Windows keep losing focus in Ubuntu 11.10

Further information, I'm using the Unity 2D desktop.

This appears to be fixed now.

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

No, it's not fixed. Unity 3D here, and windows losing focus all the time, specially when switching workspaces.

Yeah, I use Unity 3d ubuntu 11.10 and have the same problem:

I click to some window and interact with it's interface (type smth or click), then I do Ctrl+Alt+Arrow (switch to another workspace), see other windows on that workspace, try to type smth in it, but all my keystrokes goes to other window in previous workspace.
So, I need click to window I need on this workspace or switch by Alt+Tab to that window.
I don't have that problem on 11.04 and Unity.

Also, if this matters, I have 2 displays.

Don't need even to switch workspaces now to lost focus. Just open terminal, open chrome, alt-tab to terminal, and focus is lost. To make matters worse, click-to-focus doesn't work, so i have to resize/maximize/unmaximize the window to recover the focus again.

I can reproduce this bug always. So ask me for whatever info you need to debug it.

I'm not sure it's entirely Unity's fault. I've noticed a whole lot more focus-stealing in gnome-session-fallback in Oneiric Ocelot. Maybe it's related to Gnome 3?

Of course, as soon as I posted that, I found my answer at http://bertrandbenoit.blogspot.com/2011/09/change-window-behavior-to-prevent-focus.html Anyway, I hope you have success in fixing this bug.

This problem is not related to Unity. You also do not have to try any of the reported tricks to lose focus.

I have experienced the bug under Kubuntu (KDE). All I have to do is to type in Konsole. Time to time, the window lose focus and my actual typing probably goes to nowhere. The top bar of the window still indicates that the window is the one having focus but it is not true. Since I use the "Focus follows mouse" setting, all I have to do to fix the situation is to move my mouse to another window and back to actually re-focus the window I was originally working in. I am also sure that my mouse pointer still had been in the original window when it lost its focus.

I have seen that some people reported using two displays. So if it matters, I use two screen setup, too.

Please, set a proper importance level for this bug because working on such a distro is real pain and some serious damages to your work/data could be made.

Is this a dupe of bug 848115?

Looks like this serious bug is not going to be fixed...?

Does anyone here know about some solution? Have you been forced to change your distro? How long does it usually take until ubuntu release get usable? I switched to (K)Ubuntu before 11.10 and I am actually very displeased so try to understand my questions, please. Moreover, I am also affected with bug #907288 which is, in fact, just another deal breaker. I cannot use my desktop seriously.

I've not had the problem I described here since the beta of 11.10. Could it be something you've installed taking focus? Have you tried Ubuntu to see if that does the same as this is likely to be KDE specific where as I was reporting a problem with Unity? I would maybe spin up a live CD and see if it does the same. If not then create a new bug report and make it clear that it is happening on the KDE desktop.

This could be a duplicate of bug 848115 as it does sound similar.

Yes, I am sure the problem is KDE related on my desktop. I gave up on trying to figure out what part of KDE is responsible for stealing the focus. I was trying hard but I did not succeed.

Sorry for stealing your bug report. I do not know how this bug whole tracking system works.

Even the related bug was reported on 2011-09-12 and still is Undecided / Unassigned ... so I am far from creating another one. I will consider switching to Debian. I was prepared for some bugs when I was switching to Ubuntu ... but not for critical bugs making the system almost unusable. I wonder that nobody takes care of them for months.

Btw, thank you very much for your reply.

Hmm, it does sound like you have a different problem. If you go to the top right of this screen you should be able to find the "Report bug" button. I would simply report your problem and state your symptoms and someone will pick the bug up. I think the otherone is undecided because it is incomplete (does not have enough information to diagnose).

If you went through an upgrade path to 11.10 a user on the other bug report suggests installing freshly from a disc resolves the issue. Did you upgrade or install from fresh?

In fact, I cannot give any details about this problem. All I know is that it is KDE related.

This one is a fresh install of Kubuntu 11.10. I did not notice the problem prior to 11.10 and my girlfriend cannot confirm this bug. She uses Kubuntu 11.10 on two screens, too. I have installed / use more things than she do, of course. I cannot figure out what causes this and I do not have the time to start with a minimalistic desktop adding one piece a time. That would take a year.

I have just had the chance to examine the problem because my window lost its focus again. One thing I see interesting ... the window which has lost its focus stays highlighted (e.g. the title bar, opacity ...) as if it were still having focus. It is harder to notice that your active working window lost its focus. It also makes me to think that it is not just some application stealing focus but it is a general KDE problem. -- I am not sure, but if another application steals focus, the active window should lose the decoration aspects of active window.

I'm having the exact same problem as Sergey Prokhorov (also with Unity 3D). Additionally, I don't know if this is related, but when I open nautilus or when it gets opened automatically, it doesn't take focus but it is moved to the front of the screen, so when I go to close it it kills whichever program I was previously working on. These are big usability problems, IMO.

The focus handling in Unity has been rewritten extensively over the last few years. I have not experienced this particular problem in a very long time.

I am going to close this bug. If a similar problem occurs, please report it as a new bug.