Unity

Show desktop - behaviour can be confusing

Bug #975155 reported by 2green on 2012-04-06

This bug report is a duplicate of: Bug #91784: The modal behavior of "Show Desktop" is confusing. Edit Remove

This bug affects 5 people

	Status	Importance	Assigned to
Ayatana Design	New	Undecided	Unassigned
Unity	Incomplete	Low	Unassigned
unity (Ubuntu)	Incomplete	Low	Unassigned

Bug Description

* Steps to reproduce:

Open 3 or 4 different applications e.g. firefox, update manager, thunderbird.
Show the desktop using shortcut Ctrl-Alt-D or Alt-Tab to show desktop

* Expected behavior
The desktop is shown (Al windows are minimized)

* Current behavior
Sometimes the desktop is not shown.

* Extra information
If the desktop does not show using one of shotcuts, then using the shortcut again wil show the desktop.
---
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.0-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: compiz
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: precise
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
DistroVariant: ubuntu
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Beta amd64 (20120301)
Package: unity 5.8.0-0ubuntu2
PackageArchitecture: amd64
PccardctlIdent:
Socket 0:
no product info available
PccardctlStatus:
Socket 0:
no card
ProcEnviron:
TERM=xterm
PATH=(custom, no user)
LANG=en_US.UTF-8
SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.2.0-22-generic root=UUID=5643bd06-584b-4674-99af-c4b68f1b0466 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-22.35-generic 3.2.14
Tags: precise precise precise ubuntu compiz-0.9
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-22-generic x86_64
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups:

dmi.bios.date: 08/09/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.bios.version: 68DDU Ver. F.16
dmi.board.name: 30C0
dmi.board.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.board.version: KBC Version 71.2E
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: CNU7352HJK
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnHewlett-Packard:bvr68DDUVer.F.16:bd08/09/2010:svnHewlett-Packard:pn:pvrF.16:rvnHewlett-Packard:rn30C0:rvrKBCVersion71.2E:cvnHewlett-Packard:ct10:cvr:
dmi.product.version: F.16
dmi.sys.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.7.4-0ubuntu2
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs N/A
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.32-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 8.0.2-0ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 8.0.2-0ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.11.4-0ubuntu10
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.7.0-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.99~git20111219.aacbd629-0ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.17.0-1ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20111201+b5534a1-1build2

See original description

Tags:

Revision history for this message

Hernando Torque (htorque) wrote on 2012-04-06:

Ctrl-Alt-D seems to work reliably here, but using the 'Show Desktop' icon from the switcher doesn't.

Unity r2237.

Changed in unity:
status:	New → Confirmed

Revision history for this message

Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote on 2012-04-06:

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

Changed in unity (Ubuntu):
status:	New → Confirmed

Revision history for this message

2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: BootDmesg.txt

BootDmesg.txt Edit (60.9 KiB, text/plain)

apport information

tags:	added: apport-collected compiz-0.9 precise ubuntu
description:	updated

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: BootLog.gz

BootLog.gz Edit (498 bytes, application/octet-stream)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: CurrentDmesg.txt

CurrentDmesg.txt Edit (597 bytes, text/plain)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: Dependencies.txt

Dependencies.txt Edit (7.0 KiB, text/plain)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: DpkgLog.txt

DpkgLog.txt Edit (433.0 KiB, text/plain)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: GconfCompiz.txt

GconfCompiz.txt Edit (27.7 KiB, text/plain)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: GraphicsCard.txt

GraphicsCard.txt Edit (253 bytes, text/plain)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: LightdmLog.txt

#10

LightdmLog.txt Edit (2.1 KiB, text/plain)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: Lspci.txt

#11

Lspci.txt Edit (29.4 KiB, text/plain)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: Lsusb.txt

#12

Lsusb.txt Edit (532 bytes, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: MonitorsUser.xml.txt

#13

MonitorsUser.xml.txt Edit (1.2 KiB, text/plain)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: ProcCpuinfo.txt

#14

ProcCpuinfo.txt Edit (1.5 KiB, text/plain)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: ProcInterrupts.txt

#15

ProcInterrupts.txt Edit (1.8 KiB, text/plain)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: ProcModules.txt

#16

ProcModules.txt Edit (2.8 KiB, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: UdevDb.txt

#17

UdevDb.txt Edit (131.7 KiB, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: UdevLog.txt

#18

UdevLog.txt Edit (311.6 KiB, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: UnitySupportTest.txt

#19

UnitySupportTest.txt Edit (587 bytes, text/plain)

apport information

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: XorgLog.txt

#20

XorgLog.txt Edit (28.0 KiB, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: XorgLogOld.txt

#21

XorgLogOld.txt Edit (28.8 KiB, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: Xrandr.txt

#22

Xrandr.txt Edit (2.9 KiB, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: dmidecode.txt.txt

#23

dmidecode.txt.txt Edit (7.5 KiB, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: locale.txt

#24

locale.txt Edit (327 bytes, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: peripherals.txt

#25

peripherals.txt Edit (513 bytes, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: setxkbmap.txt

#26

setxkbmap.txt Edit (239 bytes, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: xdpyinfo.txt

#27

xdpyinfo.txt Edit (9.7 KiB, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: xinput.txt

#28

xinput.txt Edit (757 bytes, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-06: xkbcomp.txt

#29

xkbcomp.txt Edit (58.7 KiB, text/plain)

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2green (zendhetmij) wrote on 2012-04-17: Re: 'Show desktop' does not always works

#30

retested: NOK

Problem stil there with latest updates on 12.04

2green (zendhetmij) on 2012-04-20

summary:

- 'Show desktop' does not always works
+ 'Show desktop' does not works

Revision history for this message

Sebastien Bacher (seb128) wrote on 2012-04-24: Re: 'Show desktop' does not works

#31

is that still an issue? do you have steps to reproduce the bug?

Changed in unity (Ubuntu):
importance:	Undecided → Low
Changed in unity:
importance:	Undecided → Low

Revision history for this message

Sebastien Bacher (seb128) wrote on 2012-04-24:

#32

there is a screencast on https://launchpadlibrarian.net/98652732/bug_show_desktop.ogv

summary:

- 'Show desktop' does not works
+ 'Show desktop' is buggy in some cases

Revision history for this message

Sebastien Bacher (seb128) wrote on 2012-04-24:

#33

Ok, that's what seems to happen there:

- the first time "show desktop" is used (keybinding or alt-tab), all the things on screen are hidden
- if you then alt-tab to something, only that something is display, at this point the "desktop shown" status is not clear, it's still on because if it was turned off everything else would be restored on screen
- if you action "show desktop" again, the status is changed to "off", which leads to have things restored rather than hidden

That can be pretty confusing and needs some design input on what should happen when picking something in alt-tab after showing the desktop, should everything be unhidden or only the one selected? The other issues are side effect of that decision

Changed in unity (Ubuntu):
status:	Confirmed → Incomplete
Changed in unity:
status:	Confirmed → Incomplete
summary:	- 'Show desktop' is buggy in some cases + 'Show desktop' behaviour can be confusing
summary:	- 'Show desktop' behaviour can be confusing + Show desktop - behaviour can be confusing

Revision history for this message

Paul Sladen (sladen) wrote on 2012-04-24:

#34

My memory of WM _NET_SHOWING_DESKTOP has historically worked is:

  1. toggle WM "Show Desktop"; all raised windows are hidden/minimised
  2. unminimise (raise) some windows
  3. re-minimise a subset of the windows that were (just) raised
  4. toggle WM "Show Desktop" again; all windows affected in (1) but not touched by (2) and (3) are raised
  5. toggle WM "Show Desktop" again; all windows presently open are minimised
  6. toggle WM "Show Desktop" again; all windows hidden by (5) are raised.

It is a tri-state internally, but only a toggle is exposed to the user. The value in having "Show Desktop" at all is to retain compatibility with that method of working and expected functionality. It's not useful to have it if it's broken.

http://standards.freedesktop.org/wm-spec/wm-spec-latest.html#id2577528

Running:

while true ; do sleep 1 ; xprop -notype -root _NET_SHOWING_DESKTOP | sed -e 's/.*1$/off/;s/.*0$/on/' | xargs wmctrl -k ; done

and then doing semi-random Alt-tabbing, is not producing the output I'm expecting/used to.