KDE 4.10 screensaver locks screen even if it is configured not to!
 

I upgraded my KDE to 4.10 via Alien BOB's packages, and I have noticed something weird going on. Every time my screensaver kicks on, the screen locks as well, although I have the screensaver configured not to. As I understand it, this is a bug in the .0 release. Has anyone else had this problem, and if so, have you come up with a solution? Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

It's a bug: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=310871 with a proposed patch: https://git.reviewboard.kde.org/r/108425/ and I will just wait and see if this will be pushed into the KDE repository.

Eric

Can you please probide a link to the package for KDE 4.10, I will really appreciate it.

Thank you.

You could run xscreensaver directly rather than use KDE's screensaver settings. It has its own built-in screen locker, so is not affected by this issue.

Packages, installation instructions and observations for KDE 4.10.0 are here: http://alien.slackbook.org/blog/kde-sc-4-10-0-released/

Eric

Thanks for the heads-up. I've used the instructions in the XScreensaver FAQ to switch over to xscreensaver until this bug is cleared up (Heck, I might just keep it afterwards if I like it). Since I like Euphoria, I've downloaded the rss-glx screensaver (The 13.37 version works just fine).

KDE 4.10 works!
 

Heck, other than the screensaver/lock issue, KDE 4.10 works beautifully for me. Just my 2 cents.

I think I will apply the patch to the kde-workspace package. I tested it, it fixes the password issue, even if there is still a glitch with the screensaver window somtimes being covered by the locker window.
I need to apply a patch for nepomuk as well, something critical (recursive indexing) is broken in the nepomuk-core package.

Eric

Thanks Eric. I look forward to downloading the new packages.

I uploaded those packages two days ago: http://alien.slackbook.org/ktown/ChangeLog.rss ; http://alien.slackbook.org/blog/two-...kde-sc-4-10-0/

Eric

Does this bug still exist?

Regardless of how I configure my screensaver, my system always acts as though I selected the Locker option. No screensaver appears regardless of which saver I select. Instead the locker dialog always appears. I don't have to enter a password.

I'm using KDE 4.10.1. I notice the kde-workspace-4.10.0_bug_310871.diff.gz patch in Eric's 4.10.1 sources for Slackware 14.0, but the patch is commented out in the build scripts and the respective comment indicates the bug is resolved.

I checked the kscreensaverrc file and the file is updating when I apply changes.

Am I experiencing the same bug or something different? :scratch:

I went back to 4.9.5. I'm using transparent windows, and 4.10's screensaver function doesn't like that. Fortunately, I had the old version on backup, so I restored it. I noticed right off the bat, having had the experience of 4.10, just what 4.9.5 had going for it. Transparent windows don't faze it, and it doesn't suffer from the screen lock issue, so I'm sticking with it for the time being.

Maybe I'm just being naive here, but what exactly does the screen locker function in 4.10 accomplish? Does not 4.9.5 and previous versions have an option for locking your system upon screensaver activation?

I think it's too early for me to upgrade to 4.10 yet. In my opinion, it needs a couple more updates before it performs to my satisfaction.

Just my 2 cents.

I don't know the full debate but there is much debate about screensavers in the KDE world. There are some who want to redesign how they work because with modern LCD monitors the screensaver no longer has the same purpose as in the days of CRT monitors. Second, most screensavers cause rapid change in the screen, which (arguably) causes faster wear-and-tear on the LCD pixels. Thus I believe the argument for going directly to screen lockers.

For myself I don't really care about the debate. I only care that if something is supposed to work then I want to see that feature function accordingly. Right now I know the screensaver is not working correctly on my system.

I know from browsing the KDE bug tracker that although the above patch was applied in 4.10.1, that same bug report contains discussions that not all problems are resolved.

I tested the screensaver with a test account. There the screensaver behaves much like the discussion in the bug report. That is, the screen locker momentarily appears and then the screensaver kicks in. With my normal account the screen locker appears but the screensaver never kicks in.

At this point I'm inclined to think a difference in configuration files since the test account has nowhere the complexity or depth of config files that my normal account has. Other than the kscreensaver config file, I don't now what else might be influencing this buggy behavior.

I found the cause of the screen saver not activating: Enabling "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows" (System Settings -> Desktop Effects -> Advanced) disables the screen saver.

I filed bug report 317156.