Subject: bug#29357: Cut and paste problems on Linux on a text virtual console no longer works

From: "Dr. Michael L. Dowling" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 19 Nov 2017 17:09:35 +0100

I don't believe that emacs can send this report as my ISP expects SASL to port 578.  I therefore
send it using an appropriately configured "mutt" as user agent.

The Report:

If I  use X-windows, there is  no problem with cutting  and pasting from
outside an emacs  buffer into an emacs buffer and  vice versa.  But this
no  longer works  when  in a  text  console.  When  on  a Linux  virtual
console, pasting into an emacs buffer results in the message:

"No selection available"

in the mini-buffer.   Conversely, marking text in  an emacs buffer and pasting  into a virtual
console yields no error, but it does not paste.

I have been using Linux and emacs for decades,  and this used to work until recently, but just
how recently, I cannot say, probably a month or two.

I've  searched the  Internet, but  the only  mention  of something  similar said  that it  was
fundamentally impossible, but this  is not true.  I've been using that  feature for years.  (I
had the impression  that the author was using Windows  and wanted to cut
and paste to and to and from a DOS box.)

I use Arch Linux with the latest packages updated every day.  Nothing self compiled.

My tests were as follows:

  1. Try emacs -q -- still does not work.
  2. Set up a new user with no special  environment, just out of the box.  No .emacs file, and
     no bash init files.  Same behaviour.
  3. Now  the strange bit: login  using my normal userid  "mike" and change user  to the newly
     created user "joe", and cut and paste works for joe.  ("su - joe" was used for that.)
  4. Logout, and log back in again as joe (no su -; joe logs in from the
     text terminal), cut and paste no longer works for joe, But change user user
     using "su - mike", and it works for mike!
  5. Is it a shell problem?  Change shell to zsh, same behaviour.
  6. Login as mike  or joe, and call the bash  again.  Now I'm not in a  login shell, but same
     behaviour, no cut and paste.

I cannot say for sure that this is an emacs  problem.  It could be a Linux problem, or an Arch
Linux problem.   It might even  be a shell  problem, although with  the above tests  that seem
unlikely.

In GNU Emacs 25.3.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu, GTK+ Version 3.22.19)
 of 2017-09-16 built on juergen
Windowing system distributor 'The X.Org Foundation', version 11.0.11905000
Configured using:
 'configure   --prefix=/usr    --sysconfdir=/etc   --libexecdir=/usr/lib
 --localstatedir=/var  --with-x-toolkit=gtk3  --with-xft  --with-modules
 'CFLAGS=-march=x86-64 -mtune=generic -O2 -pipe -fstack-protector-strong
 -fno-plt'                                  CPPFLAGS=-D_FORTIFY_SOURCE=2
 LDFLAGS=-Wl,-O1,--sort-common,--as-needed,-z,relro,-z,now'

Configured features:
XPM JPEG  TIFF GIF PNG RSVG  IMAGEMAGICK SOUND GPM DBUS  GCONF GSETTINGS
NOTIFY   ACL  GNUTLS   LIBXML2   FREETYPE  M17N_FLT   LIBOTF  XFT   ZLIB
TOOLKIT_SCROLL_BARS GTK3 X11 MODULES

Important settings:
  value of $LC_CTYPE: en_NZ.UTF-8
  value of $LC_MONETARY: en_IE.UTF-8
  value of $LC_TIME: en_DK.UTF-8
  value of $LANG: en_NZ.UTF-8
  locale-coding-system: utf-8-unix

Major mode: Lisp Interaction

Minor modes in effect:
  Info-breadcrumbs-in-mode-line-mode: t
  icicle-mode: t
  diff-auto-refine-mode: t
  shell-dirtrack-mode: t
  on-screen-global-mode: t
  display-time-mode: t
  global-highlight-parentheses-mode: t
  highlight-parentheses-mode: t
  minibuffer-depth-indicate-mode: t
  tooltip-mode: t
  global-eldoc-mode: t
  eldoc-mode: t
  electric-indent-mode: t
  mouse-wheel-mode: t
  menu-bar-mode: t
  file-name-shadow-mode: t
  global-font-lock-mode: t
  font-lock-mode: t
  blink-cursor-mode: t
  auto-composition-mode: t
  auto-encryption-mode: t
  auto-compression-mode: t
  column-number-mode: t
  line-number-mode: t
  transient-mark-mode: t

Recent messages:
Function icicle-repeat-complex-command is already compiled
Turning OFF Icicle mode...done
Turning ON Icicle mode...done
Turning OFF Icicle mode...done
Turning ON Icicle mode...done
Turning ON Icicle mode...done
Appointment reminders enabled (no diary file found)
Loading /usr/share/emacs/25.3/lisp/textmodes/table.elc...done
For information about GNU Emacs and the GNU system, type C-h C-a.
Computing completion candidates...

Load-path shadows:
None found.

Features:
(shadow  sort org-rmail  org-mhe org-irc  org-info org-gnus  org-docview
doc-view subr-x jka-compr image-mode  org-bibtex bibtex org-bbdb org-w3m
org-table  org org-macro  org-footnote org-pcomplete  org-list org-faces
org-entities  org-version  ob-emacs-lisp   ob  ob-tangle  ob-ref  ob-lob
ob-table  ob-exp org-src  ob-keys ob-comint  ob-core ob-eval  org-compat
org-macs  org-loaddefs  find-func  flyspell  ispell  mail-extr  emacsbug
sendmail face-remap table  browse-kill-ring+ browse-kill-ring mouse-drag
mouse-copy appt diary-lib  diary-loaddefs cal-menu calendar cal-loaddefs
warnings  two-column   info+  info  icicles   icicles-mode  icicles-cmd2
icicles-cmd1   second-sel   frame-cmds  frame-fns   avoid   icicles-mcmd
image-dired  icicles-fn icicles-var  apropos-fn+var apropos  icicles-opt
ffap  url-parse   url-vars  fuzzy-match  cus-theme   cus-edit  cus-start
cus-load   bookmark+    bookmark+-key   derived    dired-x   bookmark+-1
bookmark+-bmu  bookmark+-lit  pp+   icicles-face  ring+  edmacro  kmacro
julia-shell  loccur  crosshairs  lacarte  synonyms  thingatpt+  hl-line+
hl-line col-highlight  vline doremi psvn wid-edit  log-edit message idna
dired rfc822  mml mml-sec  epg mm-decode mm-bodies  mm-encode mail-parse
rfc2231  rfc2047  rfc2045  ietf-drums  mailabbrev  mail-utils  gmm-utils
mailheader pcvs-util add-log diff-mode ido ess-toolbar ess-mouse mouseme
ess-menu ess-swv ess-noweb  ess-noweb-font-lock-mode ess-bugs-l essd-els
ess-sas-d  ess-sas-l  ess-sas-a   ess-sta-d  ess-sta-l  cc-vars  cc-defs
make-regexp  ess-sp6-d ess-dde  ess-sp3-d  ess-julia julia-mode  ess-r-d
ess-r-syntax   ess-r-completion   ess-roxy  essddr   hideshow   ess-help
ess-r-package  ess-s-l  ess   ess-inf  ess-tracebug  tramp  tramp-compat
auth-source   gnus-util  mm-util   help-fns  mail-prsvr   password-cache
tramp-loaddefs trampver ucs-normalize shell pcomplete format-spec advice
ess-mode ess-noweb-mode ess-utils  ess-generics cl ess-custom executable
ess-compat  ess-site bookmark+-mac  bookmark filladapt  dabbrev tex-site
auto-loads   on-screen   hexrgb   ack   quail   math-symbol-lists   time
slime-editing-commands     slime-scratch      slime-repl     slime-parse
slime-autoloads slime compile etags xref cl-seq project eieio eieio-core
cl-macs arc-mode archive-mode noutline outline pp comint ansi-color ring
hyperspec   thingatpt   browse-url  blinking-cursor   pager   easy-mmode
highlight-parentheses mb-depth+  mb-depth finder-inf  package epg-config
seq byte-opt gv bytecomp  byte-compile cl-extra help-mode easymenu cconv
cl-loaddefs  pcase cl-lib  time-date  mule-util  tooltip eldoc  electric
uniquify    ediff-hook    vc-hooks    lisp-float-type    mwheel    x-win
term/common-win  x-dnd  tool-bar  dnd fontset  image  regexp-opt  fringe
tabulated-list newcomment  elisp-mode lisp-mode prog-mode  register page
menu-bar rfn-eshadow  timer select  scroll-bar mouse  jit-lock font-lock
syntax  facemenu font-core  frame  cl-generic  cham georgian  utf-8-lang
misc-lang vietnamese tibetan thai  tai-viet lao korean japanese eucjp-ms
cp51932  hebrew greek  romanian  slovak czech  european ethiopic  indian
cyrillic  chinese  charscript  case-table  epa-hook  jka-cmpr-hook  help
simple  abbrev minibuffer  cl-preloaded  nadvice  loaddefs button  faces
cus-face macroexp  files text-properties overlay sha1  md5 base64 format
env  code-pages mule  custom  widget hashtable-print-readable  backquote
dbusbind inotify dynamic-setting system-font-setting font-render-setting
move-toolbar gtk x-toolkit x multi-tty make-network-process emacs)

Memory information:
((conses 16 523402 14043)
 (symbols 48 51189 1)
 (miscs 40 664 299)
 (strings 32 129144 19036)
 (string-bytes 1 3827730)
 (vectors 16 68310)
 (vector-slots 8 1193079 2274)
 (floats 8 557 274)
 (intervals 56 370 0)
 (buffers 976 106))

-- 
Dr. Michael L. Dowling
Gaußstr. 27
38106 Braunschweig
Germany

-- 
Dr. Michael L. Dowling
Gaußstr. 27
38106 Braunschweig
Germany