Windowed mode acts as if "Always on Top" (KDE or Compiz)

Well... mostly.

I can only run in windowed mode... that doesn't bother me, because I prefer it.

But starting with a recent update of KDE, whenever i run SL in windowed mode everything inside the windowframe overlays whatever is on top of it... as if the game were "always on top"

However it's weird because the window "below" retains focus... so SL's not really "on top"... it's just like all the rendered stuff is like... just refusing to render below the other windows.

It's the same thing that used to happen when I'd run SL in compiz... i always thought it was like... some sort of openGL conflict/rendering problem... so i'd just switch back to kwin to solve it... but now kwin is doing the same thing.

Did some weird option turn on in my latest update?

I'm using KDE 3.5.6 on kubuntu-feisty... [edit] on an intel chipset, i945 i believe, on a dell e1405 laptop [/edit].

Please help if you know... i wanna be able to multitask again.

Do you have an option like:

Option "OpenGLOverlay" "ON"

in your xorg.conf?

I *THINK* this treats the GL view as a special overlay plane much like video overlay places a special YUV plane over the top of the regular RGB raster space (which would explain why fglrx won't let you run GL and Vid overlays at once. Your issue soulds a little like the overlay always being on top of the regular RGB space.

??????? only guessing ???????

Full text of my xorg.conf:

# /etc/X11/xorg.conf (xorg X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf(5) manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
#   sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "Files"
	FontPath	"/usr/share/fonts/X11/misc"
	FontPath	"/usr/share/fonts/X11/cyrillic"
	FontPath	"/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi/:unscaled"
	FontPath	"/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi/:unscaled"
	FontPath	"/usr/share/fonts/X11/Type1"
	FontPath	"/usr/share/fonts/X11/100dpi"
	FontPath	"/usr/share/fonts/X11/75dpi"
	# path to defoma fonts
	FontPath	"/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"
EndSection

Section "Module"
	Load	"i2c"
	Load	"bitmap"
	Load	"ddc"
	Load	"dri"
	Load	"extmod"
	Load	"freetype"
	Load	"glx"
	Load	"int10"
	Load	"vbe"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Generic Keyboard"
	Driver		"kbd"
	Option		"CoreKeyboard"
	Option		"XkbRules"	"xorg"
	Option		"XkbModel"	"pc105"
	Option		"XkbLayout"	"us"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Configured Mouse"
	Driver		"mouse"
	Option		"CorePointer"
	Option		"Device"		"/dev/input/mice"	Option		"Protocol"		"ImPS/2"
	Option		"ZAxisMapping"		"4 5"
	Option		"Emulate3Buttons"	"true"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Identifier	"Synaptics Touchpad"
	Driver		"synaptics"
	Option		"SendCoreEvents"	"true"
	Option		"Device"		"/dev/psaux"
	Option		"Protocol"		"auto-dev"
	Option		"HorizScrollDelta"	"0"
 Option          "SHMConfig"             "on"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Driver		"wacom"
	Identifier	"stylus"
	Option		"Device"	"/dev/input/wacom"
	Option		"Type"		"stylus"
	Option		"ForceDevice"	"ISDV4"		# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Driver		"wacom"
	Identifier	"eraser"
	Option		"Device"	"/dev/input/wacom"
	Option		"Type"		"eraser"
	Option		"ForceDevice"	"ISDV4"		# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
	Driver		"wacom"
	Identifier	"cursor"
	Option		"Device"	"/dev/input/wacom"
	Option		"Type"		"cursor"
	Option		"ForceDevice"	"ISDV4"		# Tablet PC ONLY
EndSection

Section "Device"
	Identifier	"Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller"
	Driver		"i810"
	BusID		"PCI:0:2:0"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
	Identifier	"Generic Monitor"
	Option		"DPMS"
	HorizSync	28-72
	VertRefresh	43-60
EndSection

Section "Screen"
	Identifier	"Default Screen"
	Device		"Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller"
	Monitor		"Generic Monitor"
	DefaultDepth	24
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		1
		Modes		"1440x900"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		4
		Modes		"1440x900"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		8
		Modes		"1440x900"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		15
		Modes		"1440x900"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		16
		Modes		"1440x900"
	EndSubSection
	SubSection "Display"
		Depth		24
		Modes		"1440x900"
	EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
	Identifier	"Default Layout"
	Screen		"Default Screen"
	InputDevice	"Generic Keyboard"
	InputDevice	"Configured Mouse"
	InputDevice     "stylus"	"SendCoreEvents"
	InputDevice     "cursor"	"SendCoreEvents"
	InputDevice     "eraser"	"SendCoreEvents"
	InputDevice	"Synaptics Touchpad"
EndSection

Section "DRI"
	Mode	0666
EndSection

So... no? i don't think i have that option, should I?

... to offer further advice, sorry.

Best I can suggest is that the latest MESA packages in Debian/Testing have been playing silly-buggers with Nvidia users, so regressing them might also be worth trying in your case.