Cannot run background process when GVim opened from nautilus

[Thomas Ibbotson]

Hi,
I am using ubuntu Jaunty, I have a problem, here are the reproduction steps:
1. Create a file e.g. "test.txt"
2. Open in nautilus by right-clicking and choosing "Open with GVim Text
Editor"
3. Try running another program in the background e.g. "!xterm &"
The program will not run.
However "!xterm" works and also if I open the file by opening a terminal
and running "gvim test.txt" then "!xterm &" does work.
Anyone have any idea what is happening and how to fix it?

Here is the output of gvim --version:
VIM - Vi IMproved 7.2 (2008 Aug 9, compiled Mar 19 2009 15:27:51)
Included patches: 1-79
Compiled by bui...@rothera.buildd
Huge version with GTK2-GNOME GUI. Features included (+) or not (-):
+arabic +autocmd +balloon_eval +browse ++builtin_terms +byte_offset
+cindent
+clientserver +clipboard +cmdline_compl +cmdline_hist +cmdline_info
+comments
+cryptv +cscope +cursorshape +dialog_con_gui +diff +digraphs +dnd -ebcdic
+emacs_tags +eval +ex_extra +extra_search +farsi +file_in_path
+find_in_path
+float +folding -footer +fork() +gettext -hangul_input +iconv
+insert_expand
+jumplist +keymap +langmap +libcall +linebreak +lispindent +listcmds
+localmap
+menu +mksession +modify_fname +mouse +mouseshape +mouse_dec +mouse_gpm
-mouse_jsbterm +mouse_netterm -mouse_sysmouse +mouse_xterm +multi_byte
+multi_lang -mzscheme +netbeans_intg -osfiletype +path_extra +perl
+postscript
+printer +profile +python +quickfix +reltime +rightleft +ruby +scrollbind
+signs +smartindent -sniff +statusline -sun_workshop +syntax +tag_binary
+tag_old_static -tag_any_white +tcl +terminfo +termresponse +textobjects
+title
+toolbar +user_commands +vertsplit +virtualedit +visual +visualextra
+viminfo
+vreplace +wildignore +wildmenu +windows +writebackup +X11 -xfontset +xim
+xsmp_interact +xterm_clipboard -xterm_save
system vimrc file: "$VIM/vimrc"
user vimrc file: "$HOME/.vimrc"
user exrc file: "$HOME/.exrc"
system gvimrc file: "$VIM/gvimrc"
user gvimrc file: "$HOME/.gvimrc"
system menu file: "$VIMRUNTIME/menu.vim"
fall-back for $VIM: "/usr/share/vim"
Compilation: gcc -c -I. -Iproto -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -DFEAT_GUI_GTK
-D_REENTRANT -I/usr/include/gtk-2.0 -I/usr/lib/gtk-2.0/include
-I/usr/include/atk-1.0 -I/usr/include/cairo -I/usr/include/pango-1.0
-I/usr/include/pixman-1 -I/usr/include/freetype2 -I/usr/include/directfb
-I/usr/include/libpng12 -I/usr/include/glib-2.0
-I/usr/lib/glib-2.0/include -DORBIT2=1 -pthread -D_REENTRANT
-I/usr/include/libgnomeui-2.0 -I/usr/include/libart-2.0
-I/usr/include/gconf/2 -I/usr/include/gnome-keyring-1
-I/usr/include/libgnome-2.0 -I/usr/include/libbonoboui-2.0
-I/usr/include/libgnomecanvas-2.0 -I/usr/include/gtk-2.0
-I/usr/include/gnome-vfs-2.0 -I/usr/lib/gnome-vfs-2.0/include
-I/usr/include/orbit-2.0 -I/usr/include/dbus-1.0
-I/usr/lib/dbus-1.0/include -I/usr/include/glib-2.0
-I/usr/lib/glib-2.0/include -I/usr/include/libbonobo-2.0
-I/usr/include/bonobo-activation-2.0 -I/usr/include/libxml2
-I/usr/include/pango-1.0 -I/usr/include/gail-1.0
-I/usr/include/freetype2 -I/usr/include/atk-1.0
-I/usr/lib/gtk-2.0/include -I/usr/include/cairo -I/usr/include/pixman-1
-I/usr/include/directfb -I/usr/include/libpng12 -Wall -g -O2
-D_REENTRANT -D_GNU_SOURCE -DDEBIAN -I/usr/local/include
-D_LARGEFILE_SOURCE -D_FILE_OFFSET_BITS=64 -I/usr/lib/perl/5.10/CORE
-I/usr/include/python2.6 -pthread -I/usr/include/tcl8.4 -D_REENTRANT=1
-D_THREAD_SAFE=1 -D_LARGEFILE64_SOURCE=1 -I/usr/lib/ruby/1.8/i486-linux
Linking: gcc -L. -Wl,-Bsymbolic-functions -rdynamic
-Wl,-export-dynamic -Wl,-E -Wl,--as-needed -o vim -lgtk-x11-2.0
-lgdk-x11-2.0 -latk-1.0 -lpangoft2-1.0 -lgdk_pixbuf-2.0 -lpangocairo-1.0
-lgio-2.0 -lcairo -lpango-1.0 -lfreetype -lfontconfig -lgobject-2.0
-lgmodule-2.0 -lglib-2.0 -lgnomeui-2 -lbonoboui-2 -lgnomevfs-2
-lgnomecanvas-2 -lgnome-2 -lpopt -lbonobo-2 -lbonobo-activation
-lORBit-2 -lart_lgpl_2 -lgtk-x11-2.0 -lgdk-x11-2.0 -latk-1.0
-lpangoft2-1.0 -lgdk_pixbuf-2.0 -lpangocairo-1.0 -lgio-2.0 -lcairo
-lpango-1.0 -lfreetype -lfontconfig -lgconf-2 -lgthread-2.0 -lrt
-lgmodule-2.0 -lgobject-2.0 -lglib-2.0 -lXt -lncurses -lselinux -lacl
-lgpm -Wl,-E -L/usr/local/lib -L/usr/lib/perl/5.10/CORE -lperl
-L/usr/lib/python2.6/config -lpython2.6 -L/usr/lib -lz -lutil -Xlinker
-export-dynamic -Wl,-O1 -Wl,-Bsymbolic-functions -L/usr/lib -ltcl8.4
-lieee -lruby1.8 -lm

[James Vega]

On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 12:34:17PM +0100, Thomas Ibbotson wrote:
> I am using ubuntu Jaunty, I have a problem, here are the reproduction steps:
> 1. Create a file e.g. "test.txt"
> 2. Open in nautilus by right-clicking and choosing "Open with GVim Text
> Editor"
> 3. Try running another program in the background e.g. "!xterm &"
> The program will not run.
> However "!xterm" works and also if I open the file by opening a terminal
> and running "gvim test.txt" then "!xterm &" does work.
> Anyone have any idea what is happening and how to fix it?

The "Open with GVim Text Editor" entry is running "gvim -f test.txt"
which starts gvim in the foreground. This may have been fixed in
7.2.097 as I'm no longer able to reproduce the problem.

--
James
GPG Key: 1024D/61326D40 2003-09-02 James Vega <jame...@jamessan.com>

[James Vega]

I just ran a couple test builds to verify and 7.2.097 does indeed fix

[Thomas Ibbotson]

James Vega wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 09:36:43AM -0400, James Vega wrote:
>
>> On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 12:34:17PM +0100, Thomas Ibbotson wrote:
>>
>>> I am using ubuntu Jaunty, I have a problem, here are the reproduction steps:
>>> 1. Create a file e.g. "test.txt"
>>> 2. Open in nautilus by right-clicking and choosing "Open with GVim Text
>>> Editor"
>>> 3. Try running another program in the background e.g. "!xterm &"
>>> The program will not run.
>>> However "!xterm" works and also if I open the file by opening a terminal
>>> and running "gvim test.txt" then "!xterm &" does work.
>>> Anyone have any idea what is happening and how to fix it?
>>>
>> The "Open with GVim Text Editor" entry is running "gvim -f test.txt"
>> which starts gvim in the foreground. This may have been fixed in
>> 7.2.097 as I'm no longer able to reproduce the problem.
>>
>
> I just ran a couple test builds to verify and 7.2.097 does indeed fix
> the problem.
>
>

Thanks, it's a shame that this patch missed the Jaunty release cycle, as
it won't be included now until the next release in 6 months, but I guess
that's the way it goes. I am capable of compiling vim myself and will do
so, but I'm sure there are plenty of users out there who can't/won't.

Tom