Dead zone on the screen

[PEIGNOT Kévin]

An attempt at a more generic description:

After the latest upgrade to Natty, there're many 'dead zones' in the screen, where the server interprets as the mouse being above the desktop instead of the current window. This happens with both Unity and Classic Desktop. Attached is a screencast showing the behavior when using the mouse middle-click (that in my case triggers the Rotate Cube Desktop compiz effect).
Of course, when the mouse is on this wormhole area, it won't interact with the current window's controls or objects, making this one of the most annoying bugs one could encounter.

Original description:
Binary package hint: light-themes

I have a lot of windows in windows in witch GTK widgets are blocked ( buttons, scrollbars... evrything unclickable), but I usually can navigate in it using keyboard (usually).
SOmetimes, the windows controls are blocked too, so I must use Alt+f4

This seems to happen only with default ambiance theme and Unity (I didn't have problem with my session using thr Macbuntu GTK theme).

In the same time, gnome-control center have been uninstalled ( do not know when, it happen alone), so I wasn't able to access to gnome-appearance-properties. I reinstalled it, problem is still here

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: light-themes 0.1.8.10
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-7.38-generic 2.6.38
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-7-generic i686
Architecture: i386
Date: Wed Mar 23 17:41:01 2011
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release i386 (20101007)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=fr_FR:en
 LANG=fr_FR.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
SourcePackage: light-themes
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-03-19 (4 days ago)

[PEIGNOT Kévin (kpeignot)]

Finally, it do afect non GTK applications too... some firefox tabs are often blocked, but it's always only for mouse, keyboard navigation still possible

[PEIGNOT Kévin (kpeignot)]

Very (very) strange. The problem do not seems to come from the GTK theme finally but from... the localization of the widget on the desktop (Yes it's strange I know :D). I explain :
It seems there is a zone, in the middle of my screen, that is un-click-able. example: I open a web page ( no matter which one, it could have been an other, non web browser application too) : I chosed my launchpad account page (https://launchpad.net/~winniemiel05 ), but it just an example, chosen because there are lot of links. I tried to clicked on a link in the middle on the page ( the karma link in this case). Impossible. I used scroll bars, to have the link higher on the desktop, and it became click able, but the link that were approximatively in the middle of the page now, became, them, un-click able. I used scrollbar to come back in first state, and I wasn't able to click on karma anymore.

More funny. If my mouse is in this "dead zone"... the wheel become unusable anymore too.... I really don't know where it can come from...It sort of No-mouses-land. What coult it come from? Which log files or informations would you like to have?

[Adolfo Jayme Barrientos (fitojb)]

I noted that happen with some apps. In the moment you open a window (for example, Appearance Properties) and if the window does not appear, but the process exists, it means that the window became invisible and make a "dead zone". It happens also in Classic session with Unity Window Manager.

[butter (marc-wiethe)]

Same here, i drawed a image where you can see the area where i can't click anything.
http://media.cdn.ubuntu-de.org/forum/attachments/2851099/mausklicks.png

it also affects all applications and any theme (testet on ambiance, radiance & clearlooks)

this is really annoying :( i might switch back to 10.10

[Pavel Fischer (rubbiroid)]

Same problem with all standards themes and equinox themes

[Pavel Fischer (rubbiroid)]

seems to be a compiz bug - if i select Metasity as window manager - all themes work gut. After selecting compiz as Window Manager, work also ok.

[Gerad Munsch (unforgiven512)]

I am having this issue as well. I have no idea how the final release made it "out the door" with this bug.

I've attached a screenshot -- my deadzone is the area where my mouse is located, the full width of the screen. (ie, for any "x" coordinate with that specific "y" coordinate, my mouse is not functional -- no clicks, no scrolling)

It's incredibly frustrating. I look forward to seeing a fix for this odd bug.

[Sam Spilsbury (smspillaz)]

I've been trying to fix this for a while, but can't reproduce it on my
end. Is this issue reproducible for you?

On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 5:14 AM, Gerad Munsch <email address hidden> wrote:
> I am having this issue as well. I have no idea how the final release
> made it "out the door" with this bug.
>
> I've attached a screenshot -- my deadzone is the area where my mouse is
> located, the full width of the screen. (ie, for any "x" coordinate with
> that specific "y" coordinate, my mouse is not functional -- no clicks,
> no scrolling)
>
> It's incredibly frustrating. I look forward to seeing a fix for this odd
> bug.
>
> ** Attachment added: "screenshot with mouse pointer indicating deadzone"
>   https://bugs.launchpad.net/light-themes/+bug/741112/+attachment/2104960/+files/deadzone.png
>
> ** Also affects: compiz
>   Importance: Undecided
>       Status: New
>
> ** Also affects: compiz (Ubuntu)
>   Importance: Undecided
>       Status: New
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a member of compiz
> packagers, which is subscribed to compiz in Ubuntu.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/741112
>
> Title:
>  Dead zone on the screen
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~compiz
> Post to     : <email address hidden>
> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~compiz
> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>

--
Sam Spilsbury

[Eric Germán Burgueño (nevermind85)]

I'm having the same issue here. But I noticed something else, if my mouse pointer is in the dead zone, and I click my middle button, it triggers the Inititate Rotate Cube effect from compiz (o presumably, any other compiz effect you have binded to that mouse event). It's like the dead zone is a hole through the desktop. Could anyone else try and see if the same happens?

[djfake (djfake)]

Same issue with clean install of 11.04. Using Ubuntu Classic. Desktop is fine, but any open window has dead spot described here. Clicking has no affect in it.

[Luke MacNeil (tcpsyn)]

This happens to me on OpenSuse 11.4 as well. Though my dead zone seems to be the top left corner (about the size of a standard gnome-terminal window). Happens about once a day, I can either restart X (ctrl-alt-bksp) or switch to metacity.

[Martynas Pocius (kyo-saviems)]

Same issue here, on 2 computers. Both running Ubuntu 11.04 64bit clean install. The dead zones are scattered all over the screen. And when the mouse pointer moves onto them, they stop responding to button presses or wheel scroll. You can easily notice this when using tsclient, as moving the cursor onto a dead zone stops transferring the data to the cursor on the server. This happens in both, Unity and Classic sessions, and turns work with Blender or Gimp into hell... :(

[Koen Verweij (kfverweij)]

Also some issue on Ubuntu 11.04 64bit clean install. If I can provide any info please say so.

[Eric Germán Burgueño (nevermind85)]

Here's a screencast I recorded showing the behavior of the dead zone area. Notice how middle-clicking in my case triggers the rotate cube event, while it should just paste from one of the clipboards. Also, I've submitted bug #777964 attaching apport-collected files, that I don't know how to link here.

[wolfen69 (wolfen69)]

This has affected me also. Running ubuntu 64bit. I notice that I can't click some links in web browsers. It's the same regardless of which browser I use. Doesn't happen all the time, but randomly.

[Ainu-sky (ainu-sky)]

This dead area maybe is desktop zone. For example, if i bind virtual desktops scrolling/changing by scrolling mouse wheel on desktop, when I wheel in dead zone, desktop changing.

[Richard Somlói (ricsipontaz)]

Same here. I don't know what's the problem source...

[pierre-antoine roiron (contact-guitares-roiron)]

Same random problem with a clean 32 bit 11.04 on a lenovo laptop. Affects both touchpad and pointer. Changing setups on the mouse (like disable when typing, enable touchpad cliks, etc...) has no effects.

[Milan Pavkovic (pauk960)]

I have the same problem, in the lower quarter of the screen I got horizontal dead zone strip where pointer resets to it's default look and doesn't react on clicks or mouse wheel scroll. The dead zone is not permanent.

[Amos Blanton (lightnin9)]

Same problem. Thanks for the explanation - nice to know that scrolling up / down is a decent workaround.

[IKT (ikt)]

Highly likely duplicate of:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/compiz/+bug/709461

[behrouz seyedi (behrouz-seyedi)]

same problem, please fix it!

[Martynas Pocius (kyo-saviems)]

just confirmed it with xwininfo. indeed there is an invisible window open, that's causing the dead zone.

[shinyblue (shinyblue)]

+1 this is the most annoying bug in the world! Especially if you use spreadsheets and can't get to certain cells without moving the window/scrolling.

duplicate may be right, but here is where people are commenting about the symptoms I see.

humph.

[Michael Auß (michael-auss)]

Clicking buttons in dialogs is often not possible, navigation and control via keyboard is possible without problems.

[crakkajakka15 (crakkajakka15)]

Same issue here. Clean install of 11.04. Using logitech wireless mouse. This has got to be resolved. Cannot click inside of windows at all cannot close or expand windows. Keyboard navigation works fine though.

[Sam Spilsbury (smspillaz)]

And is this completely reproducible for you?

On Wed, Jun 22, 2011 at 11:18 AM, crakkajakka15
<email address hidden> wrote:
> *** This bug is a duplicate of bug 709461 ***
>    https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/709461
>
> Same issue here. Clean install of 11.04. Using logitech wireless mouse.
> This has got to be resolved. Cannot click inside of windows at all
> cannot close or expand windows. Keyboard navigation works fine though.
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are a member of compiz
> packagers, which is subscribed to compiz in Ubuntu.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/741112
>
> Title:
>  Dead zone on the screen
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/compiz/+bug/741112/+subscriptions
>
> _______________________________________________
> Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~compiz
> Post to     : <email address hidden>
> Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~compiz
> More help   : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
>

--
Sam Spilsbury

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

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