display sometimes does not update after enter key

[avdd]

Binary package hint: gnome-terminal

Release: intrepid

Occasionally the gnome-terminal screen does not update after pressing the enter or return key, regardless of the application running (eg, bash, mutt, python).

This may be the same as or related to bug #279993 (Display bug in terminal with "cd" and "ls" in quick succession) but reported here as the behaviour is observed in more than just the shell.

The bug usually manifests itself, as in the above bug, as the display failing to update after a command is entered into an interactive console session, such as bash or python. A further keypress updates the screen.

Just now it occurred to me using mutt: I press enter to select a message and the screen did not update. Entering another keystroke did cause the screen to update, but as that message was smaller than the screen, the previous screen (the message list) was still showing at the bottom. Switching to another window and back caused the screen to be updated, and so I cannot attach a screenshot.

I am using compiz with custom settings (and don't want to turn it off because I lose my settings and don't know how to get them back).

I too am using nvidia driver.

Nothing relevant in .xsession-errors.

avdd@modest$ apt-cache policy gnome-terminal
gnome-terminal:
  Installed: 2.24.1.1-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 2.24.1.1-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 2.24.1.1-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://mirror.internode.on.net intrepid-updates/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     2.24.1-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://mirror.internode.on.net intrepid/main Packages

[3vi1 (launchpad-net-eternaldusk)]

I see this exact same behavior with Yakuake when I have compiz running on Kubuntu 9.04a4 (64-bit) w/nvidia 180.27. It happens all the time. Disabling Compiz causes the terminal to work fine again.

I've noticed that other parts of the terminal are sometimes slow to update (slower than the rest of the terminal window) if you have a plasmoid behind them. :\

[Leonard Michlmayr (leonard-michlmayr)]

I have the same problem in the shell sometimes. Info is almost unusable in a gnome-terminal because of the frequent skipping of screen updates. xterm works fine.
I have not noticed this problem until some days before.

[Pedro Villavicencio (pedro)]

could you take an screenshot of the issue and please tell us a few easy steps in order to reproduce the behavior? thanks in advance.

[Leonard Michlmayr (leonard-michlmayr)]

Easy steps to reproduce:

$ info gawk

Then browse around in info. (space, n, l, n, u, ...) after a while you will press a button, e.g. l, and nothing happens. Pressing ^L helps.

It may look like a xorg or compiz issue, but I did not encounter this problem with xterm. Of course it may still be a xorg issue, as - e.g. - gnome-terminal uses transparency.

[Leonard Michlmayr (leonard-michlmayr)]

That's it: changing the background from transparent to “none” in the gnome-terminal profile settings fixes the problem.

[Leonard Michlmayr (leonard-michlmayr)]

Stepping back to nvidia drivers 177 from 180 fixes things for me. All who experience this bug, please check if you are using nvidia-glx-180.

[avdd (avdd)]

I cannot find a fixed sequence of steps that reliably reproduces this behaviour, but heavy use of a terminal (ie, fast typing) will reliably and frequently produce it.

Try this:

alias l='if [ "$_l" ]; then ls -l; _l= ; else ls -C; _l=1 ; fi'

then repeatedly enter
l
l
l
l
 (etc)

[Leonard Michlmayr (leonard-michlmayr)]

I am using jaunty beta now and I am experiencing the skipped screen updates in gnome-terminal and emacs-gtk.

[Leonard Michlmayr (leonard-michlmayr)]

Using aptitude in gnome-terminal almost always brings a messy screen. Check the screenshot. (Compiz is deactivated, using metacity)
It's Jaunty jackalope.

[Leonard Michlmayr (leonard-michlmayr)]

I don't experience this problem anymore. (Now using Natty, but as far as I remember, I did not experience the problem in 10.10 either)