Long footnote preview makes compositing crash

[Alessandro Tocci]

Binary package hint: openoffice.org

Using OpenOffice.org Writer, when I create a footnote which is longer than, say, three lines and put the cursor over the note number (the one that links to the footer and is auto-generated into the page), the preview usually doesn't fit into the screen as it only takes one line (this behavior is filed in Bug #150937).
If this happens, the compositing will crash on my PC, restarting metacity with no visual effects at all.

Steps to reproduce this are:
1) Create a Writer document and put in the text a loong footnote
2) Hover the mouse cursor over the note number

***
2011-03-16 - cannot reproduce in LibreOffice 3.3.1, Natty -- leighman
***

---
Architecture: i386
CheckboxSubmission: 671bbedab79a1294d37767cd3e570ddf
CheckboxSystem: 0531969bcfd4f03af7405c98dc94a948
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Release Candidate i386 (20100419.1)
Package: openoffice.org-core 1:3.2.0-7ubuntu4.1
PackageArchitecture: i386
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=it_IT.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-22.36-generic 2.6.32.11+drm33.2
Tags: lucid
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-22-generic i686
UserGroups: adm admin cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare

[Chris Cheney (ccheney)]

[This is an automatic notification.]

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please execute the following command, as it will automatically gather debugging information, in a terminal:

  apport-collect -p openoffice.org-core 591723

This will help us to find and resolve the problem. Bear in mind that you may need to install the python-launchpadlib package from the universe repository. Additionally, when prompted to give apport-collect permissions for Launchpad you will need to give it at least the ability to "Change Non-Private" data as it will be adding information to your bug report. Thanks in advance!

When reporting bugs in the future please use apport, either via the appropriate application's "Help -> Report a Problem" menu or using 'ubuntu-bug' and the name of the package affected. You can learn more about this functionality at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/ReportingBugs.

  ubuntu-bug openoffice.org-core

Please do not set bugs back to 'New' after adding this information.

[Alessandro Tocci (alessandro-tocci)]

apport information

[Holstener Liesel (holstenerliesel)]

Confirming this bug for my Lucid 64-bit system.

[Mathieu Perona (mathieu-perona-gmail)]

Confirm this bug on several Lucid 32bit installations. Any long footnote will cause compiz to crash when the mouse hovers over the note number. See sample .odt file below. Compiz says : compiz (core) - Warn: Exceeded max texture size

[peniop (penio-kip)]

This bug affects also my lucid 64-bit system

[Mathieu Perona (mathieu-perona-gmail)]

This bug stil occurs with maverick RC. It should be clear that this bug makes the combination of OpenOffice and compiz unsuitable for academics or students.

[peniop (penio-kip)]

there are two workarounds:

1- disable compiz before starting to work with a OpenOffice document which contains footnotes with the command in the terminal:

metacity --replace

2- move the mouse indicator away from the text with notes and use the keyboard to work. In case moving the mouse compiz crashes you can always restart it with the command:

compitz --replace

It's not a solution but as an academic at least it allows me to work using ubuntu-openoffice-compitz...

[Holstener Liesel (holstenerliesel)]

There's a better solution: Go to Tools>Options>OOo>General and check Tips and extended tips.

[peniop (penio-kip)]

Holstener Liesel

thank you very much, it's working perfectly... but dude, why didn't you say it sooner, it's been months this bug is torturing me...

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

[Expired for openoffice.org (Ubuntu) because there has been no activity for 60 days.]

[naxHo (aborilov-gmail)]

This bug still affects my maverick 32-bit system

[Jack Leigh (leighman)]

This seems to be fixed in Natty

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Alessandro Tocci, thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. However, your crash report is missing. Please follow these instructions to have apport report a new bug about your crash that can be dealt with by the automatic retracer.

If you are running the Ubuntu Stable Release you might need to enable apport in /etc/default/apport and restart.

Now open your file manager, navigate to your /var/crash directory and open the crash report you wish to submit.
If this fails you will have to open a terminal and file your report with 'ubuntu-bug /var/crash/_my_crash_report.crash' where _my_crash_report.crash is the crash you would like to report. If you get an error that you aren't allowed to access this report you will have to file it with 'sudo ubuntu-bug /var/crash/_my_crash_report.crash'.

I'm closing this bug report since the process outlined above will automatically open a new bug report which can then dealt with more efficiently. Please mark this bug a duplicate of the new bug created by apport. Thanks in advance for your cooperation and understanding.

[thanasis57 (thab57)]

Holstener Liesel,

This problem affected me , too; your solution seems to work.

(10.04, 32 bit, gnome, LibO 3.5.2.2)

Thanks a lot