Version: (using Devel) OS: Linux Installed from: Compiled sources I'm running the KDE 4.2 beta 2 (4.1.85, Intrepid packages) available from the ppa repository listed at kubuntu.org. If I use any other window manager than kwin, my plasma panels stay above fullscreened windows (note: not maximized). Such windows would include fullscreened browsers like Firefox, but also fullscreened media players, like when watching videos. It occurs if I use emerald, and (having tried for testing purposes) gtk-window-decorator as well. Unknown if kde-window-decorator works, since the Ubuntu package for it depends on KDE 4.1.x's libplasma2, so I can't install it without downgrading kdebase-plasma. How to reproduce: Make sure your panel is set to 'Always visible'. Open up Firefox and hit F11 to fullscreen. Alternatively, open up SMPlayer, load a video and hit F to fullscreen. In either case, the plasma panel will still cover the fullscreened application, instead of catching the window manager "hint" and hiding. As a random mention, the extra "window" that pops up when I push the would-be yin-yang symbol on the right end of the panel - the "window" where I can change the panel's settings, size and alignment - *doesn't* stay above the fullscreened app. So the panel itself and its settings "window" don't exhibit the same behaviour in this regard. kdebase-plasma: Installed: 4:4.1.85-0ubuntu1~intrepid1~ppa1 emerald: Installed: 0.7.2-0ubuntu2 One obvious workaround would be to use kwin, which performance issues keeps me from. Another would be to set the panel to 'Auto hide' or 'Windows can cover', but then *all* applications will cover it, and not just fullscreen windows. Please let me know if you need me to provide more information.
Could you also report your performance issues against kwin? They made huge improvements, and kwin is supposed to be as fast as compiz, knowing more about your kwin problems will perhaps help them (please open a new bugreport for this)
this is a problem with those window managers, not plasma. the panels are marked as always on top dock windows. window managers should know enough to override that for full screen applications.