followup to self: I just did an experiment, I killed the firefox process, and then started emacs 23. Then the problem symptoms disappeared!! Kjetil <div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, May 13, 2010 at 11:25, Kjetil Halvorsen <<a href="mailto:kjetil1001@gmail.com">kjetil1001@gmail.com</a>> wrote: <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">One BIG problem with ububtu 10.04 (32 bit version) (for me the largest problem!) is that gnu emacs malfunctions! On starting up emacs, (large) parts of the text in the emacs buffers are overwritten by black lines, making the text in the buffer difficult to impossible to read. This showed up after updating to 10.04, then (seemed to) disappear for some days, but today, after running update, reappeared. What to do? Its difficult for me to work without a working emacs! kjetil -- The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of Hell. St. Augustine, De Genesi ad Litteram, Book II, xviii, 37 </blockquote></div> -- The good Christian should beware of mathematicians, and all those who make empty prophecies. The danger already exists that the mathematicians have made a covenant with the devil to darken the spirit and to confine man in the bonds of Hell. St. Augustine, De Genesi ad Litteram, Book II, xviii, 37