Ubuntu Nearing X Server Not Running As Root

“Based upon a recent email to the X.Org developers’ mailing
list, Canonical is nearing the point of one of their goals for
Ubuntu 10.10 of a rootless X Server, or being able to run the X.Org
Server without root privileges.

“All that’s left to accomplish within the Ubuntu land according
to Canonical’s Christopher James Rogers is working out a
/dev/backlight device interface that udev would set the appropriate
permissions on for the user. The /proc/mtrr may also need to be
handled too, but Rogers doesn’t believe any of the drivers (at
least the main KMS drivers) are using this interface.”

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