When using two displays with different vertical resolution, icons get lost on the shorter display.

Bug #889466 reported by htrex
36
This bug affects 7 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
nautilus (Ubuntu)
Confirmed
Medium
Unassigned

Bug Description

[Problem]
When using two displays with different vertical resolution, icons get lost on the shorter display.

[Test Case]
1. Set up two monitors side by side
2. Set left monitor to a smaller vertical resolution than the right monitor
3. for i in $(seq 1 50) ; do touch file-${i} ; done
4. Right click on desktop to bring up context menu, then 'Organize Desktop by Name'
5. Should be: All icons from file-1 to file-50 (or as many fit on the screen) should be visible
     Is: Icons for files at the top and/or bottom of the arranged columns are not visible on any display
6. xrandr --output LVDS1 --off
7. Verify icons are arranged properly on the external monitor
8. Set up monitors one over the other
9. Verify icons are displayed in long columns spanning both displays with all icons shown

[Original Report]
while this long standing problem has been mitigated with some previous work and patches (eg: #389519) at least keeping the mouse away from the dead area, the desktop behaviour is far from being precise still.

when using a couple of monitors with different vertical resolution, icons can easily get lost on the shortest monitor, to reproduce the bug just put on the shortest monitor enough icons to exceed a single column, click on the desktop with the right mouse button and then "organize desktop by name".

another issue is with compiz corner hotspots bindings, they are never triggered if there's a dead area above or below them, it depends on where your shortest display is aligned in respect of the tallest (top or bottom margin), to reproduce try for example to bind the "Show Desktop" action on a corner of the shortest display.

lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 11.10
Release: 11.10
---
.tmp.unity.support.test.0:

ApportVersion: 1.23-0ubuntu4
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: [core,bailer,detection,composite,opengl,decor,vpswitch,snap,gnomecompat,imgpng,mousepoll,compiztoolbox,wall,grid,move,obs,regex,place,unitymtgrabhandles,resize,animation,workarounds,session,fade,expo,scale,ezoom,unityshell]
CompositorRunning: compiz
DistUpgraded: Fresh install
DistroCodename: oneiric
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.10
DistroVariant: ubuntu
DkmsStatus:
 fglrx, 8.902, 3.0.0-12-generic, x86_64: installed
 vboxhost, 4.1.6, 3.0.0-12-generic, x86_64: installed
 virtualbox, 4.1.2, 3.0.0-12-generic, x86_64: installed (WARNING! Diff between built and installed module!) (WARNING! Diff between built and installed module!) (WARNING! Diff between built and installed module!) (WARNING! Diff between built and installed module!)
ExtraDebuggingInterest: Yes, if not too technical
GraphicsCard:
 ATI Technologies Inc Manhattan [Mobility Radeon HD 5400 Series] [1002:68e0] (prog-if 00 [VGA controller])
   Subsystem: Hewlett-Packard Company Device [103c:1601]
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 11.10 "Oneiric Ocelot" - Release amd64 (20111012)
JockeyStatus:
 xorg:fglrx_updates - ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver (post-release updates) (Proprietary, Disabled, Not in use)
 xorg:fglrx - ATI/AMD proprietary FGLRX graphics driver (Proprietary, Enabled, In use)
MachineType: Hewlett-Packard HP Pavilion dv3 Notebook PC
NonfreeKernelModules: fglrx
Package: xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu7
PackageArchitecture: amd64
ProcKernelCmdLine: BOOT_IMAGE=/boot/vmlinuz-3.0.0-12-generic root=UUID=93cfa569-59f6-4894-8653-97e9e1060ad8 ro quiet splash pcie_aspm=force vt.handoff=7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.0.0-12.20-generic 3.0.4
Tags: oneiric running-unity ubuntu compiz-0.9
Uname: Linux 3.0.0-12-generic x86_64
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)
UserGroups: adm admin cdrom dialout lpadmin plugdev sambashare vboxusers www-data
dmi.bios.date: 07/08/2010
dmi.bios.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.bios.version: F.11
dmi.board.asset.tag: Base Board Asset Tag
dmi.board.name: 1601
dmi.board.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.board.version: 58.1F
dmi.chassis.asset.tag: CNU03411W4
dmi.chassis.type: 10
dmi.chassis.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
dmi.chassis.version: Chassis Version
dmi.modalias: dmi:bvnHewlett-Packard:bvrF.11:bd07/08/2010:svnHewlett-Packard:pnHPPaviliondv3NotebookPC:pvr05A0110000203010000020100:rvnHewlett-Packard:rn1601:rvr58.1F:cvnHewlett-Packard:ct10:cvrChassisVersion:
dmi.product.name: HP Pavilion dv3 Notebook PC
dmi.product.version: 05A0110000203010000020100
dmi.sys.vendor: Hewlett-Packard
version.compiz: compiz 1:0.9.6+bzr20110929-0ubuntu5
version.fglrx-installer: fglrx-installer N/A
version.ia32-libs: ia32-libs 20090808ubuntu26
version.libdrm2: libdrm2 2.4.26-1ubuntu1
version.libgl1-mesa-dri: libgl1-mesa-dri 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental: libgl1-mesa-dri-experimental N/A
version.libgl1-mesa-glx: libgl1-mesa-glx 7.11-0ubuntu3
version.xserver-xorg: xserver-xorg 1:7.6+7ubuntu7
version.xserver-xorg-input-evdev: xserver-xorg-input-evdev 1:2.6.0-1ubuntu13
version.xserver-xorg-video-ati: xserver-xorg-video-ati 1:6.14.99~git20110811.g93fc084-0ubuntu1
version.xserver-xorg-video-intel: xserver-xorg-video-intel 2:2.15.901-1ubuntu2
version.xserver-xorg-video-nouveau: xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 1:0.0.16+git20110411+8378443-1

htrex (hantarex)
description: updated
Revision history for this message
Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi) wrote :

Thank you for taking the time to report this bug and helping to make Ubuntu better. Please run the command 'apport-collect 889466' which will attach necessary information for debugging this as an Xorg problem. Thanks in advance.

tags: added: oneiric
removed: dual-head
Changed in ubuntu:
status: New → Incomplete
affects: ubuntu → xorg (Ubuntu)
Revision history for this message
htrex (hantarex) wrote : BootDmesg.txt

apport information

tags: added: apport-collected compiz-0.9 running-unity ubuntu
description: updated
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htrex (hantarex) wrote : BootLog.gz

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : CurrentDmesg.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : Dependencies.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : DpkgLog.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : GconfCompiz.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : LightdmLog.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : Lspci.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : Lsusb.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : MonitorsUser.xml.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : ProcCpuinfo.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : ProcEnviron.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : ProcInterrupts.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : ProcModules.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : UdevDb.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : UdevLog.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : UnitySupportTest.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : XorgConf.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : XorgLog.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : XorgLogOld.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : Xrandr.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : peripherals.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : xdpyinfo.txt

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htrex (hantarex) wrote : xinput.txt

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Changed in xorg (Ubuntu):
status: Incomplete → New
bugbot (bugbot)
affects: xorg (Ubuntu) → xorg-server (Ubuntu)
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote : Re: dead desktop area using dual monitors with different resolution

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in xorg-server (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Bryce Harrington (bryce)
description: updated
Bryce Harrington (bryce)
description: updated
Changed in xorg-server (Ubuntu):
status: Confirmed → Triaged
importance: Undecided → Low
importance: Low → Medium
tags: added: precise
description: updated
summary: - dead desktop area using dual monitors with different resolution
+ When using two displays with different vertical resolution, icons get
+ lost on the shorter display.
Revision history for this message
Bryce Harrington (bryce) wrote :

Reproduced on Precise using Unity with a LVDS and external monitor. Updated description to define test case.

Thanks for reporting this bug, possibly it is something that needs solved in the window manager rather than X, but it does seem to be deadspace-related so will leave it filed against xserver until it's clearer how this should be addressed.

Two separate issues were reported, the second being a similar but unrelated problem with compiz hotspots. We request that each issue be filed as a different bug report. I'm narrowing this bug report to focus on the first issue; please file a separate bug report (against compiz) about the second problem (I'm not entirely sure how to reproduce it, so it would help if you also wrote a more detailed description of it.)

Bryce Harrington (bryce)
description: updated
Revision history for this message
Bryce Harrington (bryce) wrote :

This is an issue in nautilus that it is laying out the icons improperly. Nautilus knows that the blank area is blank, and just should take that into account when calculating icon positions.

affects: xorg-server (Ubuntu) → nautilus (Ubuntu)
Changed in nautilus (Ubuntu):
status: Triaged → New
Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in nautilus (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Sebastien Bacher (seb128) wrote :

duplicate of bug #57784 or bug #360970

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