Select all

man groups

Me too, but it doesn't help figure out why there is no 'Users and Groups' control panel in the Xfce GUI.

Could someone help please by pointing out my error?

Well, I would rather not, because people all ways get offended when it is
pointed out, but have you tried reading any of the abundant documentation
at Debian.org and https://wiki.debian.org/ ?
any way you asked,...

I've got to admit that I possibly didn't read enough of the above before my first attempt, but since then I've done nothing else but read anything I can find and watched youtube video's etc. I've followed the documentation at Debian.org to the letter, but get the same result in Xfce each and every time. Same thing does not happen with Cinnamon.

by Bulkley » 2017-09-22 09:12
Do a fresh install. This time create a root password when prompted to do so. Create the user account and password. You need them both.

Read the installation documentation carefully before doing the install, instead
of after a failed or botched install.

[GarryRicketson]

I don't understand why the OP feels the need to post a full quote like that.
Any way also , based on the search results, I find this:
(right here on this forum)
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?t=20487

by garrincha »It is indeed a gnomes tool. Xfce4 and gnomes integrated quite nicely, and the menu in xfce4 remains simple and uncomplicated.

It is a old thread, but apparently , it has not changed and you need to install
the Gnome tools,... I think you would be better off just learning to use the
CLI.
P.S
Maybe read this , when you have a chance : http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=130997

[p.H]

Do a fresh install. This time create a root password when prompted to do so. Create the user account and password. You need them both.

Reinstall just because the OP did not set a root password ? You must be joking.
Since the standard user is a sudoer, they can set a root password anytime they want after the installation with

Code: Select all

sudo passwd

I tried that before posting here, but have just completed a fresh install to make absolutely sure. Both root and user passwords created during install......same result, still no 'Users and Groups' control panel!

What did you expect ? Why would there be any relationship between the two ?

[stevepusser]

It's because it's gnome-system-tools, not xfce-system-tools. There is a tweak that can get the xfce settings manager to show any settings tool, which we applied to the version in MX Linux, but it was a while ago, and I have unfortunately forgotten what I did to enable that, or if it was something you can tweak yourself or if I needed to recompile one of the base xfce libraries. I do remember that the project manager just provided a link that showed what I needed to do, and it worked, so probably even weak google-fu can find the answer. If you have a lot of settings tools installed, as I do, the panel can get pretty cluttered:



But you can access it from the menu, right?

And if you're a new Debian xfce user, you can certainly improve its looks from the horrible Debian default.

[Alamo1]

[quote="GarryRicketson"]I don't understand why the OP feels the need to post a full quote like that.
Any way also , based on the search results, I find this:
(right here on this forum)
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?t=20487

Apologies for that, but I did so in order to clarify my answers to the questions you asked and suggestions you made.

[Bulkley]

Reinstall just because the OP did not set a root password ? You must be joking.

Because the OP is an admitted newbie and had nothing to lose by doing it over.

[Alamo1]

I tried that before posting here, but have just completed a fresh install to make absolutely sure. Both root and user passwords created during install......same result, still no 'Users and Groups' control panel!

What did you expect ? Why would there be any relationship between the two ?[/quote]

I've tried so many different combinations of install during the last few days that I'd completely lost track of what I had, and hadn't tried. Didn't expect it to work, but thought I'd give it a go anyway, just incase I'd missed something. Other than slightly more of my natural hair colouring, nothing lost!

[GarryRicketson]

No problem, in any event, apparently the "users and groups" panel is not
there, in default XFCE install.

Just to be sure I haven't gone completely mad and missed something obvious

So on that, no you have not gone mad, If you like Cinnamon you can stay with that, if you want the "users and groups" feature on XFCE , you will need to install the additional "gnome-system-tools".

[Alamo1]

But you can access it from the menu, right?

No, 'Users and Groups' isn't there!

[Alamo1]

If you like Cinnamon you can stay with that, if you want the "users and groups" feature on XFCE , you will need to install the additional "gnome-system-tools".

Tried 'gnome system tools' too......no change! I am competent enough to add/modify using CLI, but wanted to know why 'users and groups' wasn't available in Xfce when it obviously is in Cinnamon and others.

[GarryRicketson]

You would have to ask them at the XFCE developers and support ,
I have no idea why they don't include it.
https://forum.xfce.org
===================
https://forum.xfce.org/index.php

Xfce is not Cinnamon and others, ...........

Tried 'gnome system tools' too.

Sure didn't take you very long, I would expect it to work, but it would take some
time to read the Docs, and instruction, etc.... besides that there are a lot more
results in the search strings,..there seem to be many ways to solve this. But it
takes more the 2 or 3 minuets to read the info available.

[Segfault]

Do a fresh install. This time create a root password when prompted to do so. Create the user account and password. You need them both.

What? Fresh install? O'brother.
All you need to do is:

Code: Select all

sudo -i

and you will be root.
If you really need separate password for root, then set it after sudo -i.

[stevepusser]

Let's face it, xfce in Debian does not come out of the box with a lot of the customization and polish that other derivative distros give it. Examples are MX Linux, Xubuntu, SolydX, Sparky Linux, and so on. Instead of a customized car with a beautiful paint job, with Debian you get a sedan painted dull gray. So you have to do the work to pimp it out yourself, which can be a learning experience. Anyway, Xubuntu and MX at least have the settings-manager working the way you want it to, as in my screenshot. I'm still looking for what we did to tweak it.

[dilberts_left_nut]

Let's face it, xfce in Debian does not come out of the box with a lot of the cruft that other derivative distros give it.

Yay. (FTFY)