Electron apps are blank / empty on startup [SOLVABLE]

Bonnefille_Vincent · October 10, 2022, 4:39pm

Lot of apps like Install Beaker - Beaker Browser (and vscodium as sudo user) start blank… empty squares, nothing more
I have to use it
I also find this problem on the “Min Browser” app and “vscodium”…

Half solution (but working) :
On some applications I can do a --disable-gpu to bypass the gpu and the app run (display the content)

I have last node/npm version

Permanente solution ?
Last week all was working (on an other Manjaro installation)
(so I have hope)

Please Help

anarcat · October 10, 2022, 6:02pm

I’ve had problems with chromium and Chrome on Linux. The fix is to pass --disable-gpu-compositing to the commandline. For chromium, in Debian, that can be done by adding a line like:

export CHROMIUM_FLAGS="$CHROMIUM_FLAGS --disable-gpu-compositing"

in (say) /etc/chromium.d/disable-compositing. For electron-based apps, there isn’t (AFAIK) such a magic file, so you have to figure out a way to pass it at all incantations.

Brian_Y · October 10, 2022, 7:58pm

I’m experiencing the same issues.

I’ve had this problem running Ubuntu (Xubuntu minimum install) 22.04 on my 12th gen i7 Framework and my older Dell Precision 5540 running Ubuntu 20.04.

I see visual glitches - black squares, displaced visual artifacts, etc - in a variety of applications, including but not limited to:

Slack
Chromium
VS Code
Bitwarden
Balena Etcher

In all cases, I can start the application with the --disable-gpu flag and it runs without issue. However, this is a band-aid, not a fix. There is something going on with graphics acceleration in Electron or browser-based applications. Maybe this relates to Intel graphics support?

I have not yet tried reproducing the issue in other distributions.

I wonder if anyone else has experienced this issue, or if Framework devs encountered it while working on Linux support.

anarcat · October 11, 2022, 12:41am

Have you tried with --disable-gpu-compositing only? I suspect the problem is only with the compositor, and only with some of them, because I have anecdotal reports of people not having the problem under Wayland.

5uie1 · October 11, 2022, 4:45am

Interesting, I had this issue too, so the --disable-gpu-compositing or --disable-gpu flags helped me. However, all Electron apps tended to heat up the laptop and cause a battery drain.

Bonnefille_Vincent · October 11, 2022, 2:46pm

Hello
am “happy” to not be alone
So, I format my computer HDD… reset all on the night…
All is fine if I dont do updates…

And, yes, we can use flags but it is not a solution
I need my GPU work on it…

GPU process isn't usable. Goodbye.

--disable-gpu-compositing no working (same issue)

Bonnefille_Vincent · October 14, 2022, 5:35pm

Install other drivers ?
I try, not sure I do it well (intel driver using manjaro parameters)

…

github.com/microsoft/vscode

Vscode black screen/frozen on Manjaro

opened 09:50AM - 14 Jan 20 UTC

closed 09:26AM - 15 Jan 20 UTC

dlqs

info-needed upstream electron

- VSCode Version: 1.41.1 - OS Version: 5.4.6-2-MANJARO Steps to Reproduce: … 1. Fresh install of vscode 2. Run `code` 3. App opens with black screen, but if I wait long enough it eventually shows the correct start screen but in a frozen state. Running with logging gives this: ``` ~ code --verbose --log critical [main 2020-01-14T09:29:52.694Z] Sending env to running instance... [11143:0114/172952.719002:ERROR:sandbox_linux.cc(369)] InitializeSandbox() called with multiple threads in process gpu-process. [main 2020-01-14T09:29:52.783Z] Sent env to running instance. Terminating... [main 2020-01-14T09:29:52.784Z] Lifecycle#kill() ``` - Weirdly enough, running with `--verbose` returns immediately but the window remains black and will show the correct start screen (in a frozen state) if I wait long enough. - Another weird point: I am unable to take screenshots with `xfce-screenshooter` (the defaut screenshot tool on XFCE Manjaro), it just shows whatever is behind the vscode window. Which leads me to think that this could be a problem with my window manager or DE. More info: ``` ~ echo $XDG_CURRENT_DESKTOP XFCE ~ echo $GDMSESSION xfce ``` Does this issue occur when all extensions are disabled?: Yes

Switching my driver from intel to modesetting seems to have fixed it.
…

Conflicting electrons versions?
npm install -g electron-prebuilt
…

Lot of issues arround the Internets, Manjaro/linux and Electrons

Bonnefille_Vincent · October 15, 2022, 7:08am

vscode works with --disable-gpu
Like others Electron Apps… I have an output error
libva error: /usr/lib/dri/i965_drv_video.so init failed
I will find out who it is
EDIT : libva error: i965_drv_video.so init failed · Issue #375 · intel/libva · GitHub
EDIT : I also do sudo npm install -g electron-prebuilt
PS: And now I can lanch Electron with --disable-gpu [SOLVED]

Bonnefille_Vincent · October 16, 2022, 6:30am

I find out modifing screen resolution dont help
(vscode dont lanch proply, empty/blank UI)

Jerome_Mahuet · October 25, 2022, 11:51am

Not sure if you resolved your issue. But please be sure you don’t have xf86-video-intel installed.

Bonnefille_Vincent · October 26, 2022, 1:47pm

Removed/Uninstalled (+reboot) not fix in my case (and reinstall)

Jeff_Barfield · October 31, 2022, 10:50pm

Not sure if you resolved your issue. But please be sure you don’t have xf86-video-intel installed.

I am running in an Endeavour OS / xfce4 configuration. Uninstalling the xf86-video-intel package worked in my case. The Arch Wiki elaborates on why using this package is not recommended.