Hey,
I sometimes have the problem that the steam client freezes AND with it part of my desktop, e.g. the plasma bars and other windows. It is really weird and hard to describe. But for example even if I alt+tab out of steam and then click in another window, the steam window pop ups again...

So I know there are these custom settings in kwin which you can setup. But how? Should I go with "Special Application Settings" or with "Special Window Settings"? And then what do I exactly have to enforce in these rules?

TIA

Sounds like steam grabs the pointer - and like the key to https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=347774

Pointer grabs are not preventable on X11, but you can check whether this is the case at all.
Have xdotool installed and run*

Code: Select all

xdotool key "XF86LogGrabInfo"

The current pointer grab is then logged at the end of /var/log/Xorg.0.log

You can also release the grab, but you'll likely have to configure X11 for this, eg. with a config snippet

/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/10-server.conf

Code: Select all

Section "ServerFlags"
    Option         "DontZap" "false"
    Option         "DontVTSwitch" "false"
    Option         "AllowEmptyInput" "false"
    Option         "AutoAddDevices" "true"
### These are the important ones  - you need to setxkbmap as well inside the session ####
    Option             "AllowDeactivateGrabs" "true" # also run setxkbmap -option grab:break_actions
    Option             "AllowClosedownGrabs" "true"
EndSection


NOTICE!!!!
--------------
Grabs are also performed for security reasons (screenlockers) - while KDE protects you better by having the session server perform the grab when the screen is locked (ie. closing down the grabbing client would just end the session) this is considered a SECURITY THREAT and therefore turned off by default and should remain turned off but for good reasons (eg. developers somtimes enable this when operating with grabs)

* you might have to do from another VT or ssh login - don't forget to "export DISPLAY=:0"

Thanks for your reply luebking, but this is way too complicated for me...

I had hoped there was something I could setup in the kwin rules, but if thats not the case, I think I'll have to live with the occasional freezes...

> I think I'll have to live with the occasional freezes...
I doubt it's a "freeze" - mouse grab sounds quite like caused by "Automatically grab mouse in fullscreen mode" (re-translation)

Semi-OT: I'm a bit too old, but isn't there supposed to be a native steam client anyway?
Is "Steam on Linux" in fact just "steam works in wine"??

>> I think I'll have to live with the occasional freezes...
> I doubt it's a "freeze" - mouse grab sounds quite like caused by "Automatically grab mouse in fullscreen mode" (re-translation)

Well, it only happens when steam freezes, i.e. I can't do anything within the steam client. So the "frozen" steam, "freezes" other parts of my desktop.


> Semi-OT: I'm a bit too old, but isn't there supposed to be a native steam client anyway?
That IS the native client.

> Is "Steam on Linux" in fact just "steam works in wine"??
No, steam does allot of effort towards linux. They even have their own console (steambox) which runs on ubuntu.
However what they do NOT care for, is for blending-in in the DE or using native libs of that linux install. Instead they pack everything by themself. Also the steam client is supposed to look the same cross-os and cross- (linux) desktop, thats why it's so "special" - I guess.