#439 Transparency not working in 1.9.0 on Ubuntu 13.04

[Daniel]

When running conky 1.9.0 on Ubuntu 13.04 (in GNOME fallback mode) --- using the conky packages provided in the standard 13.04 repositories --- the transparency is replaced with an opaque black background.

Output from conky -V:

Conky 1.9.0 compiled Mon May 21 17:53:20 UTC 2012 for Linux 2.6.24-29-server (x86_64)

Compiled in features:

System config file: /etc/conky/conky.conf
Package library path: /usr/lib/conky

 X11:

  * Xdamage extension
  * XDBE (double buffer extension)
  * Xft
  * ARGB visual

 Music detection:

  * Audacious
  * MPD
  * MOC
  * XMMS2

 General:

  * math
  * hddtemp
  * portmon
  * Curl
  * RSS
  * Weather (METAR)
  * Weather (XOAP)
  * wireless
  * config-output
  * Imlib2
  * apcupsd
  * iostats
  * ncurses
  * Lua

  Lua bindings:

   * Cairo
   * Imlib2

Contents of .conkyrc file:

background yes
use_xft yes
xftfont DejaVu Sans Mono:size=8
xftalpha 0.8
out_to_console no
update_interval 2.0
total_run_times 0
draw_shades no
short_units yes

# Create own window instead of using desktop (required in nautilus)
own_window yes

# If own_window is yes, you may use type normal, desktop or override
own_window_type override

# Use pseudo transparency with own_window?
own_window_transparent yes

double_buffer yes
default_color f0e68c
color1 white
color2 AD0303
alignment bottom_left
gap_x 2
gap_y 30
#no_buffers yes
use_spacer right
pad_percents 3
xftfont Terminus:size=10

TEXT
$stippled_hr
cpu1: ${color1}${cpu cpu1}% ${color}
cpu2: ${color1}${cpu cpu2}% ${color}
load: ${color1}$loadavg ${color}
hot proc: ${color1}${top cpu 1}% - ${top name 1}${color}
$stippled_hr
big proc: ${color1}${top_mem mem_res 1} - ${top_mem name 1}${color}
memory: ${color1}$mem/$memmax  $memperc%${color}
$stippled_hr
disk1: ${color1}${fs_used /}/${fs_size /}${color}
disk2: ${color1}${fs_used /media/user1/MASSIVE}/${fs_size /media/user1/MASSIVE}${color}
disk3: ${color1}${fs_used /media/user1/BACKUP}/${fs_size /media/user1/BACKUP}${color}
swap: ${color1}${swap}/${swapmax}${color}
${diskiograph_read 15,120 color1 0077ff 750}
${diskiograph_write 15,120 color1 0077ff 750}
$stippled_hr
download: ${color1}${downspeed wlan0} /s${color}
${downspeedgraph eth0 20,120 104E8B 0077ff}
upload: ${color1}${upspeed wlan0} /s${color}
${upspeedgraph eth0 20,120 104E8B 0077ff}

[Krzysztof Duchnowski]

That's new GNOME 3.10 for you.
It changed how background is drawn.
Before, it was drawn to root window no matter if it was done with or without compositor.
Same with COMPIZ.

Now, it was moved to compositor which makes background as first layer window above root window. As that, root window is black.
Conky transparency is done by copying root window data beneath - so now it's copying black for it's background.

The only solution is to use 'own_window_type normal', 'own_window_argb_visual true' and 'own_window_argb_value 255'.

It screws imlib2 images though.