[regression-release] Session manager lacks backward compatibility, making the desktop session unusable

Workaround (c) solved the issue for me.

It also affects me.

By the way, which package is responsible for calling compiz or whatever windows manager as you choose special desktop effects?

Architecture: i386
CompizPlugins: [core,ccp,move,resize,place,decoration,dbus,mousepoll,gnomecompat,png,svg,imgjpeg,text,commands,neg,wall,snap,animation,scale,scaleaddon,expo,staticswitcher,regex,resizeinfo,workarounds,ezoom,vpswitch,fade,session]
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 10.04
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" - Beta i386 (20100318)
MachineType: Acer Aspire one
Package: compiz 1:0.8.4-0ubuntu15
PackageArchitecture: all
PciDisplay: 00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GME Express Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:27ae] (rev 03)
ProcCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-2.6.32-22-generic root=UUID=e55a33ba-0d22-48c4-b346-4b12ddb672bd ro quiet splash
ProcEnviron:
 LANG=en_US.utf8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.32-22.33-generic 2.6.32.11+drm33.2
RelatedPackageVersions:
 xserver-xorg 1:7.5+5ubuntu1
 libgl1-mesa-glx 7.7.1-1ubuntu2
 libdrm2 2.4.18-1ubuntu3
 xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.9.1-3ubuntu5
 xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.13.0-1ubuntu5
Tags: lucid
Uname: Linux 2.6.32-22-generic i686
UserGroups: adm admin cdrom dialout dip fax floppy fuse lpadmin plugdev sambashare tape video
XorgConf: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory: '/etc/X11/xorg.conf'
dmi.bios.date: 02/20/2009
dmi.bios.vendor: Acer
dmi.bios.version: V1.05
dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: Aspire one
dmi.board.vendor: Acer
dmi.board.version: V1.05
dmi.chassis.type: 1
dmi.chassis.vendor: Acer
dmi.chassis.version: V1.05
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnAcer:bvrV1.05:bd02/20/2009:svnAcer:pnAspireone:pvrV1.05:rvnAcer:rnAspireone:rvrV1.05:cvnAcer:ct1:cvrV1.05:
dmi.product.name: Aspire one
dmi.product.version: V1.05
dmi.sys.vendor: Acer
glxinfo: Error: [Errno 2] No such file or directory
system: distro = Ubuntu, architecture = i686, kernel = 2.6.32-22-generic

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I have this problem too...

I reinstalled Ubuntu (since I have a separate home partition) and the problem persists, so it must have something to do with a file in the home directory.

i also have the same problem since i installed 10.04. window decorations are not visible when i reboot my pc!!dont know what to do in order to fix it..help pleaseee

I looked at my xsession-errors and played around with my .compiz/session and somehow fixed it. :s

ALdaperan, try the workarounds first and then look at the xsession-errors (it's a text file in your home folder). There is also a discussion here ( http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1466754&highlight=window+manager&page=3 ) where people have figured out other things that work for them.

Apparently it only fixed it for one boot? FML -.- (It has returned)

The source of the problem does appear to be related to something in the user's home. I have 2 user accounts on my machine & the problem only manifests itself for *one* of the user sessions. Like many of the folks here, I originally upgraded from Karmic -> Lucid. I also later went to the trouble of installing Lucid fresh onto my / partition (& left my /home partition intact) yet I'm still having the problem.

Currently I'm using the '/usr/bin/compiz --replace' startup application as a workaround.

Thank you for your help with this & I hope you find my information useful.

Like my two compadres above, I'm encountering the same symptoms. Upgraded from Karmic, doesn't work, but does work for a brand new user. I've looked into my xsessions-error but fixed all the errors, to no avail. I'm currently working around the problem by launching "/usr/bin/compiz" at startup, which apparently forces the loading of the video drivers.

It is the loading of the video drivers that's problematic, I think. When changing the visual effects settings from "None" to anything else in Simple CompizConfig Settings Manager, it forces the reloading of the drivers, and then, things work.

Still, I know I may be a bit harsh, but this definitely-not-minor bug has been around since day 1, and is still not fixed... It's a bit frightening for a LTS version. With that problem and all-around (relative) instability, I find it difficult to defend Ubuntu when talking about OS merits with Windows- or Mac-users.

It seems that this problem never happens to new user accounts created after upgrading to Lucid.
It is thus related a bad handling of Karmic home directories.
We can run more tests to confirm this.

From what I remember, removing .gnome* and .gconf* were not helping either.

However, removing all the hidden folders (except some obvious ones like firefox etc) fixed it... so it must be somewhere in between.
Maybe .compiz ? Maybe .config/gnome-session ?

I agree Augustin. I fear that this particular annoying bug will be ignored until Karmic dies, and then it will no longer be a bug...

So there are two problems here. Compiz no longer ships a file called compiz.real and gnome-session doesn't have any kind of fallback when the WM saved in your session no longer exists. A hack in the compiz package to ship a symlink would fix this one instance of the problem but a fix in gnome-session would be the correct solution.

Well, actually, I encountered no trace of compiz.real in the various error logs I've checked.

Also, I have removed any "session" links saved in the $HOME/.compiz/session directory, but some seem to make their way back, so maybe that is indeed the problem.

From bug #587689

I renamed .compiz with no effect, except on first reboot the boot stopped when it encountered the error given in bug #562843.

However, re-creating .config/gnome-session cured my problem with both window decoration and saving the Visual Effects setting. On first reboot, window decoration was there and Visual Effects were set to Normal. I set Visual Effects to None and rebooted. Window decoration was there and Visual Effects were still set to None.

Right, so what happens is you saved your session in karmic and that saved "compiz.real" as a program to run in your session. In lucid compiz.real doesn't exist so gnome-session tries to start it and fails. Ideally gnome-session would then just start the default WM ("compiz") but it does not. That's why a workaround is to either remove your saved session file or get compiz running then save your session again.

Personally, the only occurrence of compiz.real on my computer was due to me creating the symlink after I had read it could fix the problem. It did not.

For me, the same. This seems to be not at all a compiz bug, but a gnome-session one...
So, not only upgrading between two consecutive releases may give a lot of headache, but also sharing the home directory between consecutive releases.

Hi,

Me too.

On an older desktop, which I just upgraded to Lucid from Karmic and which had *none* of these problems before the upgrade, the only solution that works is (b) compiz --replace as a startup item. This machine uses the older nvidia 96 drivers.

On a very new laptop, which I just upgraded to Lucid from Karmic and *already* had these kind of problems before the upgrade, the only solution that works is (b) compiz --replace as a startup item. This machine uses the new ati fglrx 8.723 drivers (2:8.723-1 in the repos).

Also, for both machines and after implementing the above workaround(s), selecting "Start Awn automatically" under Dock Preferences does *not* work. So, for both machines: I deselect this option, create /usr/local/bin/awn-delayed as simple shell script which simply runs "sleep 5; avant-window-navigator", and then I create a startup item that calls /usr/local/bin/awn-delayed . (Without the sleep 5 command, awn seems to start before compiz, probably because in my workaround compiz is running as a startup program, not as the gnome default window manager, as would normally be the case. Others may need to adjust the sleep time up or down according to their machine's speed.)

These two workarounds seem to get me machines that, when I log into them, behave as I expect and as I think they ought to in Ubuntu by default: Compiz starts (and "extra" shows up as selected in the System -> Preferences -> Appearances dialog) and AWN starts.

HTH,
Doug

Hi Doug,
Could you please remove all your workarounds, then run:
cd ~ ; mkdir backup ; mv .config backup
then reboot, see if it is fixed, and post the results at bug #467668 ?
Thank you.
PS: You shouldn't post here. It is a duplicate.