Meld and pacnew files

[Xian]

I would like to try meld. But I am having problems with the file permissions

Most people would use the terminal command:

sudo meld

Or login as root in a terminal and then run meld:

su
<password>
meld

But running GUI applications as root is considered hazardous.

I'll point you to the Arch wiki page for a more detailed explanation:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php...I_apps_as_root

[anon_private]

Thank you for the link.

Am I right in thinking that kdesu meld is a safe way to run meld as administrator

I use manjaro under Plasma and KDE

[Xian]

Am I right in thinking that kdesu meld is a safe way to run meld as administrator

Ubuntu took gksu out of 18.04 because of in part security concerns.

So ... take from that what you will.

Would I usde kdesu to run meld as admin? Yes.

Am i supposed to advise others to do the same? Probably not.

[anon_private]

How can I use 'meld' to compare files in /etc unless I run as admin. There must be a recommended and safe procedure

[Xian]

The official Arch recommended way is to use pacdiff.

See here:

https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php..._.pacnew_files

[anon_private]

Do them in pairs -- use Meld and manually edit the new into old.

Only way to be sure. Then delete the new.

If you never previously changed the file then you can probably just use the new one as is.

I use dotpac to identify the .pac files and meld to edit (if necessary).

https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/dotpac/dotpac/dotpac

As a I recall, when looking at the pairs (original, original.pacnew), it was the original that was the more extensive file. So, if I have never made changes to the original file then I can use it as is (delete original.pacnew).

The files are in /etc, and, hence, cannot be saved, other than as a new file. Presumably, then deleting the original, and re-naming the new file to that of the original. Bit of a pain.

There are some files (e.g. password) which should probably be left alone.

I have got another update to undertake.

No doubt more pacnew files

[Dennis N]

No doubt more pacnew files

Just wondering: What are pacnew files anyway? I have Manjaro here, but a search doesn't turn up any files containing 'pacnew'.
Edit: Now I found some (14 - since original install in Jun 2017) searching from /. There is one for fstab for example, but looks like an empty version except comment lines at the top. Same with some others. Some have a config setting.

Googled explanation answers my question:

when pacman upgrades a package which includes a new config file created by the maintainer differing from the currently installed file, it saves a .pacnew file with the new configuration. pacman provides notice when these files are written.

Glad they are kept in case there is a problem! So far there hasn't been.

[anon_private]

I am wondering if the pacnew files need to be merged before another update is initiated, or, does it not matter

[1fallen]

I am wondering if the pacnew files need to be merged before another update is initiated, or, does it not matter

If yours looks anything like mine I would not worry about it ATM

locate pacnew <run this to see the below code>
/etc/locale.gen.pacnew
/etc/profile.pacnew
/etc/lightdm/lightdm-gtk-greeter.conf.pacnew
/etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist.pacnew
/etc/systemd/logind.conf.pacnew

And your system should merge these by default.
Now I'm not that familiar with Manjaro or Octopi>>>But when suggesting GUI package installers for Arch I highly recommend "pamac-aur" it will search and update from yaourt also.
But I simply just use the terminal to keep my system tidy "pacman -Syyu" and also a couple of times a month I will remove Orphans.
Have a look here might ease your worrying a bit: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=182428
And Look at Dennis N's post below mine.

[Dennis N]

I am wondering if the pacnew files need to be merged before another update is initiated, or, does it not matter

After my last post, I eyeballed the *.pacnew files and decided on a case by case basis (14 files) what action to take. Most look like they would revert to the original (like the passwd and fstab). So I didn't see a reason to change anything in my existing files. But its up to you to decide. I installed this Manjaro MATE in Sept 2015, and have never looked at the pacnew files until now, but all is running fine regardless.