12.1 KDE no panel transparency

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1

I just updated to 12.1 from 11.4 via zypper dup.
Nvidia binary blob is installed. KDE is as shipped.

I seem to have lost the panel transparency somehow. Looking in desktop effects transparency is enabled.
I must be looking in the wrong place or have some other issue causing this. What am I doing wrong here?

2

Try a different desktop theme.
When I updated to kde4.8 I ran in to this.
Currently slim-glow works for me

3

What is a good safe theme? I have always used the default (Oxygen?)
This is new territory for me.

4

If you install the package kdeartwork4-desktopthemes

Oxygen is good but no transparency for me ATM
Slim-Glow

Just try them. I prefer the darker panel, hence my choice. Some like Air.

5

Installed and selected Slim-Glow but now the panel is black and still not transparent? Not sure what is going on here.

6

Test a new user

7

I nuked .kde4 and no joy. I really don’t want to create a new user. This is my daily driver and all my data (quite a lot) is tied to this user and this UID (500)

How can I confirm that the Nvidia drive is indeed being loaded? nomodeset is being passed at bootup. But the Nvidia splash screen has not been reliably passed on boot on openSUSE in ages.


# Modified by YaST2. Last modification on Sat Feb 25 23:49:08 PST 2012
# THIS FILE WILL BE PARTIALLY OVERWRITTEN by perl-Bootloader
# For the new kernel it try to figure out old parameters. In case we are not able to recognize it (e.g. change of flavor or strange install order ) it it use as fallback installation parameters from /etc/sysconfig/bootloader

default 0
timeout 8
##YaST - generic_mbr
gfxmenu (hd0,0)/boot/message
##YaST - activate

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: linux###
title Desktop -- openSUSE 12.1 - 3.1.9-1.4
    root (hd0,0)
    kernel /boot/vmlinuz-3.1.9-1.4-desktop root=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-WDC_WD5000AADS-00S9B0_WD-WCAV95847745-part1 resume=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-WDC_WD5000AADS-00S9B0_WD-WCAV95847745-part1 splash=verbose showopts nomodeset vga=0x31a
    initrd /boot/initrd-3.1.9-1.4-desktop

###Don't change this comment - YaST2 identifier: Original name: failsafe###
title Failsafe -- openSUSE 12.1 - 3.1.9-1.4
    root (hd0,0)
    kernel /boot/vmlinuz-3.1.9-1.4-desktop root=/dev/disk/by-id/ata-WDC_WD5000AADS-00S9B0_WD-WCAV95847745-part1 showopts apm=off noresume edd=off powersaved=off nohz=off highres=off processor.max_cstate=1 nomodeset x11failsafe vga=0x31a
    initrd /boot/initrd-3.1.9-1.4-desktop
8

Here is some more info. On my testbox it has no X11 listing at all in hardware. I note that the server X11 is nv not nvidia. I think that may be the problem but on this machine in xorg.conf nothing points to the nv driver.
Konqueror says the driver is nvidia. How would I change that 11X server to nvidia?

http://www.slhess.com/pictures/video-hardware2-26-12.png

9

I created a alternate user and logged in to that account. The same issue. I have a gray panel and no transparency even when changing to the suggested theme.

10

Found this message in /var/log/zypp/history I have no clue as to what it means of if it has any impact on my lack or transparency and an inability to run two games that call openGL. The games play fine on my test box and I have transparency on it.


2012-02-26 18:26:51|install|nvidia-gfxG02-kmp-desktop|290.10_k3.1.0_1.2-12.1|x86_64|root@fuuyuu|download.nvidia.com-opensuse_1|72941e3aa1e334348928f2a0535c863fac919078
2012-02-26 18:26:52|install|nvidia-computeG02|290.10-13.1|x86_64|root@fuuyuu|download.nvidia.com-opensuse_1|b665b89da898c81ccae90639cf9d6d73c2154253
# 2012-02-26 18:26:58 x11-video-nvidiaG02-290.10-13.1.x86_64.rpm installed ok
# Additional rpm output:
# Warning! MD5DIR is not set: you probably called this script outside SuSEconfig...!
# Using MD5DIR="/var/adm/SuSEconfig/md5"...
# No changes for /etc/X11/xdm/Xservers
# No changes for /etc/X11/xdm/xdm-config
11

It looks ok to me
Are effects working normally otherwise?

Try this.
Go to the system settings for kde (make sure you are using slim-glow)
turn effects off > apply
logout and back in
Now use this key combo: Alt+SHIFT+F12

What happens

12

Yes all the expected and unexpected desktop effects worked previously as far as I could tell.

Very magical. I have transparency now. after making the changes and logging back in. Thanks a bunch. I’ll adjust to the theme fairly soon. I turned desktop effects on in Personal Settings again. Hopefully that will not have to be undone.
Thanks hugely.

13

If you try switching effects on in the settings and see if it sticks. The key combo is toggle on/off
I didn’t try going back to switch it on in the settings, because I have it off most of the time.

14

I got panel transparency lost sometimes using light theme series.

the fix is easy.

  1. ctrl+alt+1 to console and ctral+alt+7 back to desktop
  2. alt+shift+f12 disable transparency and again turn it on.
  3. right click on desktop “unlock elements” then click on panel settings. adjust the height of panel by a litte bit pixels. it’ll be transparent.

all are my self experiences. if you’re pretty sure your nvidia driver is okay. you may have a try.

Hope that help

Marguerite

15

Switching effects on didn’t seem to impact it. It also enables and disables in the oxygen theme for me.

I knew the panel height trick from 11.1 MargueriteSu. I had tried it but nothing I did impacted transparency. Even if you have desktop effects enabled if they think they are somewhat off some how no transparency.