BC4 on Ubuntu: all dialog boxes are blank

[shedmeister]

I just installed bcompare-4.1.9.21719_amd64.deb on my 64-bit ubuntu 14.04 LTS machine. I followed the terminal based instructions on the download page. There were no errors on the install, and bcompare opens fine. However, when I open any dialog box, I get a popup that is a blank gray screen with a title bar. So I can't do much with the tool. Any suggestions?

[Dave_L]

Does this terminal command provide any errors?

sudo apt-get -f install

[Aaron]

Hello,

Are you running Beyond Compare as the normal user, or are you executing as the SU? If you reboot and launch via Ubuntu's graphical shortcut, does this work as expected?

[Dave_L]

Are you running Beyond Compare as the normal user, or are you executing as the SU?

Aaron, I'm curious why that would matter. On Ubuntu 12.04.5, I normally run BC as a normal user. But I sometimes run it as the SU (root), when I need to access files that only root can access. In both cases, BC works properly.

[shedmeister]

The apt-get command returns no errors.
I am running as a normal user.
Running from the gnome desktop with the graphical shortcut works fine.
Running remotely via 'ssh -Y' has the problem.
New update: Once I grab the title bar of the blank window and move it, the contents appear.

Thanks

[Aaron]

Hello,

Running Ubuntu 14.04 as the client with all recent updates, and connecting to Ubuntu 16.04 running the latest openssh-server. Running ssh -Y on the client machine returns the terminal and allows me to launch bcompare.

Are all of your apps running the latest version supplied by apt-get?

[shedmeister]

Yes, my ubuntu 14.04 installation is up to date. I am connecting from a Windows machine running Cygwin-X and cygwin's ssh client. I have been doing this successfully for years. What's new is Windows 10. My money's on Windows 10 as the culprit.

Thanks

[Aaron]

Is there any chance we could connect to your Win10 culprit running Cygwin-X with an openssh-server install? It's possible I'll be able to create a matching configuration, but given the complexity of that setup, it's likely we'll have something setup slightly differently and may not see the bug. You can email us at [email protected] with a link back to this forum thread (for our reference) if this is possible.

Update: Misread "from" as "to" for an extra complicated scenario. I'll work on setting up a Win10a/Cygwin client.

[Aaron]

I've reproduced this with Cygwin but not Ubuntu as the client machine. Your original report seemed to indicate you were running ssh -Y on an Ubuntu machine and having trouble. Is that still the case?

Cygwin itself is something we try to work with, but is outside of our supported distributions list. All BC4 licenses are multiplatform (you may need to apply for a free upgrade). If you are on Windows, you could install and remotely connect as an SFTP (with BC4 Pro). Would this work well for you?

[shedmeister]

Aaron,
I think you have my setup backwards. BC4 is installed on my ubuntu 14.04 machine. It runs fine when run natively from the gnome desktop. My normal workflow is to work from a windows machine and ssh -Y to the linux box. I start cygwin-X, open an xterm, then 'ssh -Y <linux machine>'. Then from there I run 'bcompare &', and that is where the problem occurs. I don't have openssh server installed on my Windows 10 machine.

I do have the multi-platform license and can run BC4 natively on Windows with no problem. But when comparing linux code trees, I prefer to use the linux BC4 rather than Windows BC4 --> samba --> linux filesystem.

Thanks,
Jim

[Aaron]

Hello,

Yup, in my initial post I did have it backwards, but I then re-read and updated. I was able to reproduce the issue you are seeing, although it appears to be specific to Cygwin; ssh -Y from Linux to Linux functions as expected. I've opened a tracker entry to investigate, although cygwin issues have proven to be more difficult to track down and can often change with minor Cygwin updates. If you are running on Windows over an SSH connection, it would be recommended to use the Windows client with Samba or SFTP (while not directly SSH, can usually be configured to connect with the same credentials). Could you go into more details on your preference? Is it the nature of the connection (full file system available/browse for the linux client over ssh -Y), or is their an aspect of the linux client itself that makes it more useful in this scenario for you?

[David79]

I have the same problem running Ubuntu 16.04 and Beyond Compare 4, I am however using the Awesome windows manager.
All the pop-ups are blank, until I move them.
Beyond Compare 64 Bit, 4.1.9 Build 21719.

I am not sure if it is related, but it looked like the same problem and it might be easier to debug without Cygwin.

[David79]

Also, for me the windows are still active, meaning I can hit ESP to cancel them or enter to accept, if it is the window to warn me about overwriting files. So it seems to be a drawing issue.

[Aaron]

Thanks for that information. I'll add those notes to our entry to investigate, although this window manager is also outside of our supported scenarios:
http://www.scootersoftware.com/download.php?zz=kb_linux