software updater causes mouse buttons to stop working

[Humphrey van Polanen Petel]

I start Software Updater and after it has done its job it wants me to click one of <settings>. <restart later> and <restart now>, but the mouse buttons do not respond anymore, though the keyboard is able to access those buttons.
I am able to click one of the icons on the taskbar.

Note that this occurs intermittently and has been occurring for a few months now.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.04
Package: update-manager 1:16.04.12
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-116.140-generic 4.4.98
Uname: Linux 4.4.0-116-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.20.1-0ubuntu2.15
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Sat Feb 24 18:11:24 2018
ExecutablePath: /usr/bin/update-manager
GsettingsChanges:
 b'com.ubuntu.update-manager' b'show-details' b'true'
 b'com.ubuntu.update-manager' b'first-run' b'false'
 b'com.ubuntu.update-manager' b'window-width' b'484'
 b'com.ubuntu.update-manager' b'launch-time' b'int64 1519456233'
InstallationDate: Installed on 2017-02-12 (377 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS "Xenial Xerus" - Release amd64 (20160719)
InterpreterPath: /usr/bin/python3.5
PackageArchitecture: all
ProcEnviron:
 PATH=(custom, user)
 SHELL=/bin/bash
 LANG=en_AU.UTF-8
 LANGUAGE=en_AU:en
 XDG_RUNTIME_DIR=<set>
SourcePackage: update-manager
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Humphrey van Polanen Petel (hpvpp)]

just happened again

[Humphrey van Polanen Petel (hpvpp)]

My mother is not computer literate and is completely helpless when the mouse buttons don't work.

PLEASE FIX THIS!!

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Martha Bourgois (mat.bourgois)]

happens on 18.04 as well

[Humphrey van Polanen Petel (hpvpp)]

I started the computer after having been away for a week and started BOINC to resume processing, but I could not use the mouse to select the process.
I then noticed that software updater was loaded so I reckon that software updater was the culprit.
But ...
I decided to first log a bug against BOINC (using ~$ ubuntu-bug -w), because BOINC does not allow selection of a process via the keyboard.
And ...
During the process of entering bug information on Launchpad (using Firefox) I noticed that I could use the mouse again.
So there.

[Humphrey van Polanen Petel (hpvpp)]

I just restarted after Software Updater told me and now the buttons do NOT work.
But then I had a brainwave and started Terminal and exited straight away.
And, lo and behold, the buttons are working again!

[gf (gf-interlinks-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi Humphrey,
Here I am again, bugging you about a bug report, at your request. :)

I would not be able to reproduce this bug on my computer so, in order to prepare this report for the programmers, could you narrow it down at all, to determine the exact steps to reproduce the bug?

I noticed you mentioned: BOINC (which Google tells me is a "distributed computing infrastructure based on a centralized server that coordinates volunteer computer resources"). And you have filed the bug under the update manager package. Does your mother's compute also have BOINC?

Can you narrow it down to either update manager or BOINC? If it is update manager, is there a specific program that is being updated that might be interfering temporarily with your mouse access (eg. overalll computer driver updates that come from the computer manufacturer)? Does your mother have the same computer as you do?

Perhaps we can contact the other user who experienced this issue (Martha Bourgois) and see if she could help determine steps to replicate the problem.

Thanks
G

[Humphrey van Polanen Petel (hpvpp)]

Sorry, but what you ask me goes beyond my expertise.

Google reports issues like this as having been occurring for some time now, but whether they are indeed the same or related I cannot determine.

Re. BOINC, that is totally separate.

[gf (gf-interlinks-deactivatedaccount)]

OK, Humphrey. I will look at next steps.
Have a great day.
:)
G

[gf (gf-interlinks-deactivatedaccount)]

Hello Martha,
Thank you for taking the time to report that you also have this problem. Could you shed any light on the exact steps to reproduce this bug?
Can you give an indication as to the program/application causing the problem?
Thanks
G

[Martha Bourgois (mat.bourgois)]

I noticed the update icon in the launchbar.
I clicked the icon.
I wanted to click "install now", but the mouse button didn't work.
So I rebooted and then it did work.

[gf (gf-interlinks-deactivatedaccount)]

Thanks for the update, Martha. That helps clarify. I will set up the summary now.
Take care
:)
G

[gf (gf-interlinks-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi Martha and Humphrey,
For the ease of the programmers, I will add some extra information here to complete the bug. Please feel free to add any corrections.
-----------------------

SUMMARY:
Ubuntu version 18.04 and 16.04
Problem is sporadic - doesn’t happen all the time; has happened more than once for each person (three people).

Steps to reproduce:
1. user notices the update icon in the launchbar.
2. user clicks the icon.
3. when trying to click "install now," the mouse button didn't work.
4. rebooted of the computer and the mouse works again.

Actual behaviour: when wanting to click “install now” the mouse is unresponsive.

Expected behaviour: Mouse should work.

Additional notes:
-----------------------
Bug triager is unable to reproduce the bug.

Thanks
G

[C de-Avillez (hggdh2)]

Marking Triaged/Low per request at #ubuntu-bugs. I can also state I have had it, at least twice, on 18.04.

[gf (gf-interlinks-deactivatedaccount)]

Thanks for making the changes, C!
:)
G

[Humphrey van Polanen Petel (hpvpp)]

A major problem for Ubuntu (and I guess for Linux system in general) is that they have a steep learning curve for user coming from a Windows environment.

I add that, after all those years, LibreOffice is still not compatible with the DOCX ISO-standard, which (at least for me) is a reason to stay with MS-Office.

I further add that Ubuntu's user interface is rough and inconsistent. Rough in the sense that the various programs and utilities vary (greatly) in their ease of use and inconsistent in the sense that they vary (infuriatingly) in their implementation of menus.

What I am asking is "please try to see things from a user's perspective". I feel that the importance of this bug should be just below critical.

[gf (gf-interlinks-deactivatedaccount)]

Hi Humphrey,
I appreciate your concerns. Regarding the implementation of menus, there are some versions of linux specifically laid out to mimic windows so it is easier for users from the windows world to adapt to linux.

Regarding the importance: that is a specific criteria for use by the programmers.
Information on this is found here:
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Importance

Hope this helps explain.
Thanks
G

[Humphrey van Polanen Petel (hpvpp)]

I believe that the criteria as set out in https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Bugs/Importance allow me to argue as follows.

Firstly, I have a mouse arm and use the keyboard by preference, but there are programs (and Software Updater is one of them) that do not follow what appears to be the standard in filling the active button with orange (for an example, see attached). This means that when I am in doubt and the lighting is not adequate I must use the mouse to prevent myself from clicking on the 'wrong' button and using the mouse often leads to a painful arm which restricts me in my work.

Secondly, my mother is basically computer illiterate and panics when things go 'wrong' in the sense of 'not as expected'.

Thirdly, I believe that we are not alone in this.

From this I conclude that I have grounds to ask for rating this bug to be of higher importance.

Specifically, I ask for a rating of preferably "high" on the grounds of criterion "Has a severe impact on a small portion of Ubuntu users (estimated)", but at least "medium" on the grounds of criterion "A usability issue that does not limit the functionality of a core application".

[Martha Bourgois (mat.bourgois)]

Happened to me again.

And because of bug #1789317 I-can-not-see whether <install now> is focused so it becomes a matter of hitting <tab> and <enter> until it works (restarting as necessary).

Please increase importance of this bug.

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

It'd be helpful to know how the mice which people experience this with are connected to the system. Are they bluetooth, wireless, something else?

[Humphrey van Polanen Petel (hpvpp)]

USB connected

On 12/10/18 01:55, Brian Murray wrote:
> It'd be helpful to know how the mice which people experience this with
> are connected to the system. Are they bluetooth, wireless, something
> else?
>

[Martha Bourgois (mat.bourgois)]

Mine is on USB.

On 12/10/18 01:55, Brian Murray wrote:
> It'd be helpful to know how the mice which people experience this with
> are connected to the system. Are they bluetooth, wireless, something
> else?
>