VNC'ing into gnome-session-flashback (Metacity) in non-shared desktop mode causes Super+KEY pressed behavior

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/vnc4/+bug/658723

Dmitry: can you add small patch to metacity? it will make sure that keys without modifiers are not grabbed.

https://git.gnome.org/browse/metacity/commit/?id=5aeae2fcc6763839333372086ee2825d40f0d7b4

This bug was fixed in the package metacity - 1:3.14.3-1ubuntu7

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metacity (1:3.14.3-1ubuntu7) vivid; urgency=medium

  * Brown paper bag upload.
  * Fix the previous upload to use the function name from metacity 3.14
    (keysym_name, not keysym_to_string).
 -- Dmitry Shachnev <email address hidden> Thu, 09 Apr 2015 14:50:18 +0300

Hello Christopher, or anyone else affected,

Accepted metacity into trusty-proposed. The package will build now and be available at http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/metacity/1:2.34.13-0ubuntu4.1 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

This fix looks good to me. Thanks!

I have tested metacity 1:2.34.13-0ubuntu4.1 and while the s key now works correctly (no longer opens the Applications menu), the Super (Windows) key no longer works. For example, Windows+Tab no longer switches between application windows.

I uninstalled the trusty proposed metacity, libmetacity-private0a + metacity-common, and reinstalled the current 1:2.34.13-0ubuntu4 versions to verify that the Windows key actually did work before the proposed patch.

Some may say that the Super key not working is a much smaller problem than the s key always opening the Applications menu.
I'd be OK with not being able to use the Super key but maybe others would consider this a serious regression.
I'll leave it to others more qualified to decide if this should be flagged as verification-done or verification-failed.

My testing was done using Windows 7 Remote Desktop Connection to connect to a Ubuntu 14.04.2 machine running xrdp.
The Ubuntu machine is a client vm of a VMware vSphere host.

Chris Good: Does application switching "works" only pressing Tab (with 1:2.34.13-0ubuntu4 version, where fix is not added)?

Well fix does what it is supposed to do - prevents binding only keys without modifiers.

For me on ubuntu 14.04 with default configuration Alt+Tab and Super+Tab does same thing. For testing I am using Remmina to connect to ubuntu 14.04.

Without fix:
s - opens menu
Tab - switch between last two applications?

With fix:
s - does not open menu. Super + s is supposed to open, but it does not work.
Tab - no longer switch. Alt+Tab works, Super + Tab does not.

Main problem is this - could not find XKB extension. Because of this metacity fails to get modifier for Super key (and other keys). I would say that vnc simply needs to support xkb. Of course this might be fixed in metacity if it is possible to get modifiers without xkb extension. But I have no time to search for solution.

I will set to verification-done since proposed fix does what it should and is already reported by two testers.

Hi Alberts,

Yes, Super+Tab only works before patch is added. It doesn't work after patch is added.
As you said, Alt+Tab is an alternative for Super+Tab.
I've done some more testing of Super key shortcuts using shortcuts from
https://help.gnome.org/users/gnome-help/stable/shell-keyboard-shortcuts.html.en

The only other shortcut that worked in the unpatched metacity in the problem scenario, is Super+Shift+TAB, and Alt+Shift+Tab is an alternative.

As there are alternatives for the 2 Super key shortcuts that worked in the unpatched metacity in the problem scenario, there should be few (or no) objections.

Thanks for your help.

This bug was fixed in the package metacity - 1:2.34.13-0ubuntu4.1

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metacity (1:2.34.13-0ubuntu4.1) trusty; urgency=medium

  * Backport upstream patch to not grab keybindings without modmask
    (LP: #1440570, thanks to Alberts Muktupāvels).
 -- Marc Deslauriers <email address hidden> Sun, 26 Apr 2015 12:21:17 -0400

The verification of the Stable Release Update for metacity has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.