Synapse Crashes at First Input after Launch

This morning, started my system to find two things:

  1. Synapse (which I launch with Ctrl+Esc) immediately crashes as soon as I type anything.
  2. A blue “EN” in the upper right hand corner, which appears to be IBus language preferences. I had never seen this before.

I would have thought they were unrelated, until I read this:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/synapse-project/+bug/1219314

It seem the crash could be related to this IBus thing making itself front and center?

I found this solution from a while back, but I’d rather not have an out of date Synapse in my system, especially when it was working properly yesterday:

My uneducated guess is that rather than Synapse being broken, it seems this IBus thing may be causing the problem.

Can anyone help?

Thanks,
B.

What version of Ubuntu MATE are you using?
Also, did you by any chance recently install a package that pulled a boatload of dependencies, such as ubuntu-tweak-tool (that package you really don’t want to install on Ubuntu MATE, because it breaks synapse in the exact way you’re describing for some reason.)

Sorry.

Distributor ID: Ubuntu
Description: Ubuntu 16.04.1 LTS
Release: 16.04
Codename: xenial

No, I did not install ubuntu-tweak-tool.

I did install the Zoom Video Conference software yesterday for a work web conference… that is the only new thing I have installed in ages.

I uninstalled Zoom using the gdebi package installer. It did not solve the problem. Is there a deeper uninstall I need to do?

Any more ideas from the community? I’m surprised no one else answered.

I'm not sure what to do, but I think you should start by checking the versions of synapse and dependent packages you have installed.

Use this command and compare the result to mine (given below)

apt-cache policy synapse ; apt-cache depends synapse | tail -n+2 | grep Dep | tr -s ' ' ' ' | cut -d' ' -f 3 | xargs -IX apt-cache policy X

ouroumov@Bloc:~/Desktop$ apt-cache policy synapse ; apt-cache depends synapse | tail -n+2 | grep Dep | tr -s ' ' ' ' | cut -d' ' -f 3 | xargs -IX apt-cache policy X
synapse:
  Installed: 0.2.99.2-1
  Candidate: 0.2.99.2-1
  Version table:
 *** 0.2.99.2-1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/universe amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libc6:
  Installed: 2.23-0ubuntu3
  Candidate: 2.23-0ubuntu3
  Version table:
 *** 2.23-0ubuntu3 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libcairo2:
  Installed: 1.14.6-1
  Candidate: 1.14.6-1
  Version table:
 *** 1.14.6-1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0:
  Installed: 2.32.2-1ubuntu1
  Candidate: 2.32.2-1ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 2.32.2-1ubuntu1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libgee-0.8-2:
  Installed: 0.18.0-1
  Candidate: 0.18.0-1
  Version table:
 *** 0.18.0-1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libglib2.0-0:
  Installed: 2.48.1-1~ubuntu16.04.1
  Candidate: 2.48.1-1~ubuntu16.04.1
  Version table:
 *** 2.48.1-1~ubuntu16.04.1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     2.48.0-1ubuntu4 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
libgtk-3-0:
  Installed: 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.1
  Candidate: 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.1
  Version table:
 *** 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     3.18.9-1ubuntu3 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
libjson-glib-1.0-0:
  Installed: 1.1.2-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 1.1.2-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 1.1.2-0ubuntu1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libkeybinder-3.0-0:
  Installed: 0.3.1-1
  Candidate: 0.3.1-1
  Version table:
 *** 0.3.1-1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/universe amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libnotify4:
  Installed: 0.7.6-2svn1
  Candidate: 0.7.6-2svn1
  Version table:
 *** 0.7.6-2svn1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libpango-1.0-0:
  Installed: 1.38.1-1
  Candidate: 1.38.1-1
  Version table:
 *** 1.38.1-1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libpangocairo-1.0-0:
  Installed: 1.38.1-1
  Candidate: 1.38.1-1
  Version table:
 *** 1.38.1-1 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libzeitgeist-2.0-0:
  Installed: 0.9.16-0ubuntu4
  Candidate: 0.9.16-0ubuntu4
  Version table:
 *** 0.9.16-0ubuntu4 500
        500 http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
ouroumov@Bloc:~/Desktop$
2 Likes

In case you cannot resolve it (but i am sure ouroumov will get you through this :slight_smile: )
you can try kupfer instead, wish is similar to Synapse :
https://www.google.fr/search?q=kupfer+ubuntu&client=ubuntu&hs=UiT&channel=fs&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwijyOOgmsnOAhUkYJoKHYwGAPMQ_AUICCgB&biw=1920&bih=900

How does this look?

benjaminselzer@benjaminselzer-Latitude-E7240:~$ apt-cache policy synapse ; apt-cache depends synapse | tail -n+2 | grep Dep | tr -s ' ' ' ' | cut -d' ' -f 3 | xargs -IX apt-cache policy X
synapse:
  Installed: 0.2.99.2-1
  Candidate: 0.2.99.2-1
  Version table:
 *** 0.2.99.2-1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/universe amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libc6:
  Installed: 2.23-0ubuntu3
  Candidate: 2.23-0ubuntu3
  Version table:
 *** 2.23-0ubuntu3 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libcairo2:
  Installed: 1.14.6-1
  Candidate: 1.14.6-1
  Version table:
 *** 1.14.6-1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0:
  Installed: 2.32.2-1ubuntu1
  Candidate: 2.32.2-1ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 2.32.2-1ubuntu1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libgee-0.8-2:
  Installed: 0.18.0-1
  Candidate: 0.18.0-1
  Version table:
 *** 0.18.0-1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libglib2.0-0:
  Installed: 2.48.1-1~ubuntu16.04.1
  Candidate: 2.48.1-1~ubuntu16.04.1
  Version table:
 *** 2.48.1-1~ubuntu16.04.1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     2.48.0-1ubuntu4 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
libgtk-3-0:
  Installed: 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.1
  Candidate: 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.1
  Version table:
 *** 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     3.18.9-1ubuntu3 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
libjson-glib-1.0-0:
  Installed: 1.1.2-0ubuntu1
  Candidate: 1.1.2-0ubuntu1
  Version table:
 *** 1.1.2-0ubuntu1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libkeybinder-3.0-0:
  Installed: 0.3.1-1
  Candidate: 0.3.1-1
  Version table:
 *** 0.3.1-1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/universe amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libnotify4:
  Installed: 0.7.6-2svn1
  Candidate: 0.7.6-2svn1
  Version table:
 *** 0.7.6-2svn1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libpango-1.0-0:
  Installed: 1.38.1-1
  Candidate: 1.38.1-1
  Version table:
 *** 1.38.1-1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libpangocairo-1.0-0:
  Installed: 1.38.1-1
  Candidate: 1.38.1-1
  Version table:
 *** 1.38.1-1 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
libzeitgeist-2.0-0:
  Installed: 0.9.16-0ubuntu4
  Candidate: 0.9.16-0ubuntu4
  Version table:
 *** 0.9.16-0ubuntu4 500
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

I followed these instructions (they work a little differently, but I figured it out), and now I have working Synapse!

1 Like

I’ve unheld Synapse, and updated to the latest. It now works again. Thanks.

This looks like the problem, some packages seem to not be matched

libc6:
Installed: 2.23-0ubuntu9
Candidate: 2.23-0ubuntu9
Version table:
*** 2.23-0ubuntu9 500
500 Index of /ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 Packages
500 Index of /ubuntu xenial-security/main amd64 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
2.23-0ubuntu3 500
500 Index of /ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
libglib2.0-0:
Installed: 2.48.2-0ubuntu1
Candidate: 2.48.2-0ubuntu1
Version table:
*** 2.48.2-0ubuntu1 500
500 Index of /ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
2.48.0-1ubuntu4 500
500 Index of /ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages
libgtk-3-0:
Installed: 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.3
Candidate: 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.3
Version table:
*** 3.18.9-1ubuntu3.3 500
500 Index of /ubuntu xenial-updates/main amd64 Packages
100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
3.18.9-1ubuntu3 500
500 Index of /ubuntu xenial/main amd64 Packages