Arch Linux

lcsavb

Member

Registered: 2025-03-25

Posts: 1

Artefacts, Flickering and sluggishness after updating to gnome 48

Hello,

The problem is solved when I switch to Xorg.
I tried to downgrade mutter with no avail.

Any ideas?
My best option now would be to downgrade gnome completely, yet I am affraid since I do not have snapshots.

Anyway.. I have been using Arch for the past 6 years and it's the first time a full system upgrade breaks something!

Lucas

Last edited by lcsavb (2025-03-25 11:44:15)

tekstryder

Member

Registered: 2013-02-14

Posts: 244

Re: Artefacts, Flickering and sluggishness after updating to gnome 48

Perhaps this?

• https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/issues/3985

You can simply downgrade mutter to 48.rc without any issue.

I would not suggest attempting to downgrade all of Gnome.

EDIT: If you're familiar with building packages, you could try the MR attempting to address the issue:

• https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/- … uests/4359

I suggest building mutter main+4359 to test rather than the 48.0 tag, as there are multiple other fix commits already confirmed... the one's carried in the Arch package.

Last edited by tekstryder (2025-03-25 15:07:01)

tekstryder

Member

Registered: 2013-02-14

Posts: 244

Re: Artefacts, Flickering and sluggishness after updating to gnome 48

The following patch resolves this issue in my case:

diff --git a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-pointer.c b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-pointer.c
index f8218669de..c17d8bc6c7 100644
--- a/src/wayland/meta-wayland-pointer.c
+++ b/src/wayland/meta-wayland-pointer.c
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ struct _MetaWaylandPointer
   gulong cursor_surface_destroy_id;

   MetaCursor cursor_shape;
+  MetaCursorSpriteXcursor *shape_sprite;

   guint32 grab_button;
   guint32 grab_serial;
@@ -1165,11 +1166,14 @@ meta_wayland_pointer_update_cursor_surface (MetaWaylandPointer *pointer)
         }
       else if (pointer->cursor_shape != META_CURSOR_INVALID)
         {
-          MetaCursorSpriteXcursor *sprite;
+          if (!pointer->shape_sprite)
+            {
+              pointer->shape_sprite =
+                meta_cursor_sprite_xcursor_new (pointer->cursor_shape,
+                                                cursor_tracker);
+            }

-          sprite = meta_cursor_sprite_xcursor_new (pointer->cursor_shape,
-                                                   cursor_tracker);
-          cursor_sprite = META_CURSOR_SPRITE (sprite);
+          cursor_sprite = g_object_ref (META_CURSOR_SPRITE (pointer->shape_sprite));
         }

       meta_cursor_tracker_set_window_cursor (cursor_tracker, cursor_sprite);
@@ -1205,6 +1209,7 @@ meta_wayland_pointer_set_cursor_surface (MetaWaylandPointer *pointer,

   pointer->cursor_surface = cursor_surface;
   pointer->cursor_shape = META_CURSOR_INVALID;
+  g_clear_object (&pointer->shape_sprite);

   if (prev_cursor_surface)
     {
@@ -1241,6 +1246,7 @@ meta_wayland_pointer_set_cursor_shape (MetaWaylandPointer *pointer,

   pointer->cursor_surface = NULL;
   pointer->cursor_shape = shape;
+  g_clear_object (&pointer->shape_sprite);

   meta_wayland_pointer_update_cursor_surface (pointer);
 }
@@ -1535,6 +1541,8 @@ meta_wayland_pointer_finalize (GObject *object)
 {
   MetaWaylandPointer *pointer = META_WAYLAND_POINTER (object);

+  g_clear_object (&pointer->shape_sprite);
+
   g_clear_pointer (&pointer->pointer_clients, g_hash_table_unref);

   G_OBJECT_CLASS (meta_wayland_pointer_parent_class)->finalize (object);

Waiting on further testing from other users before an MR is submitted.

If such MR is merged it's very likely to be picked up by the Arch package maintainer with a new pkgrel long before 48.1 is tagged.

Currently running mutter main @53c9e9e9+sprite-caching patch with no known issues.

First mutter regression I've been stung by in years. Crazy that they landed the enablement of the cursor shape protocol AFTER the rc was tagged. Yikes.

tekstryder

Member

Registered: 2013-02-14

Posts: 244

Re: Artefacts, Flickering and sluggishness after updating to gnome 48

There were several duplicate issues filed for this.

• https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/issues/3973
• https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/issues/3985
• https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/issues/3993
• https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/-/issues/3996
• https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-sh … ssues/8306

Fix has been merged, and the issue resolved, on mutter git main now:

• https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/mutter/- … uests/4371

There's talk of an early 48.1 mutter tag that was supposed to take place today. Let's see.

Given that potential tag I'm not going to bother with an Arch GitLab request to add the patch to the package just yet. And, the Arch maintainer is on my upstream report anyhow.

tekstryder

Member

Registered: 2013-02-14

Posts: 244

Re: Artefacts, Flickering and sluggishness after updating to gnome 48

Mutter 48.1 was tagged for release, contains the fix(es) for this, and the package is now in [extra].

OP never replied, and only 1 post, but....

@lcsavb: if you're still around please test and mark this thread [SOLVED] if you cannot reproduce the issue.