Xgl / Compiz issue: works for root but doesn't for common user

[mhzuchini]

It's really strange: all features (the cube, keyboards shortcuts etc) are totally OK when working as root... but as a common user, some features get disabled and others came really strange...

I'm using a (P4-FC6) linux box with Gnome. Everything is fine when working as root. But it's a security flaw doing common business as root. Then, I've logged as a common user and... Surprise! Things got strange:
- some windows (like a terminal window and othe applications) are opened behind the upper panel! The title bar came off the screen, so I have to move then inside the screen with ALT-left button! That's really annoying!
- some features do not work at all, like moving the mouse pointer to the upper right corner (which should present a collection of reduced windows that could be selected by the mouse)
- the zooming tool works... uhh... does not work... well, it works sometimes... I couldn't figure out why...

I search the Google and the FC forums, but I'm not able to read about something like that.
By the way, logging as root always brings full funcionality

Could someone please bring me to the light???

Thanks a lot
Marcio

[mhzuchini]

Hi everybody!!

I finally found an answer to this issue in RedHat Bugzilla #230149 (https://bugzilla.redhat.com/bugzilla....cgi?id=230149). It's actually a workaround, but I think next versions of Compiz will solve the problem.

For some reason, Compiz fails to set the correct plugin parameters to common users in the file %gconf.xml (that can be found at ~/.gconf/apps/compiz/general/allscreens/options/%gconf.xml).

It can be solved just editing this file (I used gedit, any simple file editor can be used) and inserting there the plugin definitions that is missing (all common users suffers from this bug).

To correct the "open-off-the-screen" error, insert:

<li type="string">
<stringvalue>place</stringvalue>
</li>

To correct the "move-the-mouse-to-upper-right-corner" error, insert:

<li type="string">
<stringvalue>water</stringvalue>
</li>

Other plugins in this file do other things, but these two was missing.

Here I drop my entire file in order to help others! ;-)

%gconf.xml file
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<gconf>
<entry name="active_plugins" mtime="1175625268" type="list" ltype="string">
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>gconf</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>png</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>decoration</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>fade</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>minimize</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>cube</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>rotate</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>zoom</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>move</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>place</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>resize</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>scale</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>water</stringvalue>
</li>
<li type="string">
<stringvalue>switcher</stringvalue>
</li>
</entry>
<entry name="audible_bell" mtime="1180554065" type="bool" value="true">
</entry>
</gconf>

Thanks a lot, people! ;-)
Marcio