[Bug 337801] [NEW] Paste function places buffer text in random places in document

[Greg Supina]

Public bug reported:

Currently I am running the 8.04 (Hardy) release, version 2.22.3 (Ubuntu
2008-07-09), kernal 2.6.24-23-386 (#1 Sun Jan 25 23:32:00 UTC 2009), GCC
version 4.2.4 (i486-linux-gnu).

I have run a few versions of Ubuntu over the last 3 or 4 years on a
Compaq Presario with 900 MHz AMD Duron(tm) Processor. And I have always
had this problem while using the Ubuntu Text Editor, any other text
editor, or any word processor. It has been on all versions, so I suspect
it is hardware specific, but have not been able to test it on other
computers.

After I copy or cut some text into the buffer (using Ctrl-C or Ctrl-X),
and after I move the cursor to the place in the document where I want to
paste, then try to paste using Ctrl-V, nothing appears to happen.
However, the paste function has indeed pasted the text as soon as I
pressed Ctrl-V. The problem is that it has pasted all the buffer text
into a randomly chosen location within the document.

The randomly selected paste location is often fairly close to the place
where I want to paste the text, and often a few paragraphs above. But it
can also be absolutely anywhere else, above or below the place where the
cursor is located. To find that randomly placed text, I can use the
search function, or (better yet) press the undo function keys (Ctrl-Z).

If I do not immediately remove the randomly placed text, it will remain
in the document. Thus, many of my documents on the internet have been
partially ruined, and contain some nonsense words, sentences and
paragraphs. For example, if I was cutting and pasting the word
"existentialism," and somewhere else in the document there was the
clause "the dog bit the postman," then the paste function might randomly
place the buffer right in the middle of another word like this: "the dog
bit the postmexistentialisman."

Whenever I see nothing happen after pressing Ctrl-V, I know the paste
Function has placed the buffer text into a randomly selected location
somewhere else in the document. Of course, I cannot see where it has
done this, since It will paste the text absolutely anywhere in the
document, but leave the cursor exactly where I put it in the first
place.

But if nothing happens when I press Ctrl-V, I do not press Ctrl-V again.
Instead, I press Ctrl-Z (undo). That will remove the buffer text which
was randomly pasted somewhere in the document, then move my cursor to
that particular spot. Of course, after this I need to return to where I
was originally working. Since many of my documents are more than 50,000
words, trying to find the place where I was originally working in the
document can be very time consuming and frustrating.

One thing that sometimes helps is if I click and double-click about ten
times on the spot where I want to paste something. When I do that,
chances of successfully pasting the buffer text at the cursor's location
are better, although still not certain.

This bug is very frequent, occurring about half the time I use the cut
and paste function.

But now another similar problem has arisen. Before I updated to 8.04
(Hardy), the search function (Ctrl-F) would never randomly paste what
was in the copy buffer into a randomly selected place in the document.
However, I have seen the search function do this twice while I was using
the Ubuntu Text Editor. I have not seen it do this more than twice,
although it may have done so without my catching it. And I have not yet
seen the search function do this in the Open Office word processor. But
I have confirmed that it has done this in the Text Editor at least
twice.

I don't know if this problem can be fixed, except by getting a new
computer, since I suspect that it might be a hardware problem. But if
there is something I can do about it, I sure would appreciate some help.
This bug has really caused some serious problems at times.

Thanks. Greg.

** Affects: linux-meta (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

-- 
Paste function places buffer text in random places in document
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/337801
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