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xscreensaver bug

Graphical Environments, Managers, Multimedia & Desktop questions.
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nrg
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xscreensaver bug

#1 Post by nrg »

Message displayed when xscreensaver is active: This version of XScreenSaver is very old! Please upgrade!

I'm running debian jessie with everything updated, so why is this stupid message popping up each time my computer starts and the screensaver is active? Help on fixing this issue would be greatly appreciated.
Last edited by nrg on 2016-04-01 13:59, edited 1 time in total.

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kiyop
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Re: Annoying: This version of xscreensaver is VERY OLD!

#2 Post by kiyop »

You can find many persons have similar issue.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=this+version+of+xs ... s+VERY+OLD!
There may be some solutions in the above links.
Openbox, JWM: Jessie, Sid, Arch / Win XP (on VirtualBox), 10
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nrg
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Re: Annoying: This version of xscreensaver is VERY OLD!

#3 Post by nrg »

Don't try and be funny, you think that people still don't try and fix the issue first themselves. As you can see there is no debian stable solution. No help at all.

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Re: xscreensaver bug

#4 Post by arochester »

You could always remove xscreensaver and then, if you want to, install a different screensaver e.g. gnome-screensaver, kscreensaver, mate-screensaver, cinnamon-screensaver...

Screensavers are supposed to prevent screenburn. Modern computers probably don't need this ability.

nrg
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#5 Post by nrg »

Thank you for a sensible suggestion arochester, I will see if the other screensavers are of use to me without pulling in too many deps.

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GarryRicketson
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#6 Post by GarryRicketson »

Actually, the first hit in the search has some solution, and after looking at some of the others, the solution is there.
The OP does not even bother to tell exactly which version they are using, nor what Display Manager or Desktop they are using, so it is impossible to suggest a specific solution.
Hint, it does appear for the current stable Debian version , you may have to figure out how to compile the most recent version of xscreensaver, which is for sid, or do some more searches and see what is available,
From one of the "hits"
Well I downloaded source package and compile new version (5.29) manualy.
With this kind of attitude:
Don't try and be funny, you think that people still don't try and fix the issue first themselves. As you can see there is no debian stable solution. No help at all.
, good luck, Kyop is usually one of the most help full members, but with out enough information, and this kind of response, you are quickly destroying
you chances of getting any help.
Thank you Kyop for provideing a good search string, that would be a start for most people.

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GarryRicketson
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#7 Post by GarryRicketson »

Postby arochester » 2016-04-01 08:11

You could always remove xscreensaver and then, if you want to, install a different screensaver e.g. gnome-screensaver, kscreensaver, mate-screensaver, cinnamon-screensaver...
This is a good solution as well, personally , I don't use any screen saver, when I am working I need the screen on, when I am not working I just let it "sleep" or turn the computer off, on older computers there was more need for screen savers, but I don't see any use for them now, so I don't use them.

nrg
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#8 Post by nrg »

Perhaps it could have been worded better, but there was no need to post a response like that using that site especially. I would not have started this thread had I not searched for the issue beforehand. I would like a moderator to remove the thread please.

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GarryRicketson
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#9 Post by GarryRicketson »

I would like an OP to remove the thread please.
I saw the report as well, "It has no use for anybody", but actually it does,
there may be others with the same problem, and the search Kiyop suggested does
yield some use full results, but for those that do not like "google" (that includes me),
I am adding a startpage.com search, it yields pretty much the same.

this version of xscreensaver is VERY OLD

As far as removing the thread, that would be up to a administrator, I am just a spam
hunter, but I think it could be use full to others, and there may some one that wants to
add some more specific details on how to do this:
Well I downloaded source package and compile new version (5.29) manualy.
Which seems to be the only solution, besides upgrading to Sid or Stretch, which is not a very good solution because those are not stable versions, they are testing.
Or as "arochester", suggests, using a different screensaver all together.
So any way, I think the thread does have a use and could be of use to others with
the same problem, and it does seem to be a rather common problem.

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Re: xscreensaver bug

#10 Post by stevepusser »

The correct way to do it is to backport 5.34--it's a trivial backport, you don't need to change anything. A request should be made on the backports mailing list for it to be available in jessie-backports.

For those unwilling to backport it, it's available in the testing MX 15 repo, or the MEPIS 12 repo for a Wheezy base. 5.33 is in main. I'll set up an openSUSE build service repo that'll also have backports for Wheezy and Jessie, that just takes a couple minutes.

Since all released versions of Ubuntu also have nothing newer than 5.30, I also feel a great disturbance must be taking place over on their forums.

The really right way to do it would be to find the code in xscreensaver with the nag message and disable it via a patch, that way Jessie could keep on using a patched 5.30.
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stevepusser
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#11 Post by stevepusser »

Here's the OBS repo instructions, the amd64 build is just finishing, so the packages should be available by the time I post this: https://software.opensuse.org/download. ... creensaver


And slackware has a patch for 5.34 that'll disable the nag screen: http://mirrors.slackware.com/slackware/ ... te.diff.gz

I'll redo my OBS builds to include that patch.

The same code very probably is in 5.30, so the patch just has to be refreshed as necessary for that version.
Last edited by stevepusser on 2016-04-01 17:50, edited 2 times in total.
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kiyop
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Re: Annoying: This version of xscreensaver is VERY OLD!

#12 Post by kiyop »

To nrg,

http://forums.debian.net/posting.php?mo ... 8#pr611875
kiyop wrote:You can find many persons have similar issue.
http://lmgtfy.com/?q=this+version+of+xs ... s+VERY+OLD!
There may be some solutions in the above links.
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php? ... ow#p611878
nrg wrote:Don't try and be funny, you think that people still don't try and fix the issue first themselves. As you can see there is no debian stable solution. No help at all.
I hate such person who tells me "Don't try and be funny".
You can learn and imitate solutions which work for another distribution than Debian.

http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php? ... ow#p611881
arochester wrote:You could always remove xscreensaver and then, if you want to, install a different screensaver e.g. gnome-screensaver, kscreensaver, mate-screensaver, cinnamon-screensaver...

Screensavers are supposed to prevent screenburn. Modern computers probably don't need this ability.
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php? ... ow#p611882
nrg wrote:Thank you for a sensible suggestion arochester, I will see if the other screensavers are of use to me without pulling in too many deps.
The link I posted at the first post of mine in this thread includes the link describing similar things as what arochester supposed:
https://lists.debian.org/debian-knoppix ... 00013.html
You can safely remove the package

apt-get --purge remove xscreensaver

(snip by kiyop)

FYI: xscreensaver consumes about 4.7 Megs of RAM when inactive, and
around 25MB when a OpenGL plugin is running.
You like spoon-feeding like baby ;)

And also,
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+sour ... ug/1406825
Makoto (makotothedragon) wrote:Found a workaround: downloading the latest version from upstream Debian solves the trick.

https://packages.debian.org/sid/amd64/x ... r/download
https://packages.debian.org/sid/amd64/x ... r/download
AMD64 xscreensaver_5.34-1_amd64.deb
You are funny :lol:
Good bye.

To stevepusser,
Thank you for telling the above posts: backport and so on :)

To GarryRicketson,
Thank you for telling the OP importance of searching and giving detail info on his/her problem. :)

To all,
I am irritated by the OP's "Don't try and be funny".
Maybe the OP was irritated by my posting the link to "Let me google that for you" (lmgtfy) site.
I refrain from posting lmgtfy site URL. Instead, I will post the direct link which describe the solution or ignore questions.
Excuse my bothering in this thread.
Last edited by kiyop on 2016-04-01 18:12, edited 1 time in total.
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stevepusser
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#13 Post by stevepusser »

Makoto (makotothedragon) wrote:
Found a workaround: downloading the latest version from upstream Debian solves the trick.

https://packages.debian.org/sid/amd64/x ... r/download
I wouldn't suggest that any Jessie user try a Sid package, especially when they are undergoing the gcc-5 transition. While it may work for some random Ubuntu user, we've seen too many beginners bork their systems by following those kind of instructions. That's why I'm going to the trouble of setting up the repo on OBS.
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kiyop
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#14 Post by kiyop »

stevepusser wrote:I wouldn't suggest that any Jessie user try a Sid package, especially when they are undergoing the gcc-5 transition. While it may work for some random Ubuntu user, we've seen too many beginners bork their systems by following those kind of instructions. That's why I'm going to the trouble of setting up the repo on OBS.
Excuse my misleading.
I intend to suggest using jessie-backports for xscreensaver judging from your former post, or to suggest removing (purging) xscreensaver.
I misunderstand that xscreensaver 5.34 is now in jessie-backports, but I found that it is not: https://packages.debian.org/search?keyw ... creensaver
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JueShire
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#15 Post by JueShire »

Dear all,
despite the fact that screensavers don't fulfil "physically" required services anymore, they can be valuable still.
For instance, when suspending a laptop it can be useful to have the screen locked after resume [or is there another way to do that?].
All the mentioned alternatives of xscreensaver install a lot of unwanted dependencies. So backporting a newer version might be the easiest solution. Patching the source would generate fruitless debates with upstream.

Cheers,
jueshire

M51
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#16 Post by M51 »

JueShire wrote:Dear all,
Patching the source would generate fruitless debates with upstream.
Backporting just pushes the same behavior further down the road and solves nothing.

Given upstream's reluctance to engage in any civilised discourse and basic failure to understand the precepts of free software, I think it's better to patch it. Better yet, fork it completely.

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrepo ... 819703#158

There are a ton of improvements that could be made: The UI is hideously slow and buggy.

M51
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#17 Post by M51 »

Following the debian bug thread there is a patch to fix xscreensaver for those who are interested. :)

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugrepo ... 819703#280

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virgosun
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#18 Post by virgosun »

See it today after downgrading from sid to jessie
How to replace it by gnome-screensaver if I am running xfce?
Thanks

alderaan
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Re: xscreensaver bug

#19 Post by alderaan »

This bug is solved in stable, update your system...

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