[Bug]: trying to launch .appimage or .deb on Mint results in a window with a blank interface

[Nosttromo]

What happened?

I installed Mint on a laptop I got, when I tried to install PN to use it while offline, the result would be an interfaceless window.

I tried updating the system with "sudo apt update", tried to open with "no sandbox" and "no gpu", none worked.

Opening through terminal gives me the following:

Gtk-Message: 13:21:29.463: Failed to load module "xapp-gtk3-module"
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gvfs/libgvfscommon.so: undefined symbol: g_task_set_static_name
Failed to load module: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gio/modules/libgvfsdbus.so
Gtk-Message: 13:21:29.627: Failed to load module "xapp-gtk3-module"
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gvfs/libgvfscommon.so: undefined symbol: g_task_set_static_name
Failed to load module: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gio/modules/libgvfsdbus.so
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gvfs/libgvfscommon.so: undefined symbol: g_task_set_static_name
Failed to load module: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gio/modules/libgvfsdbus.so
/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/libcurl-gnutls.so.4: undefined symbol: nghttp2_option_set_no_rfc9113_leading_and_trailing_ws_validation
Failed to load module: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gio/modules/libgiolibproxy.so
/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gio/modules/libdconfsettings.so: undefined symbol: g_assertion_message_cmpint
Failed to load module: /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/gio/modules/libdconfsettings.so

How do we make it happen?

I tried installing it on my Mint build and it didn't work. I tried other electron based apps like Freetube and they worked normally.

Version

0.518.3

Where?

Linux app

[LifetimeLabsDev]

Being offline does not explain the blank window, because the interface ships inside the download and the first screen is drawn from disk. Being offline does explain something else you will hit next: creating an account or signing in on a new install needs a connection once. After that first sign-in the app opens your vault offline and syncs again when you reconnect.

The library messages in your terminal are a separate thing and are not the cause. They are warnings from unrelated system modules, and they tell us the app's bundled libraries are older than the ones your system ships, which means you are on Mint 22.

Two things would help us find the real cause.

First, please paste the output of this:

cat /etc/linuxmint/info | head -3; echo $XDG_SESSION_TYPE; inxi -Gxx

Second, please start the app once with a different graphics setting and tell us whether the window fills in. For the .deb install:

WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE=1 privacynotes

For the AppImage, use the path to your file:

WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE=1 ./PrivacyNotes_x86_64.AppImage

A normal release build cannot print the underlying error, so if that setting does not help, we will send you a special build that can, and that will name the fault directly.

We are fixing the silence/blankness itself. A failure like this should put a readable message and a reload button on screen instead of leaving you with an empty window.

[Nosttromo]

Output of first command:

RELEASE=22.3
CODENAME=zena
EDITION="Cinnamon"
x11
Graphics:
  Device-1: Intel Raptor Lake-P [UHD Graphics] vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK
    driver: i915 v: kernel arch: Gen-13 ports: active: eDP-1
    empty: DP-1,HDMI-A-1,HDMI-A-2 bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:a7a8
  Device-2: NVIDIA GN20-P0-R-K2 [GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Laptop GPU]
    vendor: CLEVO/KAPOK driver: nvidia v: 595.91.07 arch: Ampere pcie:
    speed: 5 GT/s lanes: 8 ports: active: none empty: DP-2 bus-ID: 01:00.0
    chip-ID: 10de:25ac
  Device-3: Chicony USB2.0 Camera driver: uvcvideo type: USB rev: 2.0
    speed: 480 Mb/s lanes: 1 bus-ID: 3-8:3 chip-ID: 04f2:b729
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 21.1.11 with: Xwayland v: 23.2.6 driver: X:
    loaded: modesetting,nvidia unloaded: fbdev,nouveau,vesa dri: iris gpu: i915
    display-ID: :0 screens: 1
  Screen-1: 0 s-res: 1920x1080 s-dpi: 102
  Monitor-1: eDP-1 mapped: eDP-1-1 model: ChiMei InnoLux 0x1521
    res: 1920x1080 dpi: 142 diag: 394mm (15.5")
  API: EGL v: 1.5 platforms: device: 0 drv: nvidia device: 2 drv: iris
    device: 3 drv: swrast gbm: drv: nvidia surfaceless: drv: nvidia x11:
    drv: nvidia inactive: wayland,device-1
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6.0 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: nvidia mesa v: 595.91.07
    glx-v: 1.4 direct-render: yes renderer: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3050 6GB Laptop
    GPU/PCIe/SSE2
  API: Vulkan v: 1.3.275 surfaces: xcb,xlib device: 0 type: discrete-gpu
    driver: N/A device-ID: 10de:25ac device: 1 type: integrated-gpu driver: N/A
    device-ID: 8086:a7a8 device: 2 type: cpu driver: N/A device-ID: 10005:0000

Trying the "webkit disable" command for both the .appimage and .deb versions did not render the interface.

[LifetimeLabsDev]

the --no-sandbox and --no-gpu flags you tried are Chromium flags, and this app is not built on Chromium. They were ignored. That is also why FreeTube working does not tell us anything.

Please start the app, leave the empty window open, and in a second terminal run this and paste the output:

pgrep -a -f WebKit; journalctl -b --since "10 minutes ago" | grep -iE "segfault|WebKit|privacynotes|traps" | tail -20

Second, please try one launch on software rendering and tell us whether the window fills in:

LIBGL_ALWAYS_SOFTWARE=1 privacynotes

May simply fix it for you: open the menu and search for Prime, or look for the NVIDIA icon in your system tray, and switch the graphics processor from NVIDIA to On-Demand. Log out and back in, then start the app normally. If that works, you have a usable app today and it also confirms the cause for us.

If none of the three help, we will send you a build that can print the underlying error, and that will name the fault.

[Nosttromo]

Please start the app, leave the empty window open, and in a second terminal run this and paste the output:

29638 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/webkit2gtk-4.1/WebKitNetworkProcess 1 20
29644 /usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/webkit2gtk-4.1/WebKitWebProcess 4 25

Second, please try one launch on software rendering and tell us whether the window fills in:

Launching on software render caused the screen to just appear, same "no interface" as always. Normally, it kinda flashes in a fade from white to black, but with this line, it just simply appeared black

NVidia on demand didn't work.