Ugly white boxes when switching windows or indicators

[Alan Pope 🍺🐧🐱 🦄]

Binary package hint: unity

Logon to a standard Unity desktop. Open and close some indicators or menus. Observe a white box and significant flicker every time. It's ugly and distracting. See attached video. Note in the video sometimes the screencast app can't keep up so you don't actually see the indicator or menu content - you _do_ see this in reality, but the screencast doesn't show it. The issue I am reporting is the white boxes and flicker, which comes out in reality and on the video.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
Package: unity 3.8.8-0ubuntu2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
.proc.driver.nvidia.gpus.0: Error: [Errno 21] Is a directory: '/proc/driver/nvidia/gpus/0'
.proc.driver.nvidia.registry: Binary: ""
.proc.driver.nvidia.version:
 NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX x86_64 Kernel Module 270.41.03 Sat Apr 9 00:06:19 PDT 2011
 GCC version: gcc version 4.5.2 (Ubuntu/Linaro 4.5.2-8ubuntu3)
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,decor,mousepoll,vpswitch,regex,animation,snap,expo,move,compiztoolbox,place,grid,imgpng,gnomecompat,wall,ezoom,workarounds,staticswitcher,resize,fade,unitymtgrabhandles,scale,session,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
Date: Sun Apr 17 13:43:52 2011
DistUpgraded: Log time: 2011-01-19 12:33:17.207056
DistroCodename: natty
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 nvidia-current, 270.41.03, 2.6.38-8-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.0.4, 2.6.38-7-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.0.4, 2.6.38-8-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.0.4, 2.6.38-6-generic, x86_64: installed
GraphicsCard:
 nVidia Corporation G71 [GeForce 7900 GT/GTO] [10de:0291] (rev a1) (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: LeadTek Research Inc. Device [107d:2a62]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100816.1)
InstallationMedia_: Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100816.1)
InstallationMedia__: Ubuntu 10.04.1 LTS "Lucid Lynx" - Release amd64 (20100816.1)
JockeyStatus: xorg:nvidia_current - NVIDIA accelerated graphics driver (Proprietary, Enabled, In use)
MachineType: System manufacturer System Product Name
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_GB:en
 PATH=(custom, user)
 LANG=en_GB.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.38-8-generic root=UUID=fb22b4e1-1576-4bf8-8272-15300bc7de38 ro quiet splash vt.handoff=7
ProcVersionSignature_: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
ProcVersionSignature__: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.42-generic 2.6.38.2
Renderer: Unknown
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-01-19 (88 days ago)
dmi.bios.date: 04/24/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: Phoenix Technologies, LTD
dmi.bios.version: ASUS P5N32-E SLI ACPI BIOS Revision 1801
dmi.board.name: P5N32-E SLI
dmi.board.vendor: ASUSTeK Computer INC.
dmi.board.version: 1.XX
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: 123456789000
dmi.chassis.type: 3
dmi.chassis.vendor: Chassis Manufacture
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnPhoenixTechnologies,LTD:bvrASUSP5N32-ESLIACPIBIOSRevision1801:bd04/24/2009:svnSystemmanufacturer:pnSystemProductName:pvrSystemVersion:rvnASUSTeKComputerINC.:rnP5N32-ESLI:rvr1.XX:cvnChassisManufacture:ct3:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: System Product Name
dmi.product.version: System Version
dmi.sys.vendor: System manufacturer
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.4+bzr20110415-0ubuntu1
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu12
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.23-1ubuntu6
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.10.2-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental 7.10.2-0ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.10.2-0ubuntu1
version.nvidia-graphics-drivers: nvidia-graphics-drivers N/A
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+4ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.0-0ubuntu4
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.14.0-4ubuntu7
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau N/A

[Alistair Buxton (a-j-buxton)]

Reproduced by clicking on a (global) menu and moving the mouse rapidly left and right. The menu is extremely slow as well, I suspect the white box wouldn't be shown if the menu could be drawn fast enough.

[Rohit R (rr0hit)]

Is it "Ugly white boxes when switching windows" or "Ugly white boxes when switching menus on the unity panel" ?

[Rohit R (rr0hit)]

I think the same problem is addressed by bug #687567. Marking as duplicate.