if compiz is enabled, using mouse wheel over desktop switches desktops

Are you using the desktop cube or the expo plugin? If you are using the expo plugin, just disable the desktop wall plugin. I also have this problem with my laptop using the desktop cube. My laptop touch pad's right side, used for scrolling, will change the desktop unexpectedly. Very Annoying. For now i just use the expo plugin on my desktop cause i can disable the wall plugin and then set expo to work on touching the screen edge.

Not sure which plugins are actually enabled - I've just switched on the "Normal" checkbox on the "Visual Effects" page and was happy that windows have shadows now :-)

But I have disabled this behavior now in ccsm: enter "switch" as Filter, select the first icon (in section "Desktop"), switch to "Actions" tab, in the list select the second entry ("Switching on the desktop"), and set all "Button5" and "Button4" texts to "None".

Apparently the gconf options that are set with ccsm for this are not contained in any gconf schema, so they don't appear in gconf-editor by default either :-/

I confirm that this is a problem. I offer ubuntu installation for free to my customers and take back their feedback in order to improve ubuntu. This problem with compiz and laptop touchpad has been a serious issue for me and some of my customers. therefore, I set this bug to triaged and Importance to wishlist

Don't set something to Triaged so lightly. "I want this fixed" is not a valid reason for setting it.

I agree that this is a problem with laptops. Sliding your finger across the touchpad can inadvertently switch desktops. This can be a confusing behavior since some can be confused on what action caused it to happen.

I second previous posts. My experience after installing v.8 on many computers, mainly used by people with very low tech-skills, is that this is a very annoying feature. The idea is good, the implementation is not as good.

Why?

First problem is that its not consistent with normal mouse pad behaviour. If you ignore that fact (in order to develop new ways to interact with a computer) several problems are clear.

1: Its very easy to trigger a desktop change.

2: Several of my users have thick fingers (craftsmen etc.) and the combination of big hands/fingers with sensitive/precise desktop change-behaviour is not working. Even users without that problem often accidentally trigger a desktop change.

Solution:

1: temporary; add "disable feature x"

2: long term; fix the interaction to fit a broader user-base (or something else).

FYI: these two commands disable the bad behavior manually:

gconftool-2 --set "/apps/compiz/plugins/vpswitch/allscreens/options/prev_button" --type string "Disabled"
gconftool-2 --set "/apps/compiz/plugins/vpswitch/allscreens/options/next_button" --type string "Disabled"

Travis Watkins : I attach a patch which fixes this bug. Can you discuss and consider the inclusion of that patch in intrepid? This bug is a very bad bug for a lot of new ubuntu users, especially laptop users. My patch only turn off the option in default gconf options, but does not prevent that functionnality to be added by the user itself via ccsm.

Travis Watkins : intrepid Beta release will be released in 4 days, can you review my patch and consider it? Can I do something more to help that bug getting fixed and/or discussed? And would you prefer a bzr branch instead of a debdiff?

Is possible for some of the reporters to check if this behaviour has been corrected already? Please check with Intrepid fully updated or Jaunty.

Thanks in advance

This bug still exist in current in a up-to-date jaunty release.

I dont' know if this bug is still present in jaunty or not (my touchpad "scrollwheel" is not working!), but I agree it is an extremely annoying bug and I very much hope it can be fixed for jaunty.

This fix probably wont make it as an SRU to neither Intrepid nor Jaunty. It should be discussed if those changes should be made default for Karmic Koala.

It is in a new install of Jaunty, and with a full-update to the newest files of Jaunty it is still present. I just disabled multiple desktops for the time being because I tend to spin my scroll wheel all the time (often for no reason).