HowTo: Lock X While Root With ScreenSaver

Screensaver desktop preferences prevents your screen from being locked using screensaver.

Here's an alternative way of having a screensaver lock your screen while root. Read on.

By default, under System > Preferences > Look and Feel > ScreenSaver preferences does not allow locking of screen if the current logged on user is super root. Now, how to lock your X screen while you're root?

Here's a small linux program that locks the local X display until a password is supplied.

XLockMore

Xlockmore supports a wide array of screensaver types, from big round balls to 3D-enabled screensavers. Xlockmore offers features that most end-users are looking for, idle time outs, password logon failures, screensaver selections, message strings, colors, fonts, display selection and more.

XlockMore Installation
Fedora repos support Xlockmore. To install, simply use yum

# yum -y xlockmore

Xlock Binary

Simply create a taskbar shortcut for calling xlockmore binary

# /usr/bin/xlock

Pacman screensaver is also available, try it

# xlock -mode pacman

That is all, enjoy.

This entry was also mentioned in one of 50 linux tips mentioned here.