Must stop Firefox from hijacking my computer!

[boothruwindow]

Seriously, that's just what it's doing, and it's getting to be really infuriating! The F11 key becomes my one escape route, when it loses the Linux window control buttons, and refuses to yield my taskbar (whatever it's called in Linux) when I mouse over it to see which programs are open. It can be 20 seconds or more before my pressing of that F11 key is acknowledged, and then I must cycle past the Full Screen option before getting my buttons back - that's not unacceptable, it's ridiculous!

I have used Firefox as a Windows user since it first existed, and never seen it, nor any program, behave like this. I have been in the habit of leaving my browser on Maximized, so perhaps somebody thought they had a bright idea, and implemented it only for the Linux Ubuntu version. Well, I did notice there is an Ubuntu addon, which must have been added by the repository developers - it wasn't added by me, and nobody else uses my machine. Whatever the cause, it's driving me absolutely nutz - it must go! Please, pleeeeeze help!

Thanks.

[L4Linux]

Do the window controls get lost only in Firefox or has it happened to other applications as well?
It seems like a bug in the "windows decorator".
So, do you have 3d desktop effects(Compiz) enabled? Disable them to see if it fixes your Firefox issue. System->Preferences->Appearance->Effects tab, select none.

[graphicks]

Do the window controls get lost only in Firefox or has it happened to other applications as well?
It seems like a bug in the "windows decorator".
So, do you have 3d desktop effects(Compiz) enabled? Disable them to see if it fixes your Firefox issue. System->Preferences->Appearance->Effects tab, select none.

There is also a menu item under the 'Compiz Config Settings' called "Workaround" that has an item inside for "Firefox menu fix". You will first have to add the "Compiz Config Settings Manager" via "Add / Remove". But this will only help if that is the cause of the problem. Try L4Linux's suggestion. If it helps and you want the effects, then try the 'Settings Manager'.

[boothruwindow]

Do the window controls get lost only in Firefox or has it happened to other applications as well?
It seems like a bug in the "windows decorator".
So, do you have 3d desktop effects(Compiz) enabled? Disable them to see if it fixes your Firefox issue. System->Preferences->Appearance->Effects tab, select none.

I have no idea what Compiz is. The problem has been exclusive to Firefox, running in Ubuntu.

[graphicks]

I have no idea what Compiz is. The problem has been exclusive to Firefox, running in Ubuntu.

Compiz is what makes Linux (including Ubuntu) look so nice with all the 'special effects' on the windows (such as the desktop cube, wobbly windows, fading or burning windows as they leave the screen, etc). Just follow L4Linux's suggestion using the menus (System > Preferences > Appearance). Then there is a tab at the top of that open window titled "Visual Effects". Under that tab are three choices. Choose the one at the top ("None"). Then close the window, and see if your problem is solved. You won't have fancy effects, but everything should work.

[boothruwindow]

Compiz is what makes Linux (including Ubuntu) look so nice with all the 'special effects' on the windows (such as the desktop cube, wobbly windows, fading or burning windows as they leave the screen, etc). Just follow L4Linux's suggestion using the menus (System > Preferences > Appearance). Then there is a tab at the top of that open window titled "Visual Effects". Under that tab are three choices. Choose the one at the top ("None"). Then close the window, and see if your problem is solved. You won't have fancy effects, but everything should work.

That works, thanks to all!

I don't have anything Compiz on my System > Preferences path, is that one more thing I should download through Synaptic?

[larryfroot]

Glad you got a result!

If you want to add to the pizazz then a trip to synaptic to download the compiz settings manager is a must. I can't quite remember the exact name of it, but searching for 'compiz' (without the ' ' marks) will bring it and a lot of other compiz related stuff up.

Just to add that sometimes the window decoration...ie the bar that runs along the top of applications and has the minimise, maximise and close buttons can get its knickers in a twist when those window decorations are supplied by emerald rather than by the standard metacity window decorations.

What the dickens is Emerald? Emerald supplies some beautiful and configurable window decorations, usually with a degree of transparency thrown in. To use it you would need to

sudo apt-get install emerald

in a terminal.

Emerald themes can be downloaded from gnome-look.org

But sometimes for some people, the window decoration can be conspicious by its absence.

An easy way to switch between compiz (the fancy stuff) and metacity (the good old solid default) is to get hold of fusion-icon, a little applet - type of jobbie that, when started via the menu under applications/System Tools, appears as a little icon on your top panel.

To get it type

sudo apt-get install fusion-icon

in a terminal

When downloaded and started, right clicking on it brings up various options that switches emerald and metacity and compiz and metacity with ease and convenience. I like to have it on my desktop all the time, so I plonked it into System/preferences/sessions. Just start up the sessions app and click on add.

Then give your new launcher a descriptive title and comment, and for the command simply type

fusion-icon

That way it automatically starts when you log in, and supplies you with a tool that provides a swift solution to a few of the issues that might arise using compiz.

Its also worth checking out your video playback when compiz is on and when metacity is running instead. If there is a noticeable difference between the two you may need to change your media players video output to X11. On older hardware this may overpower the systems video resources and playback will be nearly as choppy as the default output in comiz! But a reasonably powered machine should be able to handel the X11 output with compiz running as well.