Did anyone refile bug for Flash Player shows green/purple in compressed window?

Fri Aug 16 15:45:59 UTC 2013

On 8/16/2013 11:23 AM, Nio Wiklund wrote:
> On 2013-08-16 17:12, John Hupp wrote:
>> On 8/16/2013 10:42 AM, Federico Leoni wrote:
>>>
>>> Em 16/08/2013 11:36, "John Hupp" <lubuntu at prpcompany.com
>>> <mailto:lubuntu at prpcompany.com>> escreveu:
>>>> On 8/14/2013 6:20 PM, John Hupp wrote:
>>>>> On 8/13/2013 4:47 PM, Nio Wiklund wrote:
>>>>>> On 2013-08-13 20:46, John Hupp wrote:
>>>>>>> Here is a fresh summary (with one new result) of the problem on
>>> machines
>>>>>>> with integrated Intel graphics in which Adobe Flash Player 11.2
>>> displays
>>>>>>> only with shades of purple and green in a horizontally compressed
>>> window.
>>>>>>> (My current example is a Dell Dimension 2400 on Raring.)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> In my testing with the Intel driver using its default acceleration:
>>>>>>> - Flash 11.2 works on Quantal with the 3.5 kernel
>>>>>>> - Flash 11.2 works on Raring with the 3.5 kernel **
>>>>>>> - Flash 11.8 works on Raring with the 3.8 kernel (in Chrome)
>>>>>>> - Flash 11.2 fails on Raring with the 3.8 kernel
>>>>>>> - Flash 11.2 fails on Saucy with its default kernel
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Disabling Flash *hardware* acceleration altogether (via R-click
>>> in the
>>>>>>> Flash display window: Settings: General tab) did not fix the problem.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Setting the Intel driver's acceleration method to UXA rather than its
>>>>>>> default SNA *always* fixes the Flash problem, but causes a
>>> garbled login
>>>>>>> screen under LightDM that so far has no workaround.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I also tried one possible fix for the default Intel SNA acceleration
>>>>>>> using the TearFree option.   I created
>>>>>>> /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-intel.conf with contents:
>>>>>>>       Section "Device"
>>>>>>>          Identifier  "Intel Graphics"
>>>>>>>          Driver      "intel"
>>>>>>>          Option      "AccelMethod"  "sna"
>>>>>>>          Option      "TearFree"    "true"
>>>>>>>       EndSection
>>>>>>> But this had no effect.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> There was a helpful bug report on file at
>>>>>>> http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1178982.
>>> (Note that
>>>>>>> it was filed against Linux.)  Workarounds posted there were to change
>>>>>>> the Xorg acceleration method to UXA, or boot with an older
>>> kernel.  The
>>>>>>> bug was closed only because the original poster didn't have
>>> possession
>>>>>>> of the machine anymore.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>> ** Flash sort of works in this case.  The colors and window
>>> dimensions
>>>>>>> are normal.  But there were other odd display-related effects.
>>>   Raring
>>>>>>> booting to a a low-resolution desktop with the mouse pointer
>>> locked.  I
>>>>>>> started Chromium via the keyboard and the flash video played long
>>> enough
>>>>>>> for me to see normal colors/dimensions, but then it locked up the
>>> browser.
>>>>>>> In my interest in testing under Raring with an older kernel, I
>>> initially
>>>>>>> tried to use a Live USB with persistence and follow the
>>> instructions at
>>>>>>> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds for installing older
>>>>>>> Mainline kernels.  But this failed to install/run properly with
>>> the Live
>>>>>>> USB.  And besides, I wanted to use Stock rather than Mainline
>>> kernels.
>>>>>>> So I installed a different hard drive, installed Quantal, then
>>> upgraded
>>>>>>> to Raring.  I suppose if I had run Software Update under Quantal, I
>>>>>>> would have gotten a 3.6 kernel to test as well.  As it was, Raring's
>>>>>>> Software Update did not install a 3.6 kernel, but only the kernel
>>>>>>> updates proper to Raring.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>>>>> Looking at the above behavior of the "black box" without nearly
>>> enough
>>>>>>> technical knowledge, all I can see at this point is that there is an
>>>>>>> adverse interplay between certain versions of the kernel, the Intel
>>>>>>> driver, and Flash.  (And I grant that I have not documented the
>>> versions
>>>>>>> of the Intel driver in the various cases, but no one has given me any
>>>>>>> indication that the Intel driver version is an issue here.)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>> Hi John,
>>>>>>
>>>>>> If I remember correctly, it does not work to install other kernels in
>>>>>> persistent live systems. You can update and or install other program
>>>>>> packages, but not kernels. An installed system on a USB drive will not
>>>>>> suffer from such problems.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Were you able to use that method to update kernels in Raring?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Best regards
>>>>>> Nio
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks, Nio.
>>>>>
>>>>> Though I still haven't tried installing other kernels in an
>>> installed system on a flash drive, today I used the method at
>>> http://wiki.ubuntu.com/Kernel/MainlineBuilds to test other mainline
>>> kernels on the temporarily-installed hard drive I describe above.
>>>   (I'd still like to know if there is a similar archive of stock
>>> kernels somewhere, though perhaps all the stock kernels are right
>>> there, identified by
>>> http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/info/kernel-version-map.html
>>> <http://kernel.ubuntu.com/%7Ekernel-ppa/info/kernel-version-map.html>
>>> <http://kernel.ubuntu.com/%7Ekernel-ppa/info/kernel-version-map.html>.)
>>>>> I found that Flash 11.2 works normally on Raring with the last 3.6
>>> and 3.7 mainline kernels, but fails with the latest mainline kernel,
>>> 3.11.0-031100rc5.
>>>>> Together with my earlier test results (above), this seemed to me to
>>> provide enough indications to file a bug against the kernel, which I
>>> have just done at
>>> http://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux/+bug/1212455.
>>>> After a little back-and-forth concerning my bug report, one of the
>>> Buntu kernel maintainers suggested that I move the bug upstream.
>>>> Step #1 in that process is to send a specifically formatted report
>>> to the email list of the team for the relevant kernel module.  So
>>> after a little research, it seemed that this would be the Intel DRM
>>> Driver.
>>>> The online archive of the thread begins with my email at
>>> http://lists.freedesktop.org/archives/dri-devel/2013-August/043876.html
>>>> Happily for me as regards my time investment on this problem, but
>>> perhaps unhappily as regards fixing the problem, Chris Wilson from the
>>> Intel Open Source Technology Centre rendered this summary judgment in
>>> a reply:
>>>> "It's a flash bug. They ignore the format of the Window that they
>>> PutImage to. (Worse, they create an image of the right depth or else X
>>> would reject the PutImage with a BadMatch and then render incorrect
>>> pixel data into it.)"
>>>> If his assessment is on the mark, and if you have a PC with affected
>>> Intel graphics that you want to display Flash content, it would seem
>>> that the only recourse is to install a supported non-Intel video card.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Lubuntu-users mailing list
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>>>
>>> John,
>>> I'm just wondering... Did you test the closed driver for Intel
>>> integrated video?
>>>
>>> https://01.org/linuxgraphics/
>>>
>>> Just curious to see if it works better...
>>>
>>> F.
>>>
>> No, I didn't have a clue about that option.  I may try it later today.
>>
>> Just after posting above, it occurred to me that there is another
>> question to ask: What about the workaround for the workaround?
>>
>> That is, there is the workaround (setting the Intel driver to use UXA
>> acceleration instead of the default SNA; this fixes the Flash problem
>> but results in a garbled login screen).  But I have wondered if we can
>> work around that with some configuration of LightDM or its GTK Greeter,
>> or if it would be reasonable on affected PC's to replace LightDM with
>> another display manager that might not suffer from the same effect.
>> (And how one would do any of the above.)
>>
>> Most people would have probably given up and gone a different route by
>> now, but I have 4 of these Dell Dimension 2400's here, another couple
>> Dell Dimension cousins that probably also have affected Intel graphics,
>> and one wonders about other machines that may also have affected Intel
>> graphics.
>>
>>
> 1. I think it is worthwhile to try Federico's suggestion with the
> proprietary Intel driver.
>
> 2. Have you tried Xubuntu? Maybe it is enough to try it live to see how
> the graphics work. Or try Debian with XFCE if Xubuntu has too big
> foot-print.
>
> Best regards
> Nio

Beyond playing with LightDM or its Greeter, or even another display 
manager -- and not knowing how to proceed with any of that -- I did also 
wonder about another desktop environment, and Xubuntu is reportedly only 
a little slower/heavier than Lubuntu.  (I've never yet done a thing with 
Debian -- seems like a venture for another time.)

I just had a quick look at Federico's link, which led me to 
https://01.org/linuxgraphics/downloads/2013/2013q2-intel-graphics-stack-release. 
I see that it's not just "a" driver but a whole stack (8 downloads).  
That would be bleeding edge invasive surgery.  I think I would have to 
consult with my clergyman before going that route.