--- rxvt-unicode/README.FAQ 2006/01/16 14:48:39 1.29 +++ rxvt-unicode/README.FAQ 2006/01/30 22:49:30 1.34 @@ -39,6 +39,64 @@ URxvt.searchable-scrollback: CM-s + Why doesn't rxvt-unicode read my resources? + Well, why, indeed? It does, in a way very similar to other X + applications. Most importantly, this means that if you or your OS + loads resources into the X display (the right way to do it), + rxvt-unicode will ignore any resource files in your home directory. + It will only read $HOME/.Xdefaults when no resources are attached to + the display. + + If you have or use an $HOME/.Xresources file, chances are that + resources are loaded into your X-server. In this case, you have to + re-login after every change (or run xrdb -merge $HOME/.Xresources). + + Also consider the form resources have to use: + + URxvt.resource: value + + If you want to use another form (there are lots of different ways of + specifying resources), make sure you understand wether and why it + works. If unsure, use the form above. + + I can't get transparency working, what am I doing wrong? + First of all, transparency isn't officially supported in + rxvt-unicode, so you are mostly on your own. Do not bug the author + about it (but you may bug everybody else). Also, if you can't get it + working consider it a rite of passage, and you failed. + + Here are three ways to get transparency. Do read the manpage and + option descriptions for the programs mentioned and rxvt-unicode. + Really, do it! + + 1. Use inheritPixmap: + + Esetroot wallpaper.jpg + rxvt -ip -tint red -sh 40 + + That works. If you think it doesn't, you lack transparency and + tinting support, or you are unable to read. + + 2. Use a simple pixmap and emulate pseudo-transparency. This enables + you to use effects other than tinting and shading: Just + shade/tint/whatever your picture with gimp: + + convert wallpaper.jpg -blur 20x20 -modulate 30 background.xpm + rxvt -pixmap background.xpm -pe automove-background + + That works. If you think it doesn't, you lack XPM and Perl support, + or you are unable to read. + + 3. Use an ARGB visual: + + rxvt -depth 432 -fg grey90 -bg rgba:0000/0000/0000/c000 + + This requires XFT support, and support form your X-server. If that + doesn't work for you, blame Xorg and Keith Packard. ARGB visuals + aren't there yet, no matter what they claim. Rxvt-Unicode contains + the neccessary bugfixes and workarounds for Xft and Xlib to make it + work. + Isn't rxvt supposed to be small? Don't all those features bloat? I often get asked about this, and I think, no, they didn't cause extra bloat. If you compare a minimal rxvt and a minimal urxvt, you @@ -115,12 +173,20 @@ statically), except maybe libX11 :) Does it support tabs, can I have a tabbed rxvt-unicode? - rxvt-unicode does not directly support tabs. It will work fine with - tabbing functionality of many window managers or similar tabbing - programs, and its embedding-features allow it to be embedded into - other programs, as witnessed by doc/rxvt-tabbed or the upcoming - "Gtk2::URxvt" perl module, which features a tabbed urxvt (murxvt) - terminal as an example embedding application. + Beginning with version 7.3, there is a perl extension that + implements a simple tabbed terminal. It is installed by default, so + any of these should give you tabs: + + rxvt -pe tabbed + + URxvt.perl-ext-common: default,tabbed + + It will also work fine with tabbing functionality of many window + managers or similar tabbing programs, and its embedding-features + allow it to be embedded into other programs, as witnessed by + doc/rxvt-tabbed or the upcoming "Gtk2::URxvt" perl module, which + features a tabbed urxvt (murxvt) terminal as an example embedding + application. How do I know which rxvt-unicode version I'm using? The version number is displayed with the usage (-h). Also the escape @@ -130,13 +196,14 @@ I am using Debian GNU/Linux and have a problem... The Debian GNU/Linux package of rxvt-unicode in sarge contains large - patches that considerably change the behaviour of rxvt-unicode. - Before reporting a bug to the original rxvt-unicode author please - download and install the genuine version - () and try to reproduce the - problem. If you cannot, chances are that the problems are specific - to Debian GNU/Linux, in which case it should be reported via the - Debian Bug Tracking System (use "reportbug" to report the bug). + patches that considerably change the behaviour of rxvt-unicode (but + unfortunately this notice has been removed). Before reporting a bug + to the original rxvt-unicode author please download and install the + genuine version () and try + to reproduce the problem. If you cannot, chances are that the + problems are specific to Debian GNU/Linux, in which case it should + be reported via the Debian Bug Tracking System (use "reportbug" to + report the bug). For other problems that also affect the Debian package, you can and probably should use the Debian BTS, too, because, after all, it's @@ -167,24 +234,21 @@ I need to make it setuid/setgid to support utmp/ptys on my OS, is this safe? - Likely not. While I honestly try to make it secure, and am probably - not bad at it, I think it is simply unreasonable to expect all of - freetype + fontconfig + xft + xlib + perl + ... + rxvt-unicode - itself to all be secure. Also, rxvt-unicode disables some options - when it detects that it runs setuid or setgid, which is not nice. - Besides, with the embedded perl interpreter the possibility for - security problems easily multiplies. - - Elevated privileges are only required for utmp and pty operations on - some systems (for example, GNU/Linux doesn't need any extra - privileges for ptys, but some need it for utmp support). It is - planned to mvoe this into a forked handler process, but this is not - yet done. - - So, while setuid/setgid operation is supported and not a problem on - your typical single-user-no-other-logins unix desktop, always - remember that its an awful lot of code, most of which isn't checked - for security issues regularly. + It should be, starting with release 7.1. You are encouraged to + properly install urxvt with privileges necessary for your OS now. + + When rxvt-unicode detects that it runs setuid or setgid, it will + fork into a helper process for privileged operations (pty handling + on some systems, utmp/wtmp/lastlog handling on others) and drop + privileges immediately. This is much safer than most other terminals + that keep privileges while running (but is more relevant to urxvt, + as it contains things as perl interpreters, which might be "helpful" + to attackers). + + This forking is done as the very first within main(), which is very + early and reduces possible bugs to initialisation code run before + main(), or things like the dynamic loader of your system, which + should result in very little risk. When I log-in to another system it tells me about missing terminfo data? The terminal description used by rxvt-unicode is not as widely @@ -582,7 +646,7 @@ You can specify separate locales for the input method and the rest of the terminal, using the resource "imlocale": - URxvt*imlocale: ja_JP.EUC-JP + URxvt.imlocale: ja_JP.EUC-JP Now you can start your terminal with "LC_CTYPE=ja_JP.UTF-8" and still use your input method. Please note, however, that you will not