kde3 kde4 coinstallability take two

[David Faure]

On Tuesday 23 October 2007, Sune Vuorela wrote:
> >>> usr/bin/kdeeject
> >>> can't find any uses of this - only mentioned where it is build and such.
> >>
> >> I guess this one could actually be removed, but I'll let K=C3=A9vin comment=
> >>  on it.=20
> >> Ejection should be handled through Solid, which in turn goes through HAL=20
> >> where available. Where HAL isn't used, it will need to call upon an=20
> >> executable (/usr/bin/eject), but I don't know how Solid does it.
> >
> > Let us remove it then ?

It was used by old-style device icons in e.g. kdesktop.
I don't know if we still need it - Kevin?
If we do, the solution is simple: libexec. It also works for the Exec= line of desktop files iirc.

> >>> usr/bin/kdesu
> >>> usr/bin/kdesud
> >>> seems to be used some places, but not that many. I dunno about this.
> >>> libexec? - maybe with symlinks from bin/kdesu4 to libexec?
> >>
> >> I don't know. Last I heard, trying to rename it would cause a lot of portin=
> >> g=20
> >> trouble.
> >>
> >> Can't distributions handle this case by using an "alternatives"-style=20
> >> approach?
> >
> > Probably, yeah, but I don't completely understand it. What happes when
> > kde4-in-kde3 apps wants to use kdesu ?

Sounds like another candidate for libexec, after checking that "Exec=kdesu foo" still works.
Hmm not widely used yet in kde4, I only see a dolphin_su doing that; needs a working kickoff
to test that - anyone?

> >>> usr/bin/khc_docbookdig.pl
> >>> usr/bin/khc_htdig.pl
> >>> usr/bin/khc_htsearch.pl
> >>> usr/bin/khc_indexbuilder
> >>> usr/bin/khc_mansearch.pl
> >>>
> >>> urgh. is htdig still used? And is it different from the kde3 versions?
> >>
> >> libexec. These should never have been placed in ${prefix}/bin because they =
> >> are=20
> >> are not user applications.
> >
> > Let us move them there, then. I can't find them mentioned except in some
> > desktop files under khelpcenter/searchhandlers - and in:
> > khelpcenter/kcmhelpcenter.cpp:  *mProcess << "khc_indexbuilder";
> > (and of course in the places under khelpcenter where they are built and
> > installed)
> >=> kde handled? 
> > or if it is the exact same as in kde => handled by distros
you mean kde3?
Well even if it's the same right now, I'd prefer to keep the possibility to make it differ
at some point...
libexec sounds like a good place for those (the code needs to use findExe as you noticed).

> The following two are kinfocenter related, according to riddell, so
> moved from "other places" in the emails
> >>> usr/share/desktop-directories/kde-information.directory
> >>> etc/xdg/menus/kde-information.menu
> 
> >>> usr/bin/khelpcenter
> >>> Has khelpcenter changed at all - and does kde3 khelpcenter actually satisfy kde4 ?
> >> No comment from me.
> > Anyone else got comments?
kde3 khelpcenter won't see the .desktop files for kde4 apps so using khelpcenter3 won't
be good for kde4 apps, we need both installed.

> >>> usr/bin/kinfocenter
Needs a 4 I suppose; systemsettings doesn't include it, and the modules
are kde3 or kde4 dependent of course.

> >>> usr/bin/knetattach
> >>> user program to mount net shares of some kind. Append 4 ?
> >>
> >> It's kio_remote's wizard program. Is it even on the menu?
> >>
> >> If it's not, I'd argue this is libexec material.
> >
> > I at least can't find it in my kde3 menu.
> > has kdebase/runtime/knetattach/knetattach.desktop and
> > kioslave/remote/remoteimpl.cpp:#define WIZARD_SERVICE "knetattach"
Yeah, one for libexec.

> >>> usr/bin/ktrash
> >>> trash handler helper. Seems to be used by kio trash. Append4? move to
> >>> libexec?
No it's not -used- by kio_trash. It's a command-line tool.

> >> It doesn't do anything when run here, so my guess is it's not a user=20
> >> application. Move to libexec.
> >
> > kioslave/trash/ktrash.cpp:   // This hack is for the servicemenu on
> > trash.desktop which uses Exec=ktrash -empty. %f is implied...
> >
> >  - but trash.desktop does not seem to be found ?
Hmm... sounds like I didn't get it to work and hardcoded something in KonqPopupmenu
instead, but that's not really flexible. A servicemenu based solution would be better.
Anyway, the problem with command-line tools for power users is that
they can't move to libexec, and they look ugly with a 4 in the name.
OTOH I can't really see why a user would need both ktrash from kde3 and
the one from kde4 (the trash system is compatible after all).

I won't be able to do any renamings until Thursday though (travelling soon
to a customer) so someone else would have to do the above because of the freeze.

-- 
David Faure, faure at kde.org, sponsored by Trolltech to work on KDE,
Konqueror (http://www.konqueror.org), and KOffice (http://www.koffice.org).