Cursor leaves 'tracks' on page

[irlandes]

On any forum window, or on Evolution compose pages, if I hit the left arrow to back up the cursor to fix something, it leaves a | beside every letter it passes. I thought it was Firefox 1.5, but when I finally installed Evolution, it does the same thing. Firefox 2.0. still does it.

 

If I hit the enter key for a line feed, the tracks go away. Ditto if I minimize the window and then maximize it. Waiting does not seem to affect it. Sometimes the cursor line is invisible, I don't know if that is a clue or not. Opening another application window over the one with the problem, then minimizing it also cleans up the tracks.

 

Kate and Kwrite do not do this. Konqueror Internet browser does not do it.

 

Any ideas? I try to search whenever possible, but don't even know what to call this.

 

Here is an example except I made this with the | key, it looks much worse in actual usage because the spacing is nil: W|h|a|t| h|a|t|h| G|o|d| W|ro|u|g|h|t|?|

 

I sure hope it is something I can configure, because I hate to have to do a new install after a lot of set up is done.

 

Thanks for any help, even knowing what to call it so I can search.

 

 

[moved from Software by spinynorman]

[arctic]

How about updating your box with easyurpmi (link at top right side of page)? You run the RC2 version, which is expected to be buggy. The updates will probably solve your problem.

[irlandes]

I posted this under software. Since I had RC2, I assume, correctly, it was not that far from the final release. Before I could get any useful feedback from final release users, the moderator slammed it over in Cooker, which is roughly the same as deleting it. So, I went somewhere else for help. I must admit it was very tempting not to return and post the solution after being slammed here.

 

Mandriva Official 2007 Free, the final release, had the same problem, which was sort of a foregone conclusion. (RC2 was the last release candidate actually publicly tested. Since Mandriva has admitted in the past they ship Free versions untested, which essentially makes them alphas, and that has been obvious to me, unless they have changed that, the best free download is the last release candidate, which has had at least some testing.)

 

To find this out, instead of other users seeing my posting buried here in Cooker, I finally had to download the Final release, burn it, and install it on another partition.

 

Following suggestions on another forum, I tried changing fonts used by firefox and evolution. No help.

 

I updated to 2.0 firefox. No help.

 

About the time I began to think of a video problem, someone said he had the same tracks with the VESA video driver, and installing NVIDIA driver fixed it.

 

Mandriva Free installer tries to download the correct NVIDIA driver and install it, but it crashed with no explanation. I finally discovered one needs the kernel-source, not the stripped version which I had already.

 

So, the cursor tracks problem is solved on both RC2 and Official Free by installing NVIDIA driver.

 

In the process of struggling with this relatively minor problem, I discovered lots of other problems, again both on Final and RC2.

 

Some examples:

 

1. Firefox often crashes when trying to download files, especially if mirror forces me to use right click to save what it wants otherwise to send to screen.

 

2. The packaging utility in the K-menu reads data base when you select install, or remove, and simply returns to the original screen. Originally, it worked fine.

 

3. When I boot, it mounts all my partitions as I spelled them out, from /etc/fstab but during operation, it loses them, and even df only shows hda7.

 

4. Both RC2 and Final break if you change the theme from Mandriva to KDE-classic, then back to Mandriva. The windows lose their right top corner buttons: Close; Minimize; Change Size, in both themes. If I change to KDE-Classic and reboot completely, then it will work as long as I leave it in KDE-classic. But, Mandriva theme never works again.

 

I have used Mandrake/Mandriva for a long time. 6.5 was pretty cool, if it hadn't been, I would never have become addicted to Linux.

 

7.? was pure crap. I tried installing maybe 50 or 100 times and couldn't even get it to install the mouse and keyboard reliably.

 

8.1 was good. I produced a book on it using LyX. 8.2 was so slow it seemed to freeze, I went back to 8.1

 

9.? had the horrid video problems. I got it working, but had the problem when I shifted from dial-up to network DSL, it would lock up, and even attempting to re-install the kernel didn't fix it, so I'd have to reinstall. Or, maybe that kernel problem (the kernel at that time is what decided where packets went) was 10.0, I can't remember.

 

I still have Mandriva LE 2005 on my old Dell Laptop. It had some bad stuff in it, but over a year's time, I got it mostly working, instead of having to work around stuff.

 

2007 RC2 had some real problems. One was a bug in totem, and file associations type configuration wouldn't change things to mplayer. I had to actually delete the totem files to get it to run radio streaming well.

 

I thought I had it mostly working, until I decided to chase this problem. I now have more problems than when I started.

 

I have tried over the years to move to another distro, but they always seemed for one reason or another to not do the job and with only one computer too small to run multiple partitions, I was forced to go back to Mandrake. SuSe 9.2 cost me $100 and it was so poorly tested it wouldn't even open the KPPP window. The guys who don't travel told me to use, um, wvdial, which is so pathetic you need to carry a list of stuff and reconfig it each time you change numbers. Support was stupid, and told people you needed an external modem, which is totally false, had nothing to do with KPPP bug.

 

I think instead of trying to cope with moderator slams and all these new problems, its' time to try another distro.

 

I am not going to be rash and say I am done with Mandriva. I have tried to escape before and failed, but I am going to use my energy on another distro for a while.

[AussieJohn]

I don't mean to rain on your parade rant but if you use rc2 then it I basically a cooker item. If it were not then why do you think Mandriva would realease an OFFICIAL version if they were the same thing. It does not matter how close the two may be, they are NOT the same thing.

Considering that downloading an rc2 takes exactly the same effort to download the Official, I am amazed that you persist with it.

Rc2 is from cooker and that is that.

The mods did the correct thing in putting your post in Cooker. They are NOT slamming anyone least of all you, but you seem to take it personally. Sad.

There are rules in every organisation, this is just one in MUB.

 

Reflect a little on your manner and you will find more here at MUB prepared to help you.

 

Cheers. John.

[arctic]

I posted this under software. Since I had RC2, I assume, correctly, it was not that far from the final release. Before I could get any useful feedback from final release users, the moderator slammed it over in Cooker, which is roughly the same as deleting it.

"Software" is only for discusing software problems from the stable, official release. ;) The RC2 is nothing more and nothing less than a Cooker snapshot, that is why it was moved to Cooker. FYI, Cooker topics are not buried on this forum, we read them anyways - although not everyone can help on Cooker probs.

 

We move topics around not in order to frustrate users, but in order to keep things organised, so that people find useful information earlier. If someone else has a problem with a RC version, that person will search the Cooker database first, not any other section of this board.

 

I suggested to upgrade your box, because most problems from the RCs are fixed with an upgrade. (checking bugzilla is also useful) In general: If a problem doesn't get solved after updating the box, then feel free to post a new topic.

 

Since Mandriva has admitted in the past they ship Free versions untested, which essentially makes them alphas, and that has been obvious to me, unless they have changed that.

It has been changed. The free and official releases hit the mirror the very same day now. The only difference are proprietary applications that are missing in "free".

 

In the process of struggling with this relatively minor problem, I discovered lots of other problems, again both on Final and RC2.

 

Some examples:

 

1. Firefox often crashes when trying to download files, especially if mirror forces me to use right click to save what it wants otherwise to send to screen.

Cannot be reproduced on my Mdv2007 box. Have you tried creating a blank .mozilla file in your /home directory? It sounds like a borked config file to me. Check if you get error messages when you run Firefox from a terminal.

 

2. The packaging utility in the K-menu reads data base when you select install, or remove, and simply returns to the original screen. Originally, it worked fine.

Same here: Run the application from a terminal and watch for error messages.

 

3. When I boot, it mounts all my partitions as I spelled them out, from /etc/fstab but during operation, it loses them, and even df only shows hda7.

Please post your fstab and the output of "chkconfig"

 

4. Both RC2 and Final break if you change the theme from Mandriva to KDE-classic, then back to Mandriva. The windows lose their right top corner buttons: Close; Minimize; Change Size, in both themes. If I change to KDE-Classic and reboot completely, then it will work as long as I leave it in KDE-classic. But, Mandriva theme never works again.

Again: Try with new config files ( .kde etc) and test if that helps. If not, check Mandrivas bugzilla. If there is no entry yet, submit a new bug.

 

I am not going to be rash and say I am done with Mandriva. I have tried to escape before and failed, but I am going to use my energy on another distro for a while.

Give another distro a shot if you want. As you have probably seen, many of us use a different distro already (for different reasons). ;) If you need help with a new distro, just ask. We will help you as best as we can.

 

BTW: We are not an official Mandriva-channel, so we can only try to help as best as we can as a community. For complaints against Mandriva, use their official forum or send them your opinion using their feedback-tool on their homepage B) .

[irlandes]

Thank you for explaining your very important rules, but I do not plan to be here again. I have finally dumped Mandriva for its many serious failures on almost all versions after using it exclusively 1999.

 

Let me inform you that on the same computer Kubuntu 6.10 there are no cursor tracks even without NVIDIA driver installed, thus proving the problem IS indeed a Mandriva problem, not a video card problem. Kubuntu also has none of the other problems that both Mandriva RC2 and Final Release have; also none of the problems that 2005 had. None of the problems that 10.0; 9.1; 8.2; and 7.x had. I had real good luck with 8.1, even produced a book with it. My first, 6.5, was also real good. Except for 7.x inability to find both mouse and keyboard in install, 8.2 running very slowly when 8.1 had worked okay, and 9.x tendency to lose its ability to switch between network Internet and dial-up, I was able to fix most problems eventually, but they shouldn't have been there in the first place. I kept on with Mandriva in spite of continuous problems, because of its really great partitioning tools and installer.

 

Kubuntu is the first distro I have installed since 8.1 that works the way its supposed to work without lots of repairs. It was bit harder to install only because I didn't have any experience with it, but after it was installed it simply worked, something I haven't seen in maybe 5 years with Mandriva, and future installations will be easy now that I know how. I will probably keep a Mandriva CD #1 around for partitioning.

 

In the end, the same problems I described in RC2 exist also in Final Release. Do you guys realize you are claiming that Mandriva makes significant changes in its Final Releases without any significant testing? I don't agree, since RC2 and FR had identical problems, but that's what you are saying, isn't it?

 

Well, you're not just saying it. It's official forum policy that the last RC shall be considered totally different from the Final Release, right? That sure doesn't say much for Mandriva, does it?

 

Also, it is interesting that because of your very important rules, I had to obtain a solution for the identical problems on both RC2 and Final Release on another forum, and on Mandriva Users Org, which is where one would expect to find help on Mandriva problems, I only got lectured on very important rules.

 

My only regret is coming back to supply the solution. That was a serious mistake.

 

>>We will help you as best as we can.

 

Under the circumstances, I consider that sort of a sick joke.

Edited January 27, 2007 by irlandes

[spinynorman]

Do you guys realize you are claiming that Mandriva makes significant changes in its Final Releases without any significant testing?

We don't make that claim at all. Mandriva releases an RC2 so that people can test it. Mandriva doesn't provide support for RCs, neither do we.

 

Well, you're not just saying it. It's official forum policy that the last RC shall be considered totally different from the Final Release, right?

We don't have or need an official forum policy on this. How could anyone expect the last RC to be totally different to the final version? :huh: