Nixpkgs: [WebkitGTK/NVIDIA] Epiphany sometimes doesn't display websites

[etu]

Issue description

I'm on Gnome 3.26, and I manage to get gray areas with Epiphany on several websites I've tried. Not all of them though... Some of them are even hosted on the same server where one works and one doesn't. They have the same TLS configuration. And content seemed to be fetched since I can do Ctrl+a Ctrl+c and paste the content somewhere else.

This issue is mentioned here: https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/31407#issuecomment-343548520

What's annoying is that it's not just Epiphany, it's also Gnome Settings for adding online accounts.

Steps to reproduce

I don't know how to reproduce this. It works on my two laptops but not my desktop with more or less only hardware differences and some difference in installed software. The main hardware difference is that my desktop is Nvidia with the blob, the laptops is intel.

Technical details

• system: "x86_64-linux"
• host os: Linux 4.14.3, NixOS, 18.03.git.3eccd0b11d1 (Impala)
• multi-user?: yes
• sandbox: no
• version: nix-env (Nix) 1.11.15
• channels(root): "nixos-18.03pre120398.aeff3080d0"
• nixpkgs: /etc/nixos/nixpkgs

cc @jtojnar

[jtojnar]

Maybe this bug? Could you try running env WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE=1 epiphany?

[etu]

Yes, that did work.

This also did work env WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE=1 gnome-control-center online-accounts just for reference if people needs it.

And, I do not have a hybrid thingy with intel/nvidia bumblebee. I have a stationary computer with built in intel and a separate nvidia-card.

[jtojnar]

Either the upstream bug is not limited to hybrid graphics, or it is a separate but similar upstream issue. Could you try commenting on the WebKit bug tracker?

Personally, I am unable to reproduce it, since nvidia drivers do not work on my laptop at all.

[etu]

I've made a comment there that showed some examples of pages that are broken, which card I have, which drivers I'm running and so on. So yeah, seems like an upstream issue.

I will dig into this to see if arch has the same issue, I can probably ask some friend on nvidia on arch if they have seen this.

[etu]

So, I was told to make a new issue because they thought it was unrelated.

Link to it here: https://bugs.webkit.org/show_bug.cgi?id=180739

[etu]

@vcunat Hey, you mentioned this issue here https://github.com/NixOS/nixpkgs/pull/31407#issuecomment-343548520, do you happen to have a setup with NVIDIA on your system?

Maybe you as well can leave a comment on the webkit tracker if you have any more information.

[vcunat]

Yes, that was either "nvidia" or "noveau", not sure what was at that moment (but certainly not hybrid setup).

[etu]

I've just tried this on my system with nouveau and was unable to reproduce it. I've talked to an ex-college of mine who runs Archlinux with gnome3 on nvidia and it works for him, so I asked him for what versions of webkitgtk and nvidia he's running.

On NixOS we're on 387.22 of Nvidia, Arch is on 387.34. I'm working on testing 387.34 at the moment.

Edit: And it did not resolve this issue :/

[sheyll]

Nix-noob here, is it somehow possible to set up the WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE=1 variable system-wide automatically?

[jtojnar]

@sheyll Sure, just add environment.variables.WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE = 1; to your configuration.nix.

[sheyll]

Thanks so much! This works, I only had to add double quotes:

{
environment.variables.WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE = "1";
}

[brainrape]

Looks like the above solves this issue. Can we close it? Thanks.

[etu]

Looks like the above solves this issue. Can we close it? Thanks.

@brainrape: How would a workaround that (probably) makes the performance worse that isn't default set be a "solution"? The bug is still there. I'm not sure we can do anything about it.

But I don't think that this issue should be closed because when people have problems and look for issues. They don't look for closed issues. Because closed issues have been properly resolved. Which isn't the case here.

[brainrape]

I see what you mean, thanks. I meant there is an upstream issue for the bug (making this a duplicate), and there is a workaround.
Can we improve the situation by setting WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE=1 in the affected packages, when running on nvidia, until it's fixed upstream? I'd be happy to prepare a PR.

[calbrecht]

Sort of the same problem here. epiphany starts, shows a blank white page, and as soon as the rendering of the browsed webpage starts, shows the dark-theme gray background (if dark theme is enabled).
Output on terminal, where i started epiphany with

% nix-shell -p epiphany --run epiphany
** (epiphany:1574): WARNING **: 17:42:14.258: Failed to search secrets in password schema: The name org.freedesktop.secrets was not provided by any .service files
Cannot create EGL context: invalid display (last error: EGL_SUCCESS)
Cannot get default EGL display: EGL_BAD_PARAMETER

% hwinfo --gfx #excerpt
  Model: "Intel Skylake GT2 [HD Graphics 520]"
  Vendor: pci 0x8086 "Intel Corporation"
  Device: pci 0x1916 "Skylake GT2 [HD Graphics 520]"

% nix-info -m
 - system: `"x86_64-linux"`
 - host os: `Linux 5.6.8, NixOS, 20.09.git.06bed535690M (Nightingale)`
 - multi-user?: `yes`
 - sandbox: `yes`
 - version: `nix-env (Nix) 2.3.4`
 - nixpkgs: `/home/alab/ws/nixpkgs`

Maybe this is as simple as this thing is missing libGL, libEGL or so, i don't know.

-- edit
Forgot to mention i am on swaym wayland

[terlar]

Same for me on gnome wayland, exact same graphics spec as @calbrecht.

• system: "x86_64-linux"
• host os: Linux 5.6.16, NixOS, 20.09.20200606.029a5de (Nightingale)
• multi-user?: yes
• sandbox: yes
• version: nix-env (Nix) 2.4pre20200521_00b562c
• channels(root): "nixos-20.03.1950.48723f48ab9"
• channels(terje.larsen): ""
• nixpkgs: /nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels/nixos

[srid]

Happens on Gnome wayland, nixos-unstable.

  Model: "Intel UHD Graphics"
  Vendor: pci 0x8086 "Intel Corporation"
  Device: pci 0x9b41 "UHD Graphics"

$ nix-info -m
 - system: `"x86_64-linux"`
 - host os: `Linux 5.9.0-rc5, NixOS, 21.03pre244365.06b27898a45 (Okapi)`
 - multi-user?: `yes`
 - sandbox: `yes`
 - version: `nix-env (Nix) 2.3.7`
 - channels(root): `"nixos-21.03pre244365.06b27898a45, home-manager, nixos-hardware"`
 - nixpkgs: `/nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels/nixos`

[austinbutler]

Also getting the blank screen on hangouts.google.com and messenger.com. env WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE=1 epiphany works.

❯ lspci | grep -i graphics
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Skylake GT2 [HD Graphics 520] (rev 07)

❯ nix-info -m                                   
 - system: `"x86_64-linux"`
 - host os: `Linux 5.8.14, NixOS, 21.03pre246543.24c9b05ac53 (Okapi)`
 - multi-user?: `yes`
 - sandbox: `yes`
 - version: `nix-env (Nix) 2.3.7`
 - channels(root): `"nixos-21.03pre246543.24c9b05ac53, home-manager"`
 - channels(austin): `"home-manager"`
 - nixpkgs: `/nix/var/nix/profiles/per-user/root/channels/nixos`

❯ epiphany                                      
Cannot get default EGL display: EGL_BAD_PARAMETER
Cannot get default EGL display: EGL_BAD_PARAMETER
Cannot create EGL context: invalid display (last error: EGL_SUCCESS)