Java applications have no content when maximized

[Ahmad Syukri Abdollah]

Binary package hint: maximus

Description: Ubuntu jaunty (development branch)
Release: 9.04
maximus:
  Installed: 0.4.7-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 0.4.7-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 0.4.7-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://jp.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/universe Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

Java applications get white window content when maximized under maximus. If window is restored, content is visible again. No compositing window manager is running.

Related packages:
sun-java6-jre:
  Installed: 6-12-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 6-12-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 6-12-0ubuntu1 0
        500 http://jp.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/multiverse Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
xserver-xorg-video-intel:
  Installed: 2:2.6.99.1+git20090207.3aa8591a-0ubuntu0tormod2
  Candidate: 2:2.6.99.1+git20090207.3aa8591a-0ubuntu0tormod2
  Version table:
 *** 2:2.6.99.1+git20090207.3aa8591a-0ubuntu0tormod2 0
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net jaunty/main Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     2:2.6.1-1ubuntu3 0
        500 http://jp.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/main Packages

[ostarling (oleg-shpak)]

There have been reports of similar (empty white or grey windows) reports for java applications using Swing under Linux without any maximus involvement. If the application you mention uses Swing then it must be a Java/Swing bug. Try running this java application with maximus off and see if you observe the same behaviour.

[Ilmari Vacklin (wolverian)]

This is most likely because Swing hardcodes a list of non-parenting window managers. If the WM is such but is not in the Swing list, bugs will occur. This can be fixed by setting the WM name (with e.g. wmname) to e.g. "LG3D", which is on the list.

I'd like to note that this bug makes Netbeans under Maximus useless.

[Ilmari Vacklin (wolverian)]

To be clear, this is a bug in Swing, but might be worked around in Maximus, if the upstream so wishes.

[Paul Larson (pwlars)]

This bug has been moved to Ubuntu distribution.

[Paul Larson (pwlars)]

Marking as a wishlist for maximus since the bug is actually with swing. However, it would be very helpful if someone could also verify that this bug still exists in the current development release - Karmic. If so, please also create the appropriate bug task for swing. Thanks

[Lyderic (lyderic)]

I have found the following workaround:

1. kill maximus:
$ killall maximus

2. launch NetBeans as usual

3. Wait that the NetBeans GUI is fully loaded: make sure you wait pass the startup splashscreen i.e. that the menus are there and clickable

4. restart maximus:
$ maximus &

What I actually did is add a 'killall maximus' command at the beginning of a script that fires up NetBeans and I have mapped Ctrl-Alt-M to 'maximus' to quickly restart maximus once NetBeans has loaded.

Glad to see NetBeans in fullscreen mode without title bar on my 10" netbook ;-)

L.

[Lyderic (lyderic)]

Oops sorry I forgot to mention above: I run Lucid Lynx 10.04 UNE 32-bit and I use plain Gnome, not the special UNE GUI.

L.

[Bieito Glez-Dans (obieito)]

I'm having the same bug with the 4 java applications I use and have tried 3 more, same result.

I tried the killing maximus workaround, but does not help, I use the UNE GUI and it seems to auto-respawn maximus inmediately.

So should we do the hacks to disable the UNE GUI if we use java apps a lot? Or is there a possible/nearby Swing bugfix for this?

[Bieito Glez-Dans (obieito)]

By the way, I think I should add I have never ever had this bug happen when using any other Ubuntu version (from 6.04) on workstations with standard Ubuntu desktop... Only with UNR in a Compaq Mini

[William Fraser (william-fraser)]

I've just updated to 10.04 netbook remix on my EEEpc 901

The problem with failure to display java application window content is here. I've loggded out and back in using normal ubuntu gnome desktop rather than maximus, and java application runs just fine. I've also run the application on an older version of java that I was using without problem on 9.04 and it now suffers from the failure to display the window contents when run in 10.04

This to me makes it look more like a problem with maximus rather than swing if it ran flawlessly under older version of UNE, but not under 10.04 using same java program, and same java run-time environment.
Also the problem doesn't happen in a browser, which would suggest it's not a swing, but a window manager problem.

I've attached the source code of the java program to demonstrate the problem.

this java program creates Test.class which can either be run as an application ("java Test" at command line) which will open up a stand-alone window which will be black if it works propperly, or can be opened in a browser using an applet tag:
'<applet code="Test.class" height="384" width="512"></applet>'
Try running it under UNE desktop and normal gnome desktop and see how it runs in one but not the other.

[William Fraser (william-fraser)]

I've done a little more research and I think it's actually not a problem with maximus or swing, but probably clutter.

Why I don't think it's a problem with maximus:
When you run the attached program as a stand-alone application ("java Test2" from the command line) it will open a application window with nothing in it (it fails to display, open Test2.html in a browser to see what it should look like - a black square at least 512 by 384 pixels), however it will have reported in the terminal from which it was run the initial window insets (on my EeePC 901 5,5 - 25,5 ... the left, right - top and bottom sizes of the initial window), then "init" as it runs the applet initialization routine, and then the size of the applet display. This on mine displays 1546,989 initially and then settles on 1024,575 which on my EeePC with a 1024 by 600 pixel screen is the correct size assuming that the bar across the top of the screen is 25 pixels would mean that maximus was telling it to resize to take up the whole of the screen other than the bar at the top - what I assume it's supposed to do. So the window manager is setting the correct size, but is not being displayed.

Why I don't think it's a problem with swing:
This test program does not use swing - it uses AWT (ie the native windows and widgets of the operating system). So it can't be swing.

I don't think it's java because the problem occurs when I use an old java 1.4 deb install I used on the previous version of Ubuntu netbook remix I was using (9.10) without any significant problems. So it ran using the same java environment under an earlier version of ubuntu netbook remix. Also the problem occurs using icedtea, and the latest 1.6.20 version of java.

the problem goes away when I log out, then log back in but use the gnome desktop. I can run the application and it displays properly (using the same java environment and class file.)

I therefore assume it's a clutter problem as it is not a java, swing, or maximus problem.

I've created a bug report in clutter to cover this issue.

[pix (pix-test)]

I've worked around this problem (at least in the cases that it affects me) by opening gconf-editor and adding "sun-awt-X11-XFramePeer" to /apps/maximus/exclude_class.

But this is just a work around. I liked it when maximus worked fine with java. As I recall it worked fine in Karmic.

pix

[Bieito Glez-Dans (obieito)]

That fixed it for the apps I use too, thank you!

2010/8/7 pix <email address hidden>

> I've worked around this problem (at least in the cases that it affects
> me) by opening gconf-editor and adding "sun-awt-X11-XFramePeer" to
> /apps/maximus/exclude_class.
>
> But this is just a work around. I liked it when maximus worked fine with
> java. As I recall it worked fine in Karmic.
>
> pix
>
> --
> Java applications have no content when maximized
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/336064
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>
> Status in Maximus: Triaged
> Status in “maximus” package in Ubuntu: Incomplete
>
> Bug description:
> Binary package hint: maximus
>
> Description: Ubuntu jaunty (development branch)
> Release: 9.04
> maximus:
> Installed: 0.4.7-0ubuntu1
> Candidate: 0.4.7-0ubuntu1
> Version table:
> *** 0.4.7-0ubuntu1 0
> 500 http://jp.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/universe Packages
> 100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
>
> Java applications get white window content when maximized under maximus. If
> window is restored, content is visible again. No compositing window manager
> is running.
>
> Related packages:
> sun-java6-jre:
> Installed: 6-12-0ubuntu1
> Candidate: 6-12-0ubuntu1
> Version table:
> *** 6-12-0ubuntu1 0
> 500 http://jp.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/multiverse Packages
> 100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
> xserver-xorg-video-intel:
> Installed: 2:2.6.99.1+git20090207.3aa8591a-0ubuntu0tormod2
> Candidate: 2:2.6.99.1+git20090207.3aa8591a-0ubuntu0tormod2
> Version table:
> *** 2:2.6.99.1+git20090207.3aa8591a-0ubuntu0tormod2 0
> 500 http://ppa.launchpad.net jaunty/main Packages
> 100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
> 2:2.6.1-1ubuntu3 0
> 500 http://jp.archive.ubuntu.com jaunty/main Packages
>
> To unsubscribe from this bug, go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/maximus/+bug/336064/+subscribe
>

[h1repp (heinz-repp)]

I use a lot of of Java applications, and this bug bites me with all of them. Just to mention a few: Freeplane, Routenplaner, Sudoko Generator, a.s.o. This is on Lucid Lynx UNR on my ASUS EeePC 1000H (10").

When starting any of them, they maximize at start, but they are not active, so there is no title bar in the panel. An unknowing user would be lost here already. Clicking into the empty white app screen gives me the title bar, and right click and "Restore" gives me the contents.

This seems clearly to be a bug of Maximus, as excluding Java apps from Maximus mimics it, and a non-Swing test case is able to provoke it. If this really is "wishlist" priority then all non critical bugs should be labeled so.

[David Kettle (dfkettle)]

Here's another app that has a problem displaying the main window, although the symptoms are a little different. Instead of displaying an empty window, it displays the contents, but flashes on and off at a very rapid rate. However, I discovered (quite by accident) that if I resize the window so it isn't maximized, it displays OK.

The app is called "Processing", a language for graphics programming built on top of Java (which uses Swing, by the way).

You can download it from here:

http://www.processing.org/

David.

[Xiang (hsiang-liu)]

openjdk can avoid this.

[Syco (alberto-rinaudo)]

same problem in ArchLinux with maximus 0.4.14 and jre 1.6.24
apparently solved replacing metacity 2.30.3 with openbox 3.4.11.2