Latest upgrade to XFCE desktop may render the Desktop non-usable

[jazcykel]

OpenSuSE 13.2. A WARNING for XFCE desktop users.

I experienced this yesterday: The latest upgrade to XFCE desktop will not work with the 'branded' SuSE desktop image (what installs as default from the DVD image). If you have the 'branded SuSE desktop image' as your desktop background, before installing the upgrade, you will need to switch to the 'native' XFCE desktop image (the light greyish-blue one with the sweet mouse in the middle :-) ) or a desktop background with just a color scheme. If you don't, you won't have a functional desktop at all after installing the upgrade . :-( .

But you can still use the 'panel'(s) and 'start menu'. So you are not helpless. There must be some way to edit some file to recover back to a desktop background that works. But I just don't know how. I simply and immidiately reverted to the snapshot created by the btrfs filesystem using "Snapper" when I fell in this trap. Then I read the zypper/YaST conflict messages properly next time and understood what the problem was.

An update fixing this should appear soon, hopefully. You can still execute zypper from commandline or launch the YaST GUI and apply the fix when available. And the problem is more a cosmetcial problem than real one. So my advice: don't panic - wait for the fix or documentation to appear on how to recover by editing some file defining the XFCE desktop settings to not use the 'branded SuSE desktop image' for your desktop background.

[nrickert]

See also the earlier thread: 13.2 Xfce software update failing

Best advice is to not install this update. You should have received a conflict warning. Using either Yast or zypper, there should have been choices on how to deal with it. Select the option "Do not install openSUSE-2014-720-1".

As far as I know, Apper won't install. I tried "zypper up" and it did not try to install this patch.

I expect this to be fixed within a day or two. When you stop getting conflict messages, it should be safe to install.

[jazcykel]

The file storing the desktop settings must be /home/{username}/.config/xfce4/xfconf/xfce-perchannel-xml/xfce4-desktop.xml

Mine looks like (hopefully it will be formatted properly in the browser)

<channel name="xfce4-desktop" version="1.0"><property name="backdrop" type="empty"><property name="screen0" type="empty"><property name="monitor0" type="empty"><property name="image-path" type="string" value="/usr/share/wallpapers/xfce/default.wallpaper"/><property name="last-image" type="string" value="/usr/share/wallpapers/xfce/default.wallpaper"/><property name="last-single-image" type="string" value="/usr/share/wallpapers/xfce/default.wallpaper"/><property name="image-show" type="bool" value="false"/><property name="color1" type="array"><value type="uint" value="6950"/><value type="uint" value="27917"/><value type="uint" value="29010"/><value type="uint" value="65535"/></property></property></property></property><property name="desktop-icons" type="empty"><property name="icon-size" type="uint" value="32"/></property><property name="last" type="empty"><property name="window-width" type="int" value="488"/><property name="window-height" type="int" value="484"/></property></channel>

This defines a uniform-colored desktop background using a somewhat-greyish-turqoise background (looking very much similar to OS/2 v3 - if some of you here were not vegetables 20 years ago!). If you have been trapped in this bug, I think you can just update the file on your system to look like this and reboot, and the desktop will again be functional.


(and - with hindsight - if you are affected,you cannot recover with "snapper" if you have not added /home to the file system considered by btrfs snapshots (/home is excluded as default). And you cannot either, of course, if you are not using btrfs for /home (default partitioning is btrfs for "/" and xfs for /"home". However I did not create a separate partitiion for /home and everthingis btrfs here except for /swap)

[jazcykel]

I did receive a conflict warning with a number of resolution proposals. And the resolution was to uninstall the 'branded SuSE desktop image' for XFCE. It works fine. But before applying the update you will of course then need to use another desktop background. If you don't, you won't have a desktop anymore!

But you are right that best option for users who did not yet apply this update, should wait (and it should be withdrawn ASAP, IMO). But those already affected may try my workaround. And many people will undoubtedly upgrade without reading this thread (and the other, you linked to).

[nrickert]

I did receive a conflict warning with a number of resolution proposals. And the resolution was to uninstall the 'branded SuSE desktop image' for XFCE. It works fine. But before applying the update you will of course then need to use another desktop background. If you don't, you won't have a desktop anymore!

Most likely, the upstream branding would have then been installed. That gives a different appearance to the XFCE desktop, and was perhaps incompatible with your settings.

Whenever there are conflicts when installing an update, the best advice is to not install that update at all.

Sometimes the conflicts will be due to other software you may have installed. And maybe you will need to think about what to do. If the only conflicts are with standard opensuse software from the standard repos, then somebody made a mistake preparing that update. So best is to skip it until the problem is fixed, and maybe start a bug report if there isn't already one. (In this case there is a bug report, and steps to fix the problem seem to be under way).

[jazcykel]

I don't disagree.

But simply unstalling a background image for the desktop also worked in this case (and for all users). This was the 2nd option in the resolution proposals. And most people will probably accept 1st option (was was to remove some libraries).

[conram]

I did an update yesterday. i saw those warnings too.
I proceeded after accepting some of the conditions/warnings.
Still it turned out well. Maybe the repo from x11/xfce did help a bit
because i am using that repo for my xfce.

[jazcykel]

There is a patch available now. It does not bring back the 'branded OpenSuSE desktop background image for XFCE desktop' that I uninstalled in order to resolve the conflict last week.


But I have plenty of images, so no problem!