Package: gnome-core
Severity: normal
Version: 1.4.0.5
Synopsis: panel sometimes sending _WIN_LAYER ClientMessages to xscreensaver
Bugzilla-Product: gnome-core
Bugzilla-Component: panel

Description:
I've not been able to reproduce this myself, but I have reports
that sometimes (possibly depending on the order in which panel
and xscreensaver are respectively launched) users will get into
a state where, every time the mouse is moved into or out of the
panel, a ClientMessage will be sent to xscreensaver, causing
it to complain:

  xscreensaver: unrecognised ClientMessage "_WIN_LAYER" received
  xscreensaver: for window 0x2c00039 (panel_window / Panel)

This won't affect xscreensaver's functioning -- it just ignores those
messages -- but presumably, those messages are being sent for
a reason, and if xscreensaver is getting them, then their intended
recipient is *not* getting them.  I assume that's a Bad Thing, but
I don't know in what way.

Presumably this has something to do with the fact that, while the
screen is blanked, xscreensaver impersonates a virtual root window.
However, the SWM_VROOT properties are *removed* from the
xscreensaver window when the screen is not blanked -- and also,
the xscreensaver window is occasionally deleted and re-created.

So if panel is holding on to a cached copy of what it believes to
be the virtual root window, it's going to lose.  I'm guessing the fix
here is to kill that cache.

Richard Whelan <richard.whelan@zipcom.com> is the guy who
reported this to me.  He may have more info if you need it.




------- Bug moved to this database by unknown@bugzilla.gnome.org 2002-02-11 23:06 -------

Reassigning to the default owner of the component, panel-maint@bugzilla.gnome.org.