6.12. Desktop

In a multi-thread Python program, if a non-main thread receives a signal while the signal.pause() function is in use in the main thread, signal.pause() does not return or otherwise handle the received signal, and signal.pause() works only when the main thread is signaled. As a consequence, a Python program could become unresponsive. To work around this problem, avoid calling signal.pause() in the main thread.

The mesa-private-llvm packages have a syntax error in their %postun script in versions prior to 3.4. As a consequence, when updating mesa-private-llvm to a later version, the following error message is displayed:

Upgrading from mesa-private-llvm-3.3-0.3.rc3.el6.x86_64 causes:
/sbin/ldconfig: relative path `1' used to build cache
warning: %postun(mesa-private-llvm-3.3-0.3.rc3.el6.x86_64) scriptlet failed, exit status 1

This message is harmless and does not affect the user.

The X server in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.5, when presented with an xorg.conf file that identifies both a PCI driver and an fbdev driver, the fbdev driver is ignored and only the PCI device is initialized. In Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.6, the server can attempt to initialize both devices present in such a configuration file. As a consequence, installations in this scenario initialize on all screens, which can cause a loss of functionality. To work around this problem, edit xorg.conf manually: remove the fbdev device stanza or edit it appropriately. As a result, a single X server can now drive both PCI devices using native drivers and non-PCI devices with the fbdev driver.

The gnome-panel utility can sometimes terminate unexpectedly on 64-bit PowerPC architecture using the XDMCP protocol.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 graphics stacs does not support NVIDIA Optimus hardware configurations. On laptops with both Intel and NVIDIA GPUs, some or all external video ports may not function correctly when using the Intel GPU. If external video ports are needed, configure the BIOS to use the NVIDIA GPU instead of the Intel GPU if possible.

Two-finger scrolling is default for devices that announce two-finger capability. However, on certain machines, although the touchpad announces two-finger capability, events generated by the device only contain a single finger position at a time and two-finger scrolling therefore does not work. To work around this problem, use edge scrolling instead.

In certain environments, storing personal Firefox configuration files (~/.mozilla/) on an NFS share, such as when your home directory is on a NFS share, led to Firefox functioning incorrectly, for example, navigation buttons not working as expected, and bookmarks not saving. This update adds a new configuration option, storage.nfs_filesystem, that can be used to resolve this issue. If you experience this issue:

The wacomcpl package has been deprecated and has been removed from the package set. The wacomcpl package provided graphical configuration of Wacom tablet settings. This functionality is now integrated into the GNOME Control Center.

Running a AMD64 system without the sssd-client.i686 package installed, which uses SSSD for getting information about users, causes acroread to fail to start. To work around this issue, manually install the sssd-client.i686 package.

With newer kernels, such as the kernel shipped in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.1, Nouveau has corrected the Transition Minimized Differential Signaling (TMDS) bandwidth limits for pre-G80 NVIDIA chipsets. Consequently, the resolution auto-detected by X for some monitors may differ from that used in Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.0.

When enabled, fingerprint authentication is the default authentication method to unlock a workstation, even if the fingerprint reader device is not accessible. However, after a 30 second wait, password authentication will become available.

Evolution's IMAP backend only refreshes folder contents under the following circumstances: when the user switches into or out of a folder, when the auto-refresh period expires, or when the user manually refreshes a folder (that is, using the menu item Folder → Refresh). Consequently, when replying to a message in the Sent folder, the new message does not immediately appear in the Sent folder. To see the message, force a refresh using one of the methods describe above.

The clock applet in the GNOME panel has a default location of Boston, USA. Additional locations are added via the applet's preferences dialog. Additionally, to change the default location, left-click the applet, hover over the desired location in the Locations section, and click the Set... button that appears.

In some multi-monitor configurations (for example, dual monitors with both rotated), the cursor confinement code produces incorrect results. For example, the cursor may be permitted to disappear off the screen when it should not, or be prevented from entering some areas where it should be allowed to go. Currently, the only workaround for this issue is to disable monitor rotation.