I am trying to discover why the program mate-terminal does not start. All that happens is the program exits with code 1. I've tried applying the options of --gtk-debug and --gdk-debug flags but nothing of use is displayed. How does one go about debugging why Mate (or gnome) programs will not start?
Welcome! There isn't a --gtk-debug parameter as such, but chances of the terminal instantly crashing could be related to the .bashrc, .bash_profile or .bash_aliases in your home directory.
A similar thread on Ubuntu Forums suggests trying to run via ALT + F2 :
mate-terminal -x /bin/bash --norc
If this works, then the .bashrc in your home directory might be corrupt. Copy a new one from /etc/skel/.bashrc using the file manager.
Normally diagnosis info would appear when running commands in a terminal, depending on the program. I'm guessing no terminal opens at all?
Thank you. That is a great suggestion. I'll give it a try at my next opportunity.