Bug 26453 - Compiz fails to start. Displays: "Bug in window manager: Could not find a button to strip. n_left = 9 n_right = 7"
Summary: Compiz fails to start. Displays: "Bug in window manager: Could not find a but...
Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 25147
Alias: None
Product: Mageia
Classification: Unclassified
Component: RPM Packages (show other bugs)
Version: 7
Hardware: All Linux
Priority: Normal normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Mageia Bug Squad
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2020-04-07 18:48 CEST by Paul Blackburn
Modified: 2020-04-10 09:44 CEST (History)
1 user (show)

See Also:
Source RPM: compiz-0.8.16.1-3.mga7.src.rpm
CVE:
Status comment:


Attachments

Description Paul Blackburn 2020-04-07 18:48:10 CEST
Description of problem:

Compiz fails to start. Displays following:
"Bug in window manager: Could not find a button to strip. n_left = 9 n_right = 7"

Version-Release number of selected component (if applicable):
[mpb@localhost ~]$  rpm -qif /usr/bin/compiz
Name        : compiz
Epoch       : 1
Version     : 0.8.16.1
Release     : 3.mga7
Architecture: x86_64
Install Date: Tue 07 Apr 2020 12:22:28 BST
Group       : System/X11
Size        : 6160124
License     : GPLv2+ and LGPLv2+ and MIT
Signature   : RSA/SHA256, Sat 29 Dec 2018 04:33:50 GMT, Key ID b742fa8b80420f66
Source RPM  : compiz-0.8.16.1-3.mga7.src.rpm
Build Date  : Sat 29 Dec 2018 04:22:22 GMT
Build Host  : localhost
Relocations : (not relocatable)
Packager    : luigiwalser <luigiwalser>
Vendor      : Mageia.Org
URL         : https://github.com/compiz-reloaded/compiz
Summary     : OpenGL composite manager for Xgl and AIGLX
Description :
Compiz is an OpenGL compositing manager, which means that it enhances
the overall user interaction by adding fancy effects to your windows,
from drop shadows to desktop effects like the Desktop Cube or the Expo view.

Compiz can also be a window manager, which means that it is the software
between you and your desktop apps. It enables you to move or resize windows,
to switch workspaces, to switch windows easily (using alt-tab or so), and so on.


How reproducible:
Happens every time when trying to start Compiz on Mageia 7 (up-to-date with updates) (in MATE with "MATE compatibility" configured in CCSM)

Steps to Reproduce:
1./usr/bin/compiz ccp --replace  # Starting Compiz
2.
3.
Comment 1 Lewis Smith 2020-04-08 10:21:30 CEST
Well, running under LXDE, it seems to work here, and I think it is now active - if an unknown world to me:
 $ compiz --help
Usage: compiz
       [--display DISPLAY] [--bg-image PNG] [--refresh-rate RATE]
       [--fast-filter] [--indirect-rendering] [--no-detection]
       [--keep-desktop-hints] [--loose-binding] [--replace]
       [--no-fbo] [--sm-disable] [--sm-client-id ID] [--only-current-screen]
       [--use-root-window] [--debug] [--version] [--help] [PLUGIN]...
[lewis@localhost ~]$ /usr/bin/compiz  --replace

I was unsure of the 'ccp' parameter you show. I will try again under Mate (ignoring "MATE compatibility" configured in CCSM since I do not know what this is).

CC: (none) => lewyssmith

Comment 2 Lewis Smith 2020-04-08 10:49:00 CEST
Spoke too soon. Starting Compiz under LXDE banished its taskbar and all that contained, so there was no way of doing anything further beyond what was already running, logging out etc. Had to Ctl/Alt/Bksp/Bksp to close that session & see the login screen.

Back under Mate (also on up-to-date M7), trying again:
 $ /usr/bin/compiz  --replace
seems better, hardly any visible change. Top & bottom taskbars still present, everything seems to work.

So, Paul, if you explain for me:
- ccp
- "MATE compatibility" configured in CCSM
I can try better to reproduce your problem.
-------------------------------------------
Stop press: This looks a duplicate of Bug 25147, but that relates to
 compiz-decorator-gtk-0.8.16.1-3.1.mga7
which I will try forthwith.
Comment 3 Lewis Smith 2020-04-08 11:06:08 CEST
The other bug resulted in Aborted 'core' dump; you did not show this. Was ther one?
 https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=25147#c4
Same thing again under Mate:
 $ compiz-decorator --replace
seems to have absolutely no effect.
The main evidence of straight 'compiz' was the different way Ctl/Alt/arrow displayed: a direct jump to the other desktop with normal Mate, a sliding transition with Compiz.

Can you also try compiz-decorator-gtk, Paul?
Comment 4 Paul Blackburn 2020-04-08 11:51:18 CEST
Hello Lewis,

The "/usr/bin/compiz ccp --replace  # Starting Compiz" command is from the "Compiz start" menu option in MATE after installing Compiz (and its dependency rpms).

On my MATE, it is found at:

Applications => Tools => Compiz Start

If you right click this in the MATE menue, you can "Add this launcher to desktop".
Then, you can right-click the "Compiz start" desktop icon, select "Properties" and see the command used to start Compiz:

compiz ccp --replace

Some good documentation on Arch wiki:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Compiz

I am also testing out Compiz on Kali where it is started with same command.
Compiz with MATE is working with great niftiness in Kali. 

Also, this may be helpful: http://wiki.compiz.org/Troubleshooting

My understanding is that "ccp" refers to compiz config plugin:

"You will need to start Compiz with the name of a configuration plugin on the command line, such as ccp, gconf, kconfig, or ini. If this still doesn't work, you may have a plugin ABI version mismatch, and you will need to re-compile your plugins." (source: http://wiki.compiz.org/Troubleshooting)

I am also documenting what I am finding in my draft wiki page:
https://wiki.mageia.org/en/User:Codegazer/First_step_with_Compiz_fusion
Comment 5 Lewis Smith 2020-04-08 21:20:47 CEST
OK, I should be up with you, Paul. CCSM = Compiz Config Setting Manager (also in the Tools sub-menu), got it!
Mate, CCSM-General-Mate compatibility ticked, checked the launch command from menu is as you said: compiz ccp --replace
Launch it from menu, no error. Am using it now. I cannot see any difference with the Mate compatibility set, it worked the same without it. But I am a stranger here.

So why are *you* getting the error, not me? Ah - but this is too obvious:
You from comment 0:
 $  rpm -qif /usr/bin/compiz
Name        : compiz
Version     : 0.8.16.1
Release     : 3.mga7         ***

Me:
 $ rpm -qif /usr/bin/compiz
Name        : compiz
Version     : 0.8.16.1
Release     : 3.1.mga7       ***

 https://bugs.mageia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=25147#c1
"According to bug reports on Internet [1][2], a simple rebuild should fix the issue.
Please test compiz-0.8.16.1-3.1.mga7"

Over to you...
Comment 6 Paul Blackburn 2020-04-09 01:44:45 CEST
I urpme'ed all the compiz rpms, rebooted and started over re-installing what is available in Mageia.

No longer get the error message:
"Bug in window manager: Could not find a button to strip. n_left = 9 n_right = 7"

when starting with:  "/usr/bin/compiz ccp --replace  # Starting Compiz"

compiz now works (in MATE) but it seems minimalistic from how I remember it.

Very few plugins and windows like mate-terminal, gkrellm, chrome, firefox have no window manager decorations (eg title at top with V ^ X at top right and nothing to right click to move to other workspace). All of these are working with MATE in Kali. I think we have lost some good stuff here.

I noticed that the compiz-plugins-extra rpm is missing from the Mageia set.

Fedora has compiz-plugins-extra (which does actually work Mageia and adds a bit more).

Also find it helpful to script starting compiz and restoring things like mate-terminal, gkrellm, chrome and firefox to the compiz equivalent workspaces.
Turns out that compiz seems to map a single very wide single workspace.

Script I use is: compiz_position
link: https://wiki.mageia.org/en/User:Codegazer/First_step_with_Compiz_fusion#Appendix-1:_compiz_position_script
Comment 7 Lewis Smith 2020-04-09 08:54:10 CEST
Thanks for your efforts. I was expecting a simple compiz update, but did not realise it is still (I hope) in core/updates testing.

I realised too late that the answer lies at the end of comment 2:
> This looks a duplicate of Bug 25147, but that relates to
> compiz-decorator-gtk-0.8.16.1-3.1.mga7
but the updated packages (July 2019) were:
- compiz-0.8.16.1-3.1.mga7.x86_64
- compiz-decorator-gtk-0.8.16.1-3.1.mga7.x86_64
so I imagined that they had been pushed, and this bug was a new one. It seems they have been sitting in core/updates testing since July 2019, so you simply did not have the update - but I did.

So I am re-opening the original bug and marking this one as a duplicate of it; and poking that other bug to get it QA'd, advisoried & pushed. That would have avoided this bug.

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of bug 25147 ***

Status: NEW => RESOLVED
Resolution: (none) => DUPLICATE

Comment 8 Lewis Smith 2020-04-10 09:44:29 CEST
Paul
From all you say, Compiz seems a quagmire. Will need your Wiki page!
> compiz now works (in MATE) but it seems minimalistic from how I remember it
How did you get it set up before, if not by straight Mageia pkg installation?
Your problem was simply a lost compiz update, which would not have changed anything else.

> I noticed that the compiz-plugins-extra rpm is missing from the Mageia set
You could make a 'new pkg request' bug for that.

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