gnome-screensaver doesn't activate under XFCE

[Marc Deslauriers]

Binary package hint: xfce4-session

Under a XFCE desktop (including xubuntu and mythbuntu), gnome-screensaver never activates after the idle timeout expires.

Basically, the newer gnome-screensaver uses gnome-session for the idle timeout. Xubuntu doesn't use gnome-session, so gnome-screensaver doesn't work. Here is the upstream bug report for the issue:

http://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5927

[Lionel Le Folgoc (mrpouit)]

What is gnome-screensaver doing is non-sense... We should just switch to xscreensaver, instead of adapting xfce4-session.

[Marc Deslauriers (mdeslaur)]

(this issue was forked off of bug #411350, as it is a different issue under XFCE)

[Castrato (nick-e-see)]

When I first discovered the bug, I installed xscreensaver as my first workaround. However, the screensaver was activated when I was watching TV. So it seemed like I moved from one bug to another. Has anyone else successfully configured xscreensaver to work?

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

This was reported all the back in alpha testing, but has never been fixed. It seems like every month, someone else reports it as if it is a new discovery! Why not just go back to the original bug report, https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/397892 . Perhaps someone could kill that one? Or, better yet, change it to a duplicate of all these new ones ?

[Marc Deslauriers (mdeslaur)]

Let's track gnome-screensaver under xubuntu and mythbuntu here, as the other bug reports all seem to have multiple different issues in them.

[Forest (foresto)]

Related discussion here:
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=536381

[MaxFrames (maxframes)]

The 12/7 update for gnome-screensaver did not, as expected, fix this issue with xfce.
If xfce is not going to be adapted, and gnome-screensaver is not going to be reverted, then switching to xscreensaver (or to Ubuntu) seems to be the only workaround for the time being (but based on what I've read, there might be some minor issues after doing this, like the "lock screen" buttons not working anymore).
I would appreciate a statement from Canonical on this matter.

[Forest (foresto)]

It might be worth marking this as a security issue, as was done with the other bug report on gnome-screensaver failing to activate, because automatic screen locking is now broken. Unfortunately, I don't know how to mark it as such.

[MaxFrames (maxframes)]

I have unactivated, killed and set up not to load at boot the gnome-screensaver daemon, and I have installed, configured and set up to load at boot the xscreensaver module. The good news is that the "lock screen" button works as before without the need of any intervention. I've left the Screensaver shortcut alone in the options menu (it still points to gnome's); there's a shortcut to xscreensaver options in the System menu. Now xscreensaver kicks in as expected after the specified amount of idle time, the screen locks as expected, and xscreensaver's power saving options seem to work as well (the display goes blank after a given time of screensaver activity). The only difference is that of course the unlock with password screen is different from gnome's. At the moment I see no particular problems in replacing gnome-screensaver with xscreensaver. Of course if the former will be "fixed" I'll consider switching back, but for the time being, this will do.

[MrMagne (mr.magne)]

The upstream bug isn't at xfce (as they say: If you want to complain about
gnome-screensaver's deficiencies, you'll need to file a bug on
bugzilla.gnome.org. Nothing is going to get solved here. )

However, there is this entry at gnome:
https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=592093

[Lionel Le Folgoc (mrpouit)]

In lucid, we switched back to xscreensaver, so at least the xubuntu-meta task can be closed...

[Jānis Kangarooo (kangarooo)]

Also affects me and 4 friends to who i installed xubuntu 9.10 5 days ago

[Charlie Kravetz (cjkgeek)]

http://bugzilla.xfce.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5927 is marked won't fix

From the Xfce developers:
 Brian J. Tarricone editbugs 2009-12-06 20:54:10 UTC

This is getting a bit out of scope for this bug. If you want to complain about
gnome-screensaver's deficiencies, you'll need to file a bug on
bugzilla.gnome.org. Nothing is going to get solved here.

[MrMagne (mr.magne)]

yes, xfce says "won't fix" and gnome-screensaver also says "won't fix" (https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=592093)... It's just sad to see how people don't care how their softs can be used in other configurations...
So let's go back using xscreen-saver.

[Jānis Kangarooo (kangarooo)]

Installed 5 xubuntu 9.10 and none screensaver works so it affects +5 people.

[Jamie Strandboge (jdstrand)]

Unfortunately, since both upstreams have decided to not fix this bug, and there has been no activity within Ubuntu for 6 months, I am marking this bug as "Won't Fix". Please adjust or file a new bug if there is progress on this such that a developer can work on it. Thanks.