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Yasha Karant
Asked: 2020-11-19 12:55:51 +0800 CST

How do I set the default desktop environment on 20.04.1 LTS?

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How do I set the default desktop environment on 18.04 (Bionic)?

does not work in 20.04.1 LTS

/var/lib/AccountsService/users/root contains:

[com.canonical.indicator.sound.AccountsService]
PlayerName=''
Timestamp=0
Title=''
Artist=''
Album=''
ArtUrl=''
PlayerIcon=<('themed', <['application-default-icon', 'application-default', 'application', 'application-default-icon-symbolic', 'application-default-symbolic', 'application-symbolic']>)>

[User]
Session=gnome-flashback-metacity
XSession=gnome-flashback-metacity
Icon=/root/.face
SystemAccount=true

[InputSource0]
xkb=us

However, whenever I login to the GUI splash screen as root, the "gear" shows the default as Ubuntu, not gnome flashback classic, forcing me to manually select this choice. I want this choice ONLY for root, not for my regular user account (MATE that does not properly work for root). How do I make the "gear" show all the choices, but with gnome classic as the default for root, and MATE as the default for myself?

gnome 20.04

1 Answers

  1. https://ubuntu-mate.community/t/upgraded-to-20-04-and-the-menu-keeps-closing/21781/13

    from: saivinoba Quality Assurance Tester

    I found this issue (#871) on MATE's GitHub, discussing caja desktop behavior under root login. The solution is to have a local caja.desktop file for root user with --force-desktop option. It also states why desktop icons are disabled for root user. It is a good read.

    As root (or sudo) do, cp /usr/share/applications/caja.desktop /root/.local/share/applications/ and then append the Exec line as, Exec=/usr/bin/caja --force-desktop . Re-login and you will have desktop icons and application shortcuts.

    After doing this, I (not the response above) noted:

    I just did the above cp, edit of the .local version of caja.desktop , and then did a GUI switch user to root . Not only did this solve the desktop problem, it also solved the "brisk" MATE menu (standard current MATE upper panel user left end Menu drop-down) -- these no longer keep closing. As with other applications/environments, the Ubuntu implementation is designed to limit the functionality of root per se (not sudo that has other limitations); however, there are configuration file changes (as explained above for this case) to "restore" operational functionality. I just pinned Thunderbird to the root GUI desktop -- this allows me to switch user to root, invoke developer production Thunderbird without using the menu (not distro Thunderbird), and update (in place, not a full download of the tar.gz file) Thunderbird to production current. I then logout root and return to my enduser desktop (and account), with Thunderbird updated to developer production current. End my response on the MATE fora. Evidently, the --force-desktop switch (command line modifier) enables all of the expected functionality on a root GUI account use of MATE.

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