Moving popup windows drags the application's main window behind it

[teo1978]

Sometimes programs open a "popup" or a "secondary", "child" window, I don't know what the word is.

For example, in Chrome, if I right-click on an image in a web page and choose "Save As", this will open a new file browser window that allows me to browse for a directory to save the image to.

Until Ubuntu 16.04, I could move that child window around by dragging it by its title bar, and that would not move around the parent window behind it.

Now, it does. That is, the "parent" window greyes out, and moving the "child" window (i.e. the popup) on the foreground causes the parent window in the background to move as if they were glued together.

In the above example, if I drag around the "Save As" window, the Chrome window behind it moves too. Even worse, if the parent window is maximized, it will "oppose resistance" to the dragging of the popup window, and if I drag far enough, the parent window will unmaximize and unblock the movement of both windows.

It's pure madness.

I can't imagine a scenario where this is the unavoidable consequence of some improvement. It looks like it is by design.

Why?

What were you thinking? Why do you ACTIVELY work to degrade usability and make the users' life miserable??

Here's a very real-life example:

As mentioned above, I right-click on something in the browser (like an image or a video) and do Save As. When the file browser window opens, it covers the content of the web page from which I was saving the content. Maybe I want to move the child window in order to reveal the web page that I was visiting in the first place, because the context (which I haven't memorized in full in my brain just yet) helps me choose a file name for the very file I'm saving.

Another example: I am browsing some folder in Nautilus. I right-click on a file or folder inside it, and open Properties. That opens in a popup. Now I want to have another look at the name of the file I selected (of which I'm now seeing the properties), and those around it, because I'm wondering if I chose the wrong file, or for whatever other reason. I can't do taht without closing the Properties window.

The everyday examples are countless.

This is idiotic. Seriously, what are you doing?

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
Package: xorg 1:7.7+19ubuntu14
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.3.0-62.56-generic 5.3.18
Uname: Linux 5.3.0-62-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia_uvm nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0000.01.00.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0000:01:00.0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 340.108 Wed Dec 11 11:06:58 PST 2019
 GCC version: gcc version 9.2.1 20191008 (Ubuntu 9.2.1-9ubuntu2)
.tmp.unity_support_test.0:

ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.3
Architecture: amd64
CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CompositorRunning: None
CurrentDesktop: ubuntu:GNOME
Date: Sun Jul 12 18:11:28 2020
DistUpgraded: 2020-07-12 15:56:23,368 INFO cache.commit()
DistroCodename: focal
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus: nvidia-340, 340.108: added
ExtraDebuggingInterest: No
GraphicsCard:
 Intel Corporation 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [8086:0166] (rev 09) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] 3rd Gen Core processor Graphics Controller [1025:0647]
 NVIDIA Corporation GF117M [GeForce 610M/710M/810M/820M / GT 620M/625M/630M/720M] [10de:1140] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Acer Incorporated [ALI] GeForce 710M [1025:0691]
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-10-11 (2465 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" - Release amd64 (20130424)
MachineType: Acer Aspire V3-571G
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-5.3.0-62-generic root=UUID=5830b30e-69e8-4bb4-8a2b-bc2b43c7414a ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
SourcePackage: xorg
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to focal on 2020-07-12 (0 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 10/15/2012
dmi.bios.vendor: Acer
dmi.bios.version: V2.07
dmi.board.asset.tag: Type2 - Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: VA50_HC_CR
dmi.board.vendor: Acer
dmi.board.version: Type2 - Board Version
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Acer
dmi.chassis.version: V2.07
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAcer:bvrV2.07:bd10/15/2012:svnAcer:pnAspireV3-571G:pvrV2.07:rvnAcer:rnVA50_HC_CR:rvrType2-BoardVersion:cvnAcer:ct10:cvrV2.07:
dmi.product.family: Type1Family
dmi.product.name: Aspire V3-571G
dmi.product.sku: Aspire V3-_0648_V2.07
dmi.product.version: V2.07
dmi.sys.vendor: Acer
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.14.1+20.04.20200211-0ubuntu1
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.101-2
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 20.0.8-0ubuntu1~20.04.1
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 20.0.8-0ubuntu1~20.04.1
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers-* N/A
version.xserver-xorg-core: xserver-xorg-core 2:1.20.8-2ubuntu2.1
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.10.6-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:19.1.0-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.99.917+git20200226-1
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:1.0.16-1
xserver.bootTime: Sun Jul 12 15:12:31 2020
xserver.configfile: default
xserver.errors:
 modeset(G0): eglGetDisplay() failed
 modeset(G0): glamor initialization failed
 NVIDIA(0): Failed to initiate mode change.
 NVIDIA(0): Failed to complete mode change
xserver.logfile: /var/log/Xorg.0.log
xserver.version: 2:1.20.5+git20191008-0ubuntu1

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

This is a feature we inherited from GNOME. It is not a design choice by Ubuntu.

To disable it just set:

  Gnome Tweaks > Windows > Attach Modal Dialogs = OFF

[teo1978 (teo8976)]

> This is a feature we inherited from GNOME. It is not a design choice by Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is responsible for what it distributes. I don't care whether the solution involves reporting this upstream and having them fix it, or applying a patch, or a setting other than the upstream default in Ubuntu. Ubuntu's job is to provide a distribution that works.
If gnome comes with unreasonable defaults, you should override them, or replace Gnome with something else.

> To disable it just set:
>
> Gnome Tweaks > Windows > Attach Modal Dialogs = OFF

I shouldn't have to install an additional package + tweak a system setting just to get the sensible behavior. The sensible behavior should be out of the box. Tweaking settings (and even worse, having to install additional software to do so) should be reserved for preferences that are different from the most common and normal setting.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

We do not consider Gnome's defaults in this area unreasonable. In the years the feature has existed there have been practically no complaints about it. So that's why this bug is marked 'Won't Fix'. We could also use the status value of 'Opinion'.

Indeed you don't need to install an additional package, you can just run:

  gsettings set org.gnome.mutter attach-modal-dialogs false

I agree such a setting should be easier to access. That would be an enhancement for Settings (gnome-control-center).

[teo1978 (teo8976)]

> We do not consider Gnome's defaults in this area unreasonable.

That no longer surprises me.

Ubuntu apparently has stopped fighting the idiotic decisions taken by Gnome upstream.

You are no longer patching the type-ahead-triggers-search madness, you refused to restore the "open with" submenu, you have embraced the reversed sorting icons, and the list goes on.

[Mitch Curtis (mitchcurtis)]

Here's the Gnome task for this, by the way:

https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/-/issues/443