Bug 317257 – kde-4.5.1: plasma dashboard: Analog clock rendering distorted and buggy.

• Product: Gentoo Linux
• Status: RESOLVED NEEDINFO

[Description Navid Zamani 2010-04-26 07:24:27 UTC]

I have placed an analog clock plasmid on the dashboard. But after showing correctly at first, it later is mostly invisible, with some small artifacts (I think they are the hands) being visible. It’s best to show you in a screenshot. So I will attach one right after submitting this.

I don’t know if this is related, but there are 3 other weirdnesess with the dashboard. I mention them in case a pattern (e.g. duplicate bug) catches your eye:
1. It’s very slow as it is now. Taking up much CPU too.
2. The systray plasmid does not show all icons on the first screen’s dashboard.
3. The second screen’s dashboard is not the top window in case firfox or thunderbird are on that screen. And even more icons of the systray plasmid are missing.

I somehow think, the dashboards still is an experimental feature.

The problem is: I don’t know how to find out what causes it. Or I could solve it myself.

Reproducible: Always

Steps to Reproduce:
1. Configure your plasmids like on my screenshot. Lock them.
2. Do your normal work and open and close the dashboard quit a lot in the process.
3. Usually it should turn up pretty quickly. Especially when using all kinds of graphical effects, like the cube, or Compiz effects.
4. Unlocking and resizing the clock plasmid, does fix the display issues. Until you trigger the problem again.

[Comment 1 Navid Zamani 2010-04-26 07:33:03 UTC]

Created attachment 229183 [details]
Screenshot with the buggy clock plasmid and the xulrunner-on-top problem.

Look for the top left area of the right screen. Left of the calendar, and above Qalculate!. The weird lines.

BTW: The reason the left screen isn’t showing the dashboard, is because Firefox lies over it, which is a bug too.

[Comment 2 Navid Zamani 2010-04-26 18:59:50 UTC]

Created attachment 229295 [details]
Properly toggling the Plasma dashboard via DBus, with Compiz assistance.

If you use Compiz, running this script instead of directly toggling the dashboard, can be used as a workaround.
(Qalculate rule can be removed.)

[Comment 3 Navid Zamani 2010-04-26 19:01:22 UTC]

Ooops, sorry I forgot that this bug was about the clock. Not toggling the dashboard. I’m sorry. :/
Still, the bug is not a big one, so I let it stay on “minor”.

[Comment 4 Andreas K. Hüttel 2010-08-29 11:31:45 UTC]

Which kde version was that? Is the problem still present in recent versions?

[Comment 5 Navid Zamani 2010-08-29 11:58:31 UTC]

It was 4.3 or 4.2. I’m on 4.5.1 now, and it’s still exactly the same. After a bit of time, you open the dashboard, and all that’s left, is some weird polygons, moving a bit.

The dashboard got better. But still, if you fill it with about a dozen applets, it’s very slow and takes up 60% of the CPU. (Of both cores!)

The systray plasmid still is useless on the dashboard, and fails. Especially the notifications pop up in a stupid random place. (But always the same place.)

Apparently, making the dashboard always-on-top fixes the problem with Firefox and Thunderbird. But WTH? Why is it not always on top in the first place. That’s kinda its point! ;)

I’d now say,l the dashboard is in premature “early beta”. ^^ Still needs lots of fixing. My guess is, that at that pace, it’ll be acceptable around KDE 5.5 ;)

[Comment 6 Theo Chatzimichos (RETIRED) 2010-11-26 08:56:24 UTC]

I have the same problem for a long time. I think I searched for upstream bugs a while ago but I don't remember at all if there was anything or if I reported it. Anyway, please report it to upstream developers and paste the url here so we can track it

[Comment 7 Navid Zamani 2010-12-01 15:43:34 UTC]

I can’t reproduce this bug anymore when using the analog clock with the screensaver. (KDE 4.5.3 now.)
Haven’t checked for the dashboard since I removed it.

[Comment 8 Andreas K. Hüttel 2010-12-14 16:24:54 UTC]

(In reply to comment #7)
> I can’t reproduce this bug anymore when using the analog clock with the
> screensaver. (KDE 4.5.3 now.)
> Haven’t checked for the dashboard since I removed it.
> 

OK, I'll resolve this as needinfo then. Please just reopen it if you bump into the problem again.