Moodle Desktop - Linux 64 Bit - White Screen after a few minutes

Moodle Desktop - Linux 64 Bit - White Screen after a few minutes

by Cory Robbins -
Number of replies: 7

Hello All,

We are researching the Moodle platform for our students to use.  We have a high percentage of our students without home internet access, so we are looking at the mobile app and also the Moodle Desktop app to provide offline functionality for them.  It is working great with the mobile app, and the desktop app works great on a Mac.  Our linux laptops (which will be the majority) aren't working correctly after just a few minutes.  The app launches and things appear to be working fine, but then the app will turn solid white, and will remain that way indefinitely.  I've left it on this screen overnight, and no change has happened.

I've not been able to see this mentioned anywhere, so I thought it might be an issue with the image we are using for our linux deployments.  I've downloaded a fresh version of a vanilla Ubuntu ISO, and the same issue happens right after an install.  Is there a component I'm missing that would be causing this problem?

Average of ratings: Useful (1)
In reply to Cory Robbins

Re: Moodle Desktop - Linux 64 Bit - White Screen after a few minutes

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Translators

Hi

In effect you say, your Moodle server works great on Mac, on mobile devices but gives white screen after a few minutes on Linux. And this is reproducible. Then raise the https://docs.moodle.org/en/Debugging level of the Moodle to DEVELOPER and get a detailed log trace.

BTW, what is your Moodle release? what additional plug-ins? the server platform? what system software (web server, PHP, database)?

P.S. We have a nomenclature problem. There is no Moodle Desktop app, it is the browser. No server app either, it is a PHP enabled web server. There is a Moodle Mobile App though, that's all.

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In reply to Visvanath Ratnaweera

Re: Moodle Desktop - Linux 64 Bit - White Screen after a few minutes

by Cory Robbins -
Hello,

Thanks for the reply. I'm a bit confused though... I'm talking about the Moodle Desktop that is on this page: https://download.moodle.org/desktop/

It pretty much looks like a wrapper for the mobile app, and I know it uses Electron based on other documentation. I can use a web browser in linux to work within Moodle. I just can't use the app image that is downloadable from that site for much time.

Should I still do the debugging you suggest since it doesn't look like this is a server issue?

Moodle release: 3.8.1+
Additional plug-ins: None that I recall (test install, but it has been over a month since I installed it)
Server Platform: Ubuntu 18.04 LTS with latest updates. Traditional LAMP stack with PHP version 7.2.24
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In reply to Cory Robbins

Re: Moodle Desktop - Linux 64 Bit - White Screen after a few minutes

by Visvanath Ratnaweera -
Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Translators

Hi

You wrote: > I'm a bit confused though... I'm talking about the Moodle Desktop that is on this page: https://download.moodle.org/desktop/

Indeed! It is my ignorance. I must have missed that development.

So the question is about this client program which replaces the traditional browser. I don't even know what the correct forum for that product is. Hopefully the moderator will find it out.

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In reply to Visvanath Ratnaweera

Re: Moodle Desktop - Linux 64 Bit - White Screen after a few minutes

by Howard Miller -
Picture of Core developers Picture of Documentation writers Picture of Particularly helpful Moodlers Picture of Peer reviewers Picture of Plugin developers
It is indeed just the mobile app packaged to run on a browser.

It has little or no practical application that I am aware of.
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In reply to Howard Miller

Re: Moodle Desktop - Linux 64 Bit - White Screen after a few minutes

by Cory Robbins -
Gotcha. The only reason we were going to use it was to gain the ability to use the course download options for the large number of students that don't have internet access. I would MUCH prefer to have this ability with the native web interface, but I haven't been able to figure out a method that has received development since 2012.

Maybe it would make sense to have this in the mobile forum?
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In reply to Cory Robbins

Re: Moodle Desktop - Linux 64 Bit - White Screen after a few minutes

by Marcus Ullrich -
Hello All,
since a few days I get the same behaviour running Moodle Desktop on a Windows 10 Laptop. Therfore it looks to me like an app issue (rather than a "server" or connection problem).

PS: not sure if it's correct to add this here - glad for any advice to copy/move the item !
Average of ratings: -
In reply to Marcus Ullrich

Re: Moodle Desktop - Linux 64 Bit - White Screen after a few minutes

by Cory Robbins -
Interesting! It is odd that I haven't had any issues with the mac app. That makes me wonder if maybe there is a change in the requirements to properly support the Electron component of the app on both linux and Windows.
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