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Problems at use | Problèmes à l'utilisation

Subjects Author Language Messages Last message
[Locked] Cairo-dock 2.0 beta transparency settings affects other applications
Page : 1 2 3
Godlikearg English 51 FrankKubuntu [Read]
02 January 2010 à 19:37

Godlikearg, Wednesday 07 January 2009 à 04:57


Subscription date : 28 December 2008
Messages : 21
Hello, I've installed C-D 2.0 beta today and started testing it.

While the transparency of the configuration window is very nice, I found that it screws with other applications. So far the only one that I encountered to be affected by this is SMplayer.

I don't know which method does C-D use to make that window transparent (looks like a root window setting, only that it is REAL transparency), but it affects other apps. SMplayer now instead of a black background displays a transparent background, and trying to watch videos is pretty hard, while not extremely odd (since now instead of black stripes, I have TRANSPARENT stripes). The only way to make SMplayer back to normal is to restart my gnome-session (and not open cairo-dock), OR disabling compiz.

Is there a way to disable this transparency? I've looked around in the configuration dialog but couldn't find it anywhere.

Thanks in advance

GODLiKE.-

Edit: not only that but when trying to use other output device in SMplayer (e.g. xv), I have no image (and still, transparent background, which means that when I go fullscreen, the whole window is transparent). When using gl2 I get the behaviour described above. Maybe something to do with the new Nvidia OpenGL setting? Can I disable it somewhere?

PS: oh yeah, I'm a Nvidia user btw :P.

Edit n°2: when using the Cairo engine, this does not happen at all (although I don't get the fancy effects like fire and storm =( but I figured those were done through OpenGL). I believe there is some gli-glitch in the OpenGL engine (but I'm no programmer so you can feel free to slap me if I'm out of place :P. Sorry for the edits, I rushed to post this and THEN tested it out some more.

nochka85, Wednesday 07 January 2009 à 12:55


Subscription date : 29 November 2007
Messages : 7408
@Fabounet : Is it possible that this "interaction" with SMplayer could be the same that makes VLC or Skype not working ?

fabounet, Wednesday 07 January 2009 à 13:17


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
I don't think it comes from the transparency of the config panel (it is done with a mere cairo drawing)
but rather from the OpenGL backend. there seem to be some problems with video players (VLC crashes), although I still can't figure out why (not even sure it's CD's fault)

Godlikearg, Wednesday 07 January 2009 à 19:44


Subscription date : 28 December 2008
Messages : 21
I related it to the config panel transparency because it's the same real transparency that affects SMplayer. Don't know if it's related or not. The weird thing is, the bug persists even after closing C-D. Switching to Metacity (or I would guess, any WM without composite) fixes the problem, whether C-D is open or not.

Tried with KPlayer and it's not affected by this.

fabounet, Thursday 08 January 2009 à 09:29


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
ok, thanks for the hints.
so we can guess that :
- either it's SMplayer's fault, because KPlayer is not affected
- it's the compositor's fault, since it doesn't occur without
- it's anyway CD's fault.
- it's the driver's fault (the bug persists even after closing C-D => memory corruption ?)

what would be useful to know is if it happens under Metacity with composite activated, and if it occurs for VLC and skype with Metacity.

Godlikearg, Thursday 08 January 2009 à 14:29


Subscription date : 28 December 2008
Messages : 21
Yes, it happens with SMplayer under Metacity with compositing.

I wouldn't know about VLC/Skype since I don't use those and don't have them installed ;p.

fabounet, Thursday 08 January 2009 à 15:32


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118

Godlikearg, Thursday 08 January 2009 à 19:28


Subscription date : 28 December 2008
Messages : 21
Well, no prob fab, if there's anything else we can do just let us know (y).

Guest, Monday 19 January 2009 à 00:59

Same problem here (Posted in the VLC thread already)
I also get the VLC crash with XV output.

Where ever the bug is (Maybe in Qt4?) - Cairo Dock triggers it!

Guest, Monday 19 January 2009 à 01:01

PS: It doesn't happen if I run compiz + cairo-dock 1.6.x

Guest, Tuesday 20 January 2009 à 15:26

Même problème ici
Mplayer fonctionne sans soucis, mais avec smplayer pas d'image (sortie xv)
Si je change le pilote de sortie, je vois la video en "transparence"

Guest, Tuesday 20 January 2009 à 23:40

As a workaround:
export XLIB_SKIP_ARGB_VISUALS=1
smplayer &

Godlikearg, Wednesday 21 January 2009 à 01:12


Subscription date : 28 December 2008
Messages : 21
No, it doesn't happen with 1.6.x. It happens on 2.0 because of the OpenGL engine.

I posted this issue on the SMPlayer forums almost 10 days ago but never got a reply :(.

Edit: well, that workaround sure works. Are there any side effects to use it?

ppmt, Wednesday 21 January 2009 à 18:40


Subscription date : 29 November 2007
Messages : 3520
Fabounet: even if the dock is not the cause it is getting annoying

As more and more people will use version 2 they will suddenly find out that some video program no longer work

Not sure how it should be approach but the vlc people seems to agree that they may have a bug so it might be worse that you get involve in the
thread with them to get to the bottom of it

Have you yourself noticed that behaviour?

fabounet, Thursday 22 January 2009 à 14:24


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
I'm thinking it's more likely an X bug
does anyone has the last Xorg server (in Jaunty) to test it ?

gimpel, Thursday 22 January 2009 à 19:13


Subscription date : 22 January 2009
Messages : 3
Now got my poor french sorted out to find where the heck the registration is

Godlikearg, no side effects if you use it for the player only.
Don't set it globally or in .bashrc though. That made compiz crash on startup here.

So for now I just added an alias for VLC and SMplayer, until fabounet gets that fixed, hehe
(It might be a bug in X or Qt4, but no other OpenGL app I came across triggers this behaviour.. *shrug*)

PS: I have xorg-server 1.5.3, no idea what "Jaunty" means

Godlikearg, Friday 23 January 2009 à 02:07


Subscription date : 28 December 2008
Messages : 21
Yeah, tried setting it globally in one of the environment files (/etc/env.d/, Gentoo distribution here), and it made the window borders of all my windows disappear under Compiz ;p.

Jaunty refers to the latest Ubuntu version, which is still under development (to be released on April this year).

I too have xorg-server-1.5.3, but I guess fab wishes to test it with somebody who has 1.6.x.

Guest, Thursday 14 May 2009 à 22:48

I have the same problem with SMPlayer (xv) in Jaunty with Cairo-Dock2.
Does anyone know how to solve it?

fabounet, Friday 15 May 2009 à 12:07


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
yes, please search on this forum, the solution is available (just an environment variable to set before launching Smplayer)

Guest, Friday 15 May 2009 à 21:50

Thanks. Can I set variable globally or it can crash something?

Problems at use | Problèmes à l'utilisation

Subjects Author Language Messages Last message
[Locked] Cairo-dock 2.0 beta transparency settings affects other applications
Page : 1 2 3
Godlikearg English 51 FrankKubuntu [Read]
02 January 2010 à 19:37


Glx-Dock / Cairo-Dock List of forums Problems at use | Problèmes à l'utilisation Cairo-dock 2.0 beta transparency settings affects other applications Top

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