I used to be able to run xpenguins-3.0 from source. The code requires a
transparent window to be created. This used to be a problem, but is
supposedly fixed by gcc3 (or gtk3).

After one of my (many) reinstalls, the old message "Cannot create a
transparent window" is back. xpenguins runs, but no toons are visible.
The developer runs xsnow also, with a note that a fix for xpenguins may
be found in xsnow. xsnow gives the same error message, and the display
shows an effect similar to the old xpenguins, where a toon is not
deleted when a new toon is created. Some years ago, I was testing a
Webcam program for somebody else. That too requires a transparent
window, and showed recently that no such window could be created. MATE
seems to have no problem.

I am totally out of my depth here. Is it a case of going back to the
developer?

TIA,

Doug.

On Tue, 04 Oct 2022 19:59:32 -0400, Doug Laidlaw <laidlaws@hotkey.net.au> wrote:

> I used to be able to run xpenguins-3.0 from source. The code requires a
> transparent window to be created. This used to be a problem, but is
> supposedly fixed by gcc3 (or gtk3).
>
> After one of my (many) reinstalls, the old message "Cannot create a
> transparent window" is back. xpenguins runs, but no toons are visible.
> The developer runs xsnow also, with a note that a fix for xpenguins may
> be found in xsnow. xsnow gives the same error message, and the display
> shows an effect similar to the old xpenguins, where a toon is not
> deleted when a new toon is created. Some years ago, I was testing a
> Webcam program for somebody else. That too requires a transparent
> window, and showed recently that no such window could be created. MATE
> seems to have no problem.
>
> I am totally out of my depth here. Is it a case of going back to the
> developer?

Are you running plasma? If so, check systemsettings5/Workspace/
Workspace Behaviour/Desktop Effects, and ensure the Translucency option is
selected.

Regards, Dave Hodgins

On 5/10/22 11:21, David W. Hodgins wrote:
> Are you running plasma? If so, check systemsettings5/Workspace/
> Workspace Behaviour/Desktop Effects, and ensure the Translucency option is
> selected.
>
> Regards, Dave Hodgins
>
Thanks, Dave. No, I am running Xfce, but the fix will be something like
that. I am registered to use the Xfce mailing list. There has been an
upgrade of Xfce to Xfce4. That was a while ago, but I wouldn't have
noticed until now, except that everything worked a week or two ago.

On 6/10/22 16:53, Doug Laidlaw wrote:
> Thanks, Dave. No, I am running Xfce, but the fix will be something like
> that.  I am registered to use the Xfce mailing list.   There has been an
> upgrade of Xfce to Xfce4.  That was a while ago, but I wouldn't have
> noticed until now, except that everything worked a week or two ago.

And there is plenty for Xfce4 when I looked. The simplest answer was at:

https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/how-do-i-disable-built-in-transparency-on-xfce/18480

It says to open "Window Manager Tweaks" which is a separate item on the
main Mageia menu. All the sliders are set at fully opaque. There
doesn't seem to be a slider for the window itself, only 4 covering
everything else, but it seems to have worked for this user. I am
playing around with the settings.

On 6/10/22 17:30, Doug Laidlaw wrote:
> And there is plenty for Xfce4 when I looked.  The simplest answer was at:
>
> https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/how-do-i-disable-built-in-transparency-on-xfce/18480
>
> It says to open "Window Manager Tweaks" which is a separate item on the
> main Mageia menu.  All the sliders are set at fully opaque.  There
> doesn't seem to be a slider for the window itself, only 4 covering
> everything else, but it seems to have worked for this user.  I am
> playing around with the settings.
>
Moving the first slider brought my toons back. It seems to have
introduced other Compositor functions that I would prefer not to have,
but I can live with those. [It isn't New Year, but I have made a
resolution not to rush into print until the end of the story!]

On 6/10/22 17:36, Doug Laidlaw wrote:
> On 6/10/22 17:30, Doug Laidlaw wrote:
>> And there is plenty for Xfce4 when I looked.  The simplest answer was at:
>>
>> https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/how-do-i-disable-built-in-transparency-on-xfce/18480
>>
>> It says to open "Window Manager Tweaks" which is a separate item on
>> the main Mageia menu.  All the sliders are set at fully opaque.  There
>> doesn't seem to be a slider for the window itself, only 4 covering
>> everything else, but it seems to have worked for this user.  I am
>> playing around with the settings.
> >
> Moving the first slider brought my toons back.  It seems to have
> introduced other Compositor functions that I would prefer not to have,
> but I can live with those.  [It isn't New Year, but I have made a
> resolution not to rush into print until the end of the story!]
>
One last problem: xpenguins would start too soon, before there was a
window to use. There was nothing helpful in the journal. I reasoned
that it was starting as soon as X started, so I created an .xinitrc file
and put the command in there, so that it would not be available until
the WM had started. That seems to have worked. [All kinds of things
can go in .xinitrc.]

On 6/10/22 18:57, Doug Laidlaw wrote:
> On 6/10/22 17:36, Doug Laidlaw wrote:
>> On 6/10/22 17:30, Doug Laidlaw wrote:
>>> And there is plenty for Xfce4 when I looked.  The simplest answer was
>>> at:
>>>
>>> https://forum.endeavouros.com/t/how-do-i-disable-built-in-transparency-on-xfce/18480
>>>
>>> It says to open "Window Manager Tweaks" which is a separate item on
>>> the main Mageia menu.  All the sliders are set at fully opaque.
>>> There doesn't seem to be a slider for the window itself, only 4
>>> covering everything else, but it seems to have worked for this user.
>>> I am playing around with the settings.
>>  >
>> Moving the first slider brought my toons back.  It seems to have
>> introduced other Compositor functions that I would prefer not to have,
>> but I can live with those.  [It isn't New Year, but I have made a
>> resolution not to rush into print until the end of the story!]
>>
> One last problem: xpenguins would start too soon, before there was a
> window to use. There was nothing helpful in the journal.  I reasoned
> that it was starting as soon as X started, so I created an .xinitrc file
> and put the command in there, so that it would not be available until
> the WM had started.  That seems to have worked.  [All kinds of things
> can go in .xinitrc.]
>

Sorry, I should have marked my last post with [SOLVED]

Doug.