Screen only partially updates

[Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄]

I have had this issue numerous times in gnome-terminal, but it's intermittent, can be reproduced but not reliably.

When fast moving updates are made to the terminal window, sometimes it doesn't update at all. I have observed:-

* Terminal still showing old content (for example when switching from one irc channel to another when using irssi inside gnu screen)
* Terminal only updating partitally (a percentage of the screen draws (from top to bottom) some of the screen updates and then stops part way down)
* Square regions of terminal update (a small block might update but the rest of the screen doesn't)

In most of these I can 'force' an update of the screen (for example in irssi/screen I can press CTRL+L to force update). This isn't limited to irssi/screen, it can happen if I just start a terminal and run 'ls -l'.

I cannot reproduce the behaviour in xterm.

It's difficult to get screenshots or photos of this happening because when it happens, soon after it will update the screen. Starting apps (like screenshot apps) will force the update.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: gnome-terminal 3.2.1-2ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-8.14-generic 3.2.0
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-8-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia wl
ApportVersion: 1.90-0ubuntu1
Architecture: amd64
Date: Wed Jan 11 11:25:02 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Beta amd64 (20110901)
SourcePackage: gnome-terminal
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2011-12-22 (19 days ago)

[Rick Spencer (rick-rickspencer3)]

Not sure if other folks are seeing this. I thought the desktop team might want to take a look since @popey can reproduce. Please un/re assign as desired.

[Avi Greenbury (bigreds)]

I repeatedly had exactly this behaviour under 11.10; similarly difficult to predictably reproduce.

I can't recall seeing it since upgrading to 12.04 in mid-december.