Public bug reported: Binary package hint: gnome-power-manager
Note: this bug also affects gnome-screensaver-preferences Problem: none of the built-in GUI controls allow a user to turn off monitors to save power after a certain amount of idle time. Ancillary problem: the interface is confusing and effectively undocumented. This is primarily a gnome-power-manager problem, but the story starts with gnome-screensaver-preferences. There's a screensaver called "blank screen" there. If I select and activate that screensaver, after the time elapses, one of my two monitors begins a gradual dimming progression. The other one stays on full blast. When the dimming finally finishes, the monitor that was getting dimmer immediately comes back to full brightness. So, although arguably, it should be, that is clearly not a way to save power. gnome-screensaver-preferences has a "Power Management" button that leads to gnome-power-manager. Obviously *that* is the way to turn off monitors and save power, right? Wrong; the "put display to sleep" controls have no effect at all. The display never goes to sleep. In fact, most of the problems described in http://www.shallowsky.com/linux/x-screen-blanking.html (written for Gutsy!) seem to persist to this day, although "xset dpms force off" does work for me. Coming back around to gnome-screensaver-preferences, at the end of http://www.shallowsky.com/linux/x-screen-blanking.html, they explain why perhaps all such power management *should* really be handled through a screensaver and not through g-p-m. On to the confusing and undocumented interface: First, I know there are at least several levels of display sleep (available through xset) and the interface doesn't tell me which one(s) I'm going to get. Is this the full power saving I really want, or some intermediate state, or what? Also, the "Set display brightness to:" sliders have an unclear effect. Just when does that brightness setting take place? Is it part of g-p-m's notion of "display sleep?" What does "Dim display when idle" do exactly? How long does the computer have to be idle before dimming begins? Is the display supposed to undim when I start using the computer again? The "Gnome Power Manager Manual" that you reach through the "Help" button is totally useless; all it shows are pictures of the UI with no explanation. In fact, the pictures don't even match the actual UI (e.g. they contain a "Computer Speed Policy" menu that doesn't appear in the actual g-p-m UI). I know I reported some of these doc issues against a previous Ubuntu release; it's very frustrating to see that things have, if anything, gotten worse. This is in Ubuntu 8.10 ** Affects: gnome-screensaver Importance: Undecided Status: New ** Affects: gnome-power-manager (Ubuntu) Importance: Undecided Status: New -- Display sleep settings are bogus https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/308815 You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
