Bug 165237

Summary:	unredirect fullscreen windows
Product:	[Plasma] kwin	Reporter:	Stefan Majewsky <majewsky>
Component:	compositing	Assignee:	KWin default assignee <kwin-bugs-null>
Status:	RESOLVED FIXED
Severity:	wishlist	CC:	alejandronova, hochglanz, jay, mecirt, schmaker
Priority:	NOR
Version:	unspecified
Target Milestone:	---
Platform:	openSUSE
OS:	Linux
Latest Commit:		Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Stefan Majewsky 2008-06-28 21:54:26 UTC

Version:            (using KDE 4.0.83)
Installed from:    SuSE RPMs

Some fullscreen games (most notably Wormux) do not render properly (some do not render at all, leaving the screen black). Therefore, I have to turn compositing off before launching one of those applications. The resolution to #155581, a shortcut to toggle compositing, has simplified this greatly; but the ideal solution would be that KWin somehow detects applications running in fullscreen mode, and suspends compositing automatically until the application returns from fullscreen mode.

The main question to me is whether this is a WONTFIX, i.e. whether detecting fullscreen apps is possible at all under X. (Note that the application has to launch the fullscreen mode from itself; there is no point in suspending compositing when Konqueror is in fullscreen mode.)

Comment 1 lucas 2008-06-29 03:20:13 UTC

WONTFIX because:
1) On multi-monitor systems you can both run a fullscreen application as well as having non-fullscreen applications on other screens, and
2) Alt-tabbing will cause all hell to break loose.

As for the black screen problem open a new bug, looking through the list it doesn't seem to have been reported before. Include your driver details and compositing settings.

Comment 2 Lubos Lunak 2008-06-29 12:54:53 UTC

This is a valid wish. Compiz has this feature as 'unredirect fullscreen windows' or something like that. Should be doable.

Comment 3 Lubos Lunak 2008-07-02 12:16:51 UTC

*** Bug 165554 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 4 Stefan Majewsky 2008-07-03 19:33:48 UTC

A special comment on Bug 165554: I personally would like compositing to stay on when the screensaver is shown for the fade-in animation of the unlock dialog. Because this is a personal opinion and also related to the screensaver in use, such an option should be configurable.

Comment 5 lucas 2008-07-04 05:43:45 UTC

I'm pretty sure "unredirect" just means to disable compositing for just that one window while keeping it enabled for the rest. This would effectively keep compositing enabled while preventing the black screen problem for some fullscreen applications.

Comment 6 Lubos Lunak 2008-08-04 11:56:39 UTC

*** Bug 168035 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 7 Alejandro Nova 2008-08-18 19:43:53 UTC

The 'unredirect fullscreen windows' feature is what enabled me to play smoothly videos in Compiz, without tearing, and its absence was what bugged me the most about KWin 3 experimental Composite support. The xfce window manager also has this feature. Please, include this feature.

Comment 8 Martin Flöser 2008-08-18 20:28:33 UTC

You can use the shortcut alt+shift+F12 to temporarily disable compositing. Of course it's just a workaround.

Comment 9 Lubos Lunak 2008-08-24 15:35:21 UTC

r851742

Comment 10 Alejandro Nova 2008-08-25 06:08:39 UTC

Lubos, you are great! Thanks!

Comment 11 Harald Nikolisin 2008-09-06 01:16:14 UTC

If I interpret r851742 correct, fullscreen applications should not routed through the composite mechanism (if desktop effect enabled in KDE4), right?

I just updated to KDE 4.1.1 and cannot see that the behaviour changed. Is this patch not incorporated in 4.1.1? When does this patch reach the enduser?

Btw: after this test (it was the X2 benchmark) - I disabled desktop effect and restart the benchmark. Unfortunately the results were as slow as were the desktop effects enabled. To regain full GPU acceleration I had to reboot the computer.

Does anyone had success with disable desktop effects and immediately gain the GPU power?