Interface Freezing at Beginning of Text Input

[mark-wootton]

Hello!


I'm running Ubuntu 22.04.4. A few weeks ago, there was an update that asked me to restart the computer when it completed. Since then I've been having a problem with text input.


Often, if I switch application or text input box within an application, or go without typing anything for a while, I find that when I press a key to start typing my computer freezes for a few seconds, after which it normally writes out the character I was trying to type twice, followed by those I typed before noticing the machine had frozen (e.g. writing "LLinux" instead of "Linux"). There are a couple of slight variations on what happens, but it's normally as I just described. As well as being a nuisance when I try to search or type an address in Firefox, it also causes a problem when I'm using the terminal a lot for work -- I'll press the UP arrow key to get my previous command and it'll register twice. Then I'll press enter from muscle-memory and do the wrong thing.


If I'm typing continuously without pause or switching where I'm typing (like now for example), I don't have any problems by and large. I also don't seem to encounter the problem while gaming, as far as I've noticed.


I put off asking for help for a while as I hoped that an update might fix what had been broken by an update, but this has not occurred some weeks after the fact.

Does anyone have any suggestions as how to diagnose and fix this problem? Many thanks to anyone who can help!

[dragonfly41]

In recent times I experienced problems with my mouse. Wired Dell.
I managed to come out of freezing by hitting [Ctrl+Alt+F1] to restart current session.
then I found a reference to Input Remapper app to allow Button Middle (scroll button) to have click [disabled]. It is now tamed. You might also try a different session LXQT which is first installed then selected at the point of reboot / login / password (look at icon bottom right of screen and select from ubuntu or LXQT). There are other desktop session themes to try.

[mark-wootton]

> I managed to come out of freezing by hitting [Ctrl+Alt+F1] to restart current session.

I should clarify that the freeze only lasts a few seconds before normal behaviour resumes. To give an example, here is a typical sequence of events.

1. I open a new browser window to DDG some term. Let's say "Word".
2. I start typing in the search bar and my interface freezes.
3. A few seconds pass.
4. The interface unfreezes and "WWord" appears in the search bar.

[dragonfly41]

I went down a lot of blind allies to troubleshoot. I remember Settings > Mouse and Touchpad > Test Your Settings. And hardware acceleration. Even today I cannot use Logitech bluetooth keyboard and mouse. But at least I have restored stability with original wired keyboard and mouse. I did not have your exact symptoms but did freeze in browser search bar. I had an escape route [Ctrl+Alt+F1] for a short period. Try investigating hardware acceleration but this might well be a blind alley.

[mark-wootton]

> I remember Settings > Mouse and Touchpad > Test Your Settings

I'm only seeing a graphic to show me what my mouse set-up does, which doesn't pertain to my problem.

> [Ctrl+Alt+F1]

As that's already the default session, it just takes me to the lock screen. If I were to press that key combo during the freeze nothing would happen until the freeze ended, and then I'd have to enter my password again. Even if it responded immediately, it's not a viable work-around given the time wasted repeatedly doing that.

[dragonfly41]

This is a guessing game. Reflecting on the clues (gaming, fast typing) this discussion seems to fit the profile.

https://ubuntuforums.org/archive/ind...t-1330013.html

[dragonfly41]

I mentioned Input Remapper in post #2. As I guessed it might be used to introduce key delays to stop stuttering at beginning of capitalised words..

https://www.linuxuprising.com/2020/1...uttons-on.html

[mark-wootton]

That's a different problem to the one I'm having I'm afraid. When the problem manifests, it occurs even if I press only a single key. It's also not contingent on me typing an uppercase letter or any letter at all -- e.g. pressing the UP-key in the terminal to get my last command or pressing control-V in a text editor. I don't think setting up a keyboard macro is going to help me. It seems clear that something is going wrong at a software level insofar as my OS should not be freezing for a few seconds just because I started typing in a new window/text box in a window and indeed, until that update a few weeks ago, everything worked perfectly fine.

[dragonfly41]

(a) Same symptoms experienced in LiveUSB "Try Ubuntu" mode?
(b) Same symptoms experienced in say X or Wayland or LXQT sessions?
(c) " it occurs even if I press only a single key" sounds like "sticky key" syndrome.
(d) Try tests such as this .. https://joltfly.com/keyboard-scan-rate-test/
Guessing game continues ...

PostScript: You did write in an earlier post "The interface unfreezes and "WWord" appears in the search bar.". I interpreted from this that your symptoms were at start of sentence. And prossbly linked to your "muscle memory" you mentioned.

That is after typing: [.][space][W].

But now you explain "any key".

Hence the wild goose chase.

[mark-wootton]

Firstly, thank you for your time so far in helping me.

> PostScript: You did write in an earlier post "The interface unfreezes and "WWord" appears in the search bar.". I interpreted from this that your symptoms were at start of sentence. And prossbly linked to your "muscle memory" you mentioned. That is after typing: [.][space][W].

I think I see now where I have been unclear. The problem typically manifests at the first keystroke following switching window or switching between text entry boxes within a window (not every time, mind you) -- so there is no instance of "[.][space][W]" as in that example, I was trying to communicate that the first key pressed was "W" itself. While the interface is frozen, it does seem that keys pressed in that duration are (mostly) registered, so if I've pressed a few keys, they normally appear at the same time, typically in the correct order (So "WWord" or very occasionally "WoWrd" appears as the computer unfrezes). However, if I press more than one or two words' worth of keys, it is likely that some will be loss when the computer unfreezes.

My reference to muscle memory pertained to the particular way this problem inconveniences me while working in a terminal, that is, I switch to a terminal window with the intent of repeating my last action, I press UP to see my last command and then ENTER the execute, but instead run the command prior to that because the computer froze when I pressed UP and then acted as if I'd pressed it twice. I should probably try to unlearn my habit of pressing UP and ENTER in quick succession, but I'd rather my computer didn't freeze in the first place too.

As to the proposed diagnostics:

* I will try a. and/or b. later, see where I get to, and report back
* I don't think I have a physical problem with my keyboard, if that's what you mean. The problem started exactly after I ran an update and rebooted a few weeks ago, it seems to effect every key in exactly the same fashion, and it seems to have a very precise, if intermittent, trigger.
* I will attempt to trigger the problem while interacting with that site, but so far have not been able to do so.