LINUX USER KDE 3.2 problems

KDE 3.2 on Suse 9.0 Usability Report We Are Almost There Hands off versions with a zero after the decimal point! Major Open Source projects are typically no exception to this rule – if you prefer a bug to the latest fea- tures, that is. But what exactly are the issues that users moving to KDE 3.2(.0) need to look out for?

BY WERNER HARRICHHAUSEN

DE 3.2 is better than its predeces- will be looking at are just an arbitrary or in a subdirectory assigned as a mail- sor. In fact, this has been true of selection. The KDE bug reporting system box. The same problem also occurred Kevery new KDE release. It has the (http://bugs.kde.org/) provides ample when we used a POP filter. KWallet password and credentials man- opportunity for more detailed research. The KDE project introduced a patch ager, the PIM Suite, the JuK We will leave it up to readers to decide [3] for the issue on February 5, however, Jukebox (see page 74), the for themselves if the enhancements in the patch was missing from Suse’s own instant messenger, and the geometry KDE 3.2 are worth taking the hurdles – KDE packages for Suse 9.0 [1], and in program just to name a few. All of these after all, people have different require- the latest official KDE/Suse 9.0 packages programs have entered that illustrious ments, and for many, it won’t be the first from February 3 [2]. circle of core packages. Existing pro- time that you have had to tolerate bugs. grams offer a wide selection of new Our lab systems use Suse 9.0 – Calling Info Center features and improved usability. users of other distributions may get As of KDE 3.2, KMail is no longer a However, novelty is not always what lucky and not actually experience some stand-alone application, but instead a users look for. Humans are creatures of of the problems that we had. We used component of the Kontact information habit, and it is often more important to the 3.2 KDE Beta versions 3.1.94, 3.1.95, center, which also includes the KNode users that their favorite programs work plus the 3.2 version from the Suse FTP newsreader, the KOrganizer calendar, the just like they always did. This is why we server [1]. All of these versions displayed KDE address book, virtual sticky notes will be looking into the issue of the pit- the symptoms described in this article. courtesy of KNotes, and a few other falls that unsuspecting users might run tools. into after an update. The examples we Mail First Unfortunately, KOrganizer does not The first thing that many users look to, is seem happy as just one program among Werner Harrichhausen has been getting their email working, and the new many, and tends to “forget” its current using Linux for over six years. He has KMail version actually does this. Sadly, planning data from time to time. You his own Linux business called Bin-OS-

HOR the good initial impression was rather need to reload the .ics file to regain T Projekte and is currently training to spoiled by an error that dropped filtered access to your data. Next time you be a C/C++ programmer by distance email messages into a black hole. Unfor- launch the program under Kontact, it’s learning. He is a big fan of “The tunately, this not only happened to goodbye data once again. This issue does Sweet”and enjoys the company of THE AU filtered mail, but from time to time mes- not occur if you launch KOrganizer as a his wife and three cats. sages failed to appear either in the inbox stand-alone application.

76 May 2004 www.linux-magazine.com KDE 3.2 problems LINUX USER

KOrganizer also loses effects weren’t quite as colored highlighting for devastating, made us won- appointments or appoint- der why the KDE project ment groups. In this case, hadn’t waited for tests to the bug occurs with or be completed before going without Kontact. We were for the “stable” release. unable to fix this problem Was it because the official before this issue went to release date was way over- press. due, and they didn’t dare wait any longer? Or has Password?! their been a lack of user Some of the other new feedback on the Beta ver- members of the KDE in sion that led to the project crowd also have teething assuming that the software trouble, for example KWal- was mature enough for a let. This tool provides wider market? password management Figure 1:The checkmark that removes the need to memorize a thousand - Our conclusion has to be facilities for Web access – a words raises false hopes. that KDE 3.2 has definitely good idea, as is evidenced made a giant leap forward. by similar functions in the Opera and good reason for this. As soon as you Unhappily, anyone who needs a reliable Mozilla browsers. The idea behind KWal- launch this (non KDE core) package on Linux workhorse is well advised to steer let was to provide password management KDE 3.2 and access a FTP server, the clear of KDE 3.2 for the time being. It is facilities for multiple applications. whole GUI freezes (we tested versions definitely worth waiting for the gen- When you launch the program by typ- 2.1-395 and 2.1-413). uinely stable KDE 3.1.5 version, which ing kwalletmanager, a small wallet icon Our attempts to kill the active X server will have removed the current teething appears in the bottom right-hand corner by pressing [Ctrl-Alt-Backspace] failed. trouble. If you need reliability, you might of the panel. You can click the icon to Our only hope was to press [Ctrl-F1] to even consider waiting for a future KDE display an empty window, and then switch to a text console, log on as root, 3.2.1, or even KDE 3.2.2 release before select File / New digital wallet… to open and launch init 3, followed by init 5. you make the upgrade. the setup dialog. You are prompted to KDE 3.2 refused to play ball until we had Another thing that disappointed us enter your master password, as shown in downed the X server and restarted. was the fact that Suse had not managed Figure 1. Fortunately, there is a workaround that to provide a kdebase3-SuSE RPM pack- If you then launch KNode, KWallet worked on a few occasions. Before age for KDE 3.2 for download by the wants to see your master password launching KBear on KDE 3.2, first delete time this issue went to press. Suse Linux again, plus the password for the news the kbear folder below /home/user- users with KDE 3.2 will have to do with- server. Okay so far. But the next time you name/./apps/. The folder is created out KDE control center integrated YaST launch KNode, the program wants the the next time you launch the FTP pro- modules, and file extension mappings same passwords yet again, both for gram. On the downside, the workaround for the time being. ■ KWallet and for the new server. You can provide unreliable. It did not work with go on repeating this for ever. Inciden- the Beta versions, although it worked INFO tally, this problem also occurs when you with the ready-made KDE 3.2 packages [1] Suse Linux KDE 3.2 packages: attempt to access your KMail mailboxes. from Suse. ftp://ftp.suse.com/pub/suse/i386/ The only answer, as far as we could see, supplementary/KDE/update_for_9.0 was to stop using KWallet. Everything Running? [2] Official KDE download: We experienced similar issues with the X ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/3.2/ Let me in! server freezing at times, however, these [3] KMail patch: We are not sure if the KDE wallet appli- errors were irreproducible and seemingly ftp://ftp.kde.org/pub/kde/stable/3.2/src/ kdepim-3.2.0-HOT_FIX_FOR_KMAIL.patch cation plays the same trick with the arbitrary. The fact that several programs [4] KBear:http://kbear.sourceforge.net/ KBear [4] FTP program, and there is a occasionally crashed, although the GLOSSARY

PIM Suite: An integrated program collection Core packages: KDE desktop software is orga- packages up into smaller chunks for easier providing features for managing personal nized by its field of use, and distributed across handling. data, such as email messages,addresses, multiple packages,of which only “kdelibs”and Patch: A piece of software that removes a and appointments (“Personal Information “kdebase”are mandatory.Any other pro- bug,or adds functionality.In the case of Open Management”): the advantage over grams (such as the “kdeedu”learning tools or Source software, the patch often needs to be individual programs (theoretically) being the “kdegraphics”graphics tools) are only applied to the source code, and that means seamless data exchange and collaboration. optional. Distributors tend to split the core rebuilding.

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