New pop-up notification panel triggered by xfce4-display-settings blocks view and access

[Leo H]

When launching xfce4-display-settings (provided by the package xfce4-settings 4.11.0-1ubuntu1) in Xubuntu 13.10 (either from Applications Menu > Settings Manager > Display or through a CLI) then not only does the Screen Settings Configurations panel appear (as in earlier releases of Xubuntu), but also a new large non-transparent black pop-up notification panel detailing summary information on the current display output device.

This pop-up notification panel is positioned in the middle of the bottom of the screen on top of any other screen items.

1/ There the new pop-up notification panel blocks the existing Xubuntu Desktop panel from view and from access. Any buttons in the Xubuntu Desktop panel below the new notification panel are now invisible and inaccessible.

2/ The new pop-up notification panel is permanent until xfce4-display-settings itself is closed. It cannot be dismissed (there is no Close button on the new notification panel that can be clicked), nor can it be dragged away to give access to the Xubuntu Desktop panel.

3/ The new pop-up notification panel does not adhere to the universal Desktop preferences settings for notifications that have been set in Applications Menu > Settings Manager > Notifications.

While the new Xubuntu Xfce display manager itself is surely a welcome an improvement, its associated new notification panel is seriously flawed and highly troublesome.

The quickest-fix temporary resolution of these three issues is simply to drop this new display pop-up notification panel altogether, because in itself it adds very little to the Screen Settings Configuration panel which triggers it. That gives time to work these issues out.

--
System: xubuntu 13.10 32-bit fully up-to-date

[Jackson Doak (noskcaj)]

This is certainly a useful improvement is you have many monitors, but it is also an issue as you have pointed out.
The best fix would just be to make it go beneath the panel, which shouldn't be too difficult. We could also investigate a different location, Making it an optional "identify" button and possibly partial transparency for it.

[Simon Steinbeiß (ochosi)]

Thanks for taking the time to report a bug, but this feature is intended as is and will not be changed or dropped.

The expected workflow for the user is:
1) connect a new display
2) open the settings-dialog
3) change/fix the setup
4) close the dialog

So there's no way that this is really to be experienced as a bug. It is intended that the identification-popup is on top of everything else, so that the user can see the names of the displays at all times.
Let me ask differently: for what reason would you keep the dialog open longer than needed to change the display settings?

[Jackson Doak (noskcaj)]

While that is all true, it isn't really needed while you have just one monitor. Adding an "Identify' button/checkbox shouldn't be too difficult and removes all issues this causes.
It is possible that the user could want to do something while the dialogue is open, and this makes it harder. It also probably adds a bit of RAM usage.

[Jackson Doak (noskcaj)]

I recommend low priority and the bitesize tag, since this shouldn't be too hard to fix if you know C

[Simon Steinbeiß (ochosi)]

The popup could theoretically be hidden when there's only 1 display, but I'm not sure how this would "make things the user could want to do harder". The popup is really tiny and it should be easy to move things to a different area of the screen in case the popup actually hides something useful (I can't imagine what though).

An additional option just for that seems really superfluous to me, I'd rather not clutter the UI with checkboxes for stuff like that. I think the RAM usage of this tiny popup is rather negligible (especially as it's not persistent but only shown as long as the dialog is open).

[Jackson Doak (noskcaj)]

Just because it's unlikely, doesn't mean people won't want to use the bottom launcher while this is open. Maybe just not having it open if you have one display would work better

[Sean Davis (bluesabre)]

If you change the focus to any other application, the popup goes away. It's only there to aid the Display Dialog and is only displayed when that dialog has focus.

[Leo H (leo-h-hildebrandt)]

@ Simon Steinbeiß #2

Your definition of the expected workflow is excessively limited, restrictive and prescriptive. In does not envisage many common scenarios which occur in routine practice.

Specifically, there are many circumstances where display settings may need repeated adjustment during a session, in particular during live multiscreen presentations and discussions.

Think eg of repeated switching on/off (ie blanking) displays in the course of a session and eg of changing display resolutions during a session depending on the various applications viewed, on the varying capacity of individual servers used to deliver various streams, on the changeable viewing requirements such as close/distant, and so on.

Under such circumstances it is much more efficient and much less disruptive to the audience to leave the Display Settings panel open (minimized as a launcher button in a Xubutu panel) and immediately available to the presenter.

Repeatedly having to go through Applications Menu > Settings Manager > Display, or repeatedly having to start a terminal session and to type xfce4-display-settings + Enter, is instead unnecessarily cumbersome and, both for the presenter and for the audience, unnecessarily distracting.

[Leo H (leo-h-hildebrandt)]

@ Simon Steinbeiß #5

The pop-up behaves as described in my original submission, above.

Contrary to what you state, it cannot be moved.

The popu-up is also not tiny, certainly not on a 10" control screen and not even on a 22" or 24" one. It is about double the area of most standard Xubuntu system pop-ups.

It covers and blocks access to a large part of the bottom Xubuntu Desktop panel of the control screen, so that the icons, notifications, launcher buttons and minimized applications there are inaccessible.

Your recommendation which in effect amounts to first unfixing and then moving the bottom Xubuntu Desktop panel across the screen away from the bottom edge in preparation for the launch of Display Settings – just because the latter decides to use that space for an immutable and obtrusive interfering pop-up panel – can hardly be be meant as a serious suggestion: If someone blocks my front door, then I do not call in the builders to shift my door to another place in the house; I kindly ask the creator of the blockage to remove or shift the blockage.

[Leo H (leo-h-hildebrandt)]

@ Lionel le Folgoc (after #6)

Please re-read my original submission, above. Briefly, it states:

1/ The pop-up panel blocks the bottom Xubuntu Desktop panel and renders any icons, launcher buttons, etc, there inaccessible.

2/ The pop-up panel cannot be dismissed so long as xfce4-display-settings is a running process. In fact, it can neither be closed nor dragged away.

3/ The pop-up panel violates the global desktop preferences settings for notifications on the Xubuntu Desktop that have been set in Applications Menu > Settings Manager > Notifications.

I then make a suggestion for a work-around as a temporary fix until these issues have been satisfactorily addressed.

Specifically as to your action to change the status of this submission from Confirmed → Opinion:

These three issues listed in my original submission are thouroughly tested facts, not opinion.

And these are facts, moreover, which, as explained, unnecessarily impair the usability of Xubuntu 13.10 and, as such, they are regressive relative to Xubuntu 13.04.

In addition, specifically as to item 3/, the factual behaviour, as described, also breaks consistency across Desktop configurability and behaviour.

Equally, furthermore, a suggested temporary work-around is not an opinion either.

Only my praise for the otherwise improved Display Settings dialog is an opinion, albeit one which is entirely besides the point.

In short, and with all due and truly deserved respect, your action in this case to downgrade my submission as a mere opinion rests on an elementary misinterpretation and is not constructive. It leaves Xubuntu worse off.

[Leo H (leo-h-hildebrandt)]

@ Sean Davis #7

The behaviour of the pop-up is as described in my original submission, above.

Contrary to what you assert, changing the focus to another application does not make the pop-up go away.

[Leo H (leo-h-hildebrandt)]

@ Elfy (above #9)

See comment #10 above for the difference between facts and opinions.

Is the future of Xfce in Ubuntu shaped on the basis of the power and prejudice of the self-selected few or on reasoned debate rooted in evidence and taking into consideration actal user experience, and reflecting in our case many thousands of active xubuntu deployments across the world?

It seems Jackson Doak's comments make eminent sense.

[Pasi Lallinaho (knome)]

Developers have explained why they don't think it should be considered a bug. Instead of marking the bug "Invalid" or "Won't fix", it's been set as "Opinion". This effectively means you are free to discuss about it. Furthermore, with this status, I'm sure the developers would be willing to look at submitted patches.

It's a design decision to not "follow" the notification settings. The display information box is not a notification in the first place.

@ Sean (#7): That's incorrect. That's a bug.

[Leo H (leo-h-hildebrandt)]

@ Pasi (#13)

Thank you for your explanation / clarification. It's kind of you to have taken the trouble to write this (and helpful as well).