incompatibility between desktop switching approaches

[Alex Labram]

System info:

Ubuntu version: Jaunty Jackalope (just upgraded from Intrepid last week, this is probably what triggered the problem)
Hardware: Dell Inspiron 6400
Window manager: Gnome 2.x

Reproduction: I do not know how to reproduce this bug in an unaffected system.

Symptoms:

I have two options for switching workspace: hitting ctrl-alt-{left/right} or clicking on the desktop switcher applet. These should behave identically - so if I use the applet to select workspace 1 and then use the ctrl-alt-right shortcut, I should end up in workspace 2.

What actually happens is that the applet still shows me as being in workspace 1, but the visible windows change as if I'd successfully switched workplace. The list of visible windows is different from those open in workspace 2.

It's as if each of my four primary workspaces has four sub-workspaces. For example, I can open 16 different xterm windows, each apparently in a different workspace.

Other symptoms:

- Gnome still seems to think I have only four workspaces (from looking at the switcher applet's preferences).

- All four primary workspaces have a background, but only the first workspace has menu bars. (To switch away from workspaces 2-4 I therefore have to use "wmctrl -S 0" or similar.)

- The "wmctrl -d" command appears to list my primary workspace (so clicking ctrl-alt-l/r has no effect on its output).

- Clicking the icon at the top-left of an open window and selecting "move to workspace left/right" moves it between primary workspaces.

- Dragging a window off the left/right-hand side of the screen moves it between sub-workspaces.

- The window list applet shows all the windows

It's not just me - see http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1296344 for another report.

[Alex Labram (alex-m2cc)]

"- The window list applet shows all the windows"

Sorry, that should have read: The window list applet shows all the windows open in the current primary workspace, even if they're in separate sub workspaces. So clicking ctrl-alt-l/r has no effect on the list of open windows.

[Alex Labram (alex-m2cc)]

Found a workaround here: http://forum.compiz.org/showthread.php?t=5668

"The GNOME workspace switcher and window list will probably have to be patched to integrate well with viewports. That's what I hear Ubuntu 7.10 did, anyway. But you can at least eliminate the multiple cubes thing by setting ccsm->General Options->Desktop Size->Number of Desktops to 1."

It appears this is a regression from a while back. Not sure why it arose when upgrading from Ibex to Jaunty - possibly this counts as a problem with the upgrade tool?