googleearth complains about file instance-running-lock

[Yuri]

Hi,

I am getting this fatal error:
Unable to create symlink for lock
'/home/yuri/.googleearth/instance-running-lock'. File exists.

google-earth-5.1.3509.4636
8.0-STABLE

Thanks,
Yuri

[Glen Barber]

Post by Yuri
Hi,
Unable to create symlink for lock
'/home/yuri/.googleearth/instance-running-lock'.  File exists.

Remove the file? Or rename it?

[Yuri]

Post by Glen Barber
Remove the file? Or rename it?

I wouldn't ask this question if it was that easy.
There is even no such directory: /home/yuri/.googleearth

Yuri

[Glen Barber]

Post by Yuri

Remove the file?  Or rename it?

I wouldn't ask this question if it was that easy.
There is even no such directory: /home/yuri/.googleearth

Could you provide possibly important information such as this in
future questions?

Have you tried creating the directory?

[Yuri]

Post by Glen Barber
Have you tried creating the directory?

Creating it doesn't help.
But I solved the problem: when it talks about /home/yuri/~.googleearth
it actually means /compat/linux/home/yuri/.googleearth/
Deleting file there fixes the problem.

I guess it's a good idea to have a link /compat/linux/home ->/home

Yuri

[Matthew Seaman]

Post by Yuri

Post by Glen Barber
Remove the file? Or rename it?

I wouldn't ask this question if it was that easy.
There is even no such directory: /home/yuri/.googleearth

Check /compat/linux/home/yuri/

Cheers,

Matthew

[Boris Samorodov]

Post by Matthew Seaman

Post by Yuri

Post by Glen Barber
Remove the file? Or rename it?

I wouldn't ask this question if it was that easy.
There is even no such directory: /home/yuri/.googleearth

Check /compat/linux/home/yuri/

...and remove /compat/linux/home if it exists.

[Yuri]

Post by Boris Samorodov
...and remove /compat/linux/home if it exists.

You should make sure that installer doesn't create /compat/linux/home.
Because I never created it myself, must have been installer.

Yuri

[Boris Samorodov]

Post by Yuri

Post by Boris Samorodov
...and remove /compat/linux/home if it exists.

You should make sure that installer doesn't create /compat/linux/home.
Because I never created it myself, must have been installer.

Please show me how can I repeat that case. Or at least show
# ls -l /compat/linux

[Yuri]

Post by Boris Samorodov
Please show me how can I repeat that case. Or at least show
# ls -l /compat/linux

The problem is actually a bug (?) in googleearth, that it leaves the
lock file when it finishes ungracefully, and after it is restarted it
complains about this file without understanding that the previous
process is dead.

But it talks about /home/.... files, and it's confusing since it really
talks about /compat/linux/home/... files.

Now I found who creates /compat/linux/home. It's skype. After I delete
/compat/linux/home and relaunch skype it recreates it.

So maybe to prevent such things link /compat/linux/home -> /home should
be created by installer?

Yuri

[Boris Samorodov]

Post by Yuri
Now I found who creates /compat/linux/home. It's skype. After I delete
/compat/linux/home and relaunch skype it recreates it.

That's possible only if you are root. That's the most essential info.
Please, annouce it everytime you have any error at the very beginning
of an e-mail with capital letters.

Never work as root. Never-never work as root under X.

[Yuri]

Post by Boris Samorodov
That's possible only if you are root. That's the most essential info.
Please, annouce it everytime you have any error at the very beginning
of an e-mail with capital letters.
Never work as root. Never-never work as root under X.

I don't work as root. /compat/linux diectory is owned by my user, not
root, not sure why. This is a very, very old system. Upgraded many
times. That's how /compat/linux/home could get created. I can't
understand why skype would create it instead of using /home.

I guess that's a side effect of /compat/linux not being owned by root.

Yuri

[Boris Samorodov]

Post by Yuri
I guess that's a side effect of /compat/linux not being owned by root.

Yes, you've found the root of the problem. Chown it to root:wheel and
all should be fine.