Window Previews plugin - incorrect behavior

This bug is specifically for Gutsy Gibbon beta, fully updated as of 10-1-07 6:15pm EST

When a window is minimized it doesn't exist anymore so there is nothing to thumbnail.

The whole point of a preview tab is to show whats minimized. It makes no
sense for this not too be corrected. Not that Vista should be an example of
how ubuntu should do things, but it preview tab shows the preview whether
the app is minimized or not.

On 10/2/07, Travis Watkins <email address hidden> wrote:
>
> When a window is minimized it doesn't exist anymore so there is nothing
> to thumbnail.
>
> ** Changed in: compiz (Ubuntu)
> Status: Confirmed => Won't Fix
>
> --
> Window Previews plugin - incorrect behavior
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/147872
> You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber
> of the bug.
>

This is also the case in the Alt+Tab window switcher and other window switchers.

When using the Shift Switcher plugin (with the Show Minimized option activated), minimized windows occupy slots without showing anything which is confusing.
This is definitely a bug to me.

Proposed solution: The thumbnail could be created when the window becomes minimized and stored in cache.

I just discovered that if you activate the Text plugin, the emblem of the program is shown instead of an empty slot for minimized windows.
This is better than nothing but really ugly as it shows a 64x64 icon magnified to fill 60% of the screen.

Metacity's compositor manages to display minimised windows previews in the Alt-Tab switcher.

This works for metacity's compositor because it displays a static snapshot of the window, which it can save when the window is minimised.

Compiz could do this also, but won't. It's a hack to work around a limitation of the X server, which the upstream Compiz maintainers are resistant to - especially since the X infrastructure for a proper solution is in the pipeline.

This would be a major patch for Ubuntu to carry against upstream compiz. It will be fixed, eventually, by the addititon of extra X infrastructure. That's why this is marked as WontFix.

Hi Chris, can you point me towards a link with a precise discussion of this, I'm curious of the details.

It's been 2½ years now. Is the fix still "in the pipeline"? I've been trying to find information regarding it, but I can't seem to find any.

I can confirm this bug still exists in Maverick. With almost 2½-3 years now, there seems to be no action regarding this 'bug' from the upstream X.org developers.

A workaround to do this has been added to the compiz 0.9 workarounds plugin and will be available in Natty.