KDE desktop effects, window switching, show content in moving windows

[barna]

Hi,
with 10.04 and the xserver-org-video-radeon driver, I had first problems with window switching. It turned out that one needs to enable desktop effects, which were disabled by default. Even if I enabled it, it got disabled at every boot. I had to check the 'Disable compatility checks' in order to use it.

Now I upgraded to 10.10, and things do not work anymore. Even if I disable compatibility checks, and enable desktop effects, two things happen:
- I get a message 'The following desktop effects could not be activated: Box Switch, Cover Switch, etc''''
Indeed, window switching does not work as expected.
- If I quit system setting and start it again, desktop effects are indicated as disabled.

Another problem: I have unchecked 'Show content in moving windows', but still, content in moving windows is shown. After a move, the windows have stripes close to their edges.

Getting tired ...

[barna]

System Settings show: Desktop effects are not available on this system due to the following technical issues: and then nothing is listed.

With /bin/sh --> /bin/bash, I had an error in .xsession-errors, referring to this line of /usr/bin/x-session-manager:


if `laptop-detect` && [ $HEIGHT -lt 700 ] && [ $HEIGHT -gt 0 ] && [ -z $CDROM ] || [ $1 == "netbook" ]; then

I could eliminate this by quoting $1:


... [ "$1" == "netbook" ] ; then


With /bin/sh --> /bin/dash (default), there is another error in .xsession-errors:


Xsession: X session started for barna at Tue Oct 12 21:14:39 CEST 2010
Setting IM through im-switch for locale=en_US.
Start IM through /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/all_ALL linked to /etc/X11/xinit/xinput.d/default.
[: 225: unexpected operator

It doesn't report the filename. Line 225 of /usr/bin/x-session-manager is the last 'fi' in this this code:


# In Kubuntu start plasma-netbook if the screen is small or if "netbook" parameter were passed to startkde.
# Starting plasma-mobile if "mobile" parameter were passed to startkde
if [ -e /usr/share/kubuntu-netbook-default-settings/share/autostart/plasma-netbook.desktop ] ; then
HEIGHT=`xdpyinfo | grep dimensions | awk '{print $2}' | sed s,.*x,,`
CDROM=`lshal | grep "storage.drive_type = 'cdrom'" | awk '{print $3}' | sed "s,',," | sed "s,',,"`
if `laptop-detect` && [ $HEIGHT -lt 700 ] && [ $HEIGHT -gt 0 ] && [ -z $CDROM ] || [ "$1" == "netbook" ]; then
if [ ! -e ~/.config/autostart/plasma-netbook.desktop ] || `grep -q Hidden=false ~/.config/autostart/plasma-netbook.desktop`; then
echo Small screen resolution detected, using plasma-netbook;
export KDEDIRS=/usr/share/kubuntu-netbook-default-settings/:/usr/share/kubuntu-default-settings/kde4-profile/default/
fi
fi
fi


I attached /var/log/Xorg.0.log and .xsession-errors (/bin/sh pointing to /bin/bash, therefore no error messages in this file)

[barna]

exactly the same problems if I use the fglrx driver instead of xserver-xorg-video-radeon.

[barna]

Hi, the reason was somewhere in the ~/.kde settings (inherited from kubuntu 10.04). When I removed it, I still had problems (an errormessage claiming that these effects could not be enabled, I should check my X configuration). Then I removed the fglrx proprietary driver from ATI, and then these effects work.

However there is still a bug, if I deselect 'Show content in moving windows', then content is still shown in moving windows, but underlying windows develop stripes. I consider this as a bug...
So I kept this option checked.

[barna]

Unfortunately this was only true for a few hours. After that these effects were gone again, without any action from my side.



Failed to activate desktop effects using the given configuration options. Settings will be reverted to their previous values.

Check your X configuration. You may also consider changing advanced options, especially changing the compositing type

[barna]

These settings are needed in ~/.kde/share/config/kwinrc (in case kde would write something else, change it manually):


[Compositing]
CheckIsSafe=false
DisableChecks=true
Enabled=true
OpenGLIsUnsafe=false

[hen770]

These settings are needed in ~/.kde/share/config/kwinrc (in case kde would write something else, change it manually):


[Compositing]
CheckIsSafe=false
DisableChecks=true
Enabled=true
OpenGLIsUnsafe=false


that has worked for me !
Thank you !