Xfce Forum

BFG

Member

Registered: 2018-06-06

Posts: 29

20.04 Which XCFE screensaver, screen lock and power combinations best?

By best I mean most stable and reliable.

Last edited by BFG (2021-03-13 12:57:45)

BFG

Member

Registered: 2018-06-06

Posts: 29

Re: 20.04 Which XCFE screensaver, screen lock and power combinations best?

Possibly my thread title isn't the best.  I have a number of problems on several fresh build where things seem to fight.

Biggest problem is screens are staying on and wasting energy.

Display doesn't enter sleep at all, or,
Display goes to sleep but then immediately wakes up again.
System sleep mode (suspend) doesn't work.

If I test with:
xset dpms force off

The monitor sleeps, 10 seconds later monitor wakes and screensaver is active. Move mouse and desktop comes back.

Last edited by BFG (2021-03-14 12:26:17)

denyer

Member

From: UK

Registered: 2018-10-20

Posts: 63

Website

Re: 20.04 Which XCFE screensaver, screen lock and power combinations best?

If you chain commands so that the screen is locked before turning off the monitors, does it work?

xflock4 && xset dpms force off

Personally I uninstalled xfce4-screensaver and used light-locker and xfce4-power-manager to manage things.

BFG

Member

Registered: 2018-06-06

Posts: 29

Re: 20.04 Which XCFE screensaver, screen lock and power combinations best?

OK I found the problem. There's a bug where install of xubuntu-desktop to a fresh Ubuntu 20.04.2 is not a clean experience.
I've had this on a few fresh builds now and it's been driving me crazy.  I can fix a login from wake problem by removing light-locker, but still screensaver gave problems.

https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+sour … ug/1875025

It turns out if you add xubuntu-desktop
- It does not remove light-locker
- xscreensaver still gets installed via some dependency

I guess people will recommend xubuntu ISOs, but to my mind it is better if any method works.

BFG

Member

Registered: 2018-06-06

Posts: 29

Re: 20.04 Which XCFE screensaver, screen lock and power combinations best?

Spoke to soon.

Now an old problem has come back.  Display goes to sleep, 10 seconds later it wakes up again and stays on indefinitely. 
None of this happens on default gnome ubuntu.

BFG

Member

Registered: 2018-06-06

Posts: 29

Re: 20.04 Which XCFE screensaver, screen lock and power combinations best?

I did a fresh install from Xubuntu iso 20.04.02. No improvement.

The HDMI screen will not sleep. No combination of settings achieves anything.
This is also true on a LiveUSB.  Same on multiple hardware.

sudo apt reinstall xfce4-power-manager
no improvement.
Running xfce4-power-manager as root - no improvement.

Removed xscreensaver from autostart  despite it not being installed.
No improvement

Trying diag from this thread. https://forum.xfce.org/viewtopic.php?id=11387

Tried debug.  Kill with:

xfce4-power-manager -q

run in debug with:

xfce4-power-manager --debug --no-daemon

On start, saw:

TRACE[xfpm-polkit.c:363] xfpm_polkit_check_auth_intern(): Action=org.freedesktop.login1.hibernate is authorized=FALSE

Then after time (but sooner than the 1 min I had set):

TRACE[xfpm-polkit.c:241] xfpm_polkit_free_data(): Destroying Polkit data

So, explored this, where xfce polkit is missing.
https://wiki.debian.org/Xfce-power-mana … leshooting

No improvement.

On a whim, I tried denyer's approach and installed light-locker even though it's been dropped.
And wow. Suddenly the screens sleep.

All is well? No.  The option of lock = "Never" does not work. The screen will now sleeps, but will not remain unlocked.
(This PC has a use case where this is necessary)
So another (mis)adventure to see what now is fighting with other parts of XFCE.

On a Ubuntu gnome fresh install or LiveUSB on the same hardware, this just works.  I wish it would just work in XFCE.

BFG

Member

Registered: 2018-06-06

Posts: 29

Re: 20.04 Which XCFE screensaver, screen lock and power combinations best?

Is there no LTS support for the LTS?

MrEen

Member

Registered: 2019-04-19

Posts: 295

Re: 20.04 Which XCFE screensaver, screen lock and power combinations best?

All is well? No.  The option of lock = "Never" does not work.

Did you check both Light Locker Settings, as well as Xfce Power Manager Settings on the Security tab?

BFG

Member

Registered: 2018-06-06

Posts: 29

Re: 20.04 Which XCFE screensaver, screen lock and power combinations best?

Yes indeed. i've also been trying to eliminate amdgpu concerns, I've added XFCE 4.16 to a fresh build of Xubuntu. Tried with and without light-locker, xscreensaver.  Fresh build each time.