[kde-doc-english]Problem in the KDE FAQ, section 9.7

[Michael Schwager]

>> KDE (kdm) does not read my .bash_profile!
>>
>> profile. Please edit your Xsession and .xsession files."
...
>
> What is your distribution and version of KDE ?

It's 3.0.3, it's the one that comes with Redhat Linux 8.0 out-of-the-box. 
I see that it is copyright 1999-2002 Redhat, inc., and there is no .profile 
stuff in it at all.  So perhaps the file is completely different than what 
KDE distributes.  Strange...

....
> - - it's true that .xsession is called only if the environment to run
> (e.g. kde)  is not known. But does that contradict the text that is in
> the FAQ ? The FAQ  encourages to have a look at Xsession and .xsession,
> and if the environment  is not known .xsession could be a place to do the
> call to the user's profile.  Okay, I agree Xsession is a better place in
> any case, but nethertheless what  the FAQ says is not wrong, is it ?

Ok, let's look at it for a second:  I, the end user, want to configure KDE. 
Specifically I want to add some routines to its startup.  So I look at the 
Documentation because I know to RTFM like a good user :).  Maybe it's an 
FAQ, that seems plausible, so I check.  I see:
        Chapter 9. Configuring KDE
...which is what I want to do!  Great!  Obviously, the questions in this 
section of the FAQ have to do with Configuring KDE (not configuring X if 
the environment is not known).  I see:
        KDE (kdm) does not read my .bash_profile!
...interesting!  Because I am trying to add to KDE's startup; there is 
nothing in section 9.7 that discusses the case when the environment is not 
known.  This looks like a very good place to go, because I know the 
bash_profile is run when the bash shell starts.

It says "So the normal practice is to add statements in Xsession to source 
the user profile."  Remember, it does not say "in case kde does not know 
what environment you want to use."  The FAQ has to do with KDE- I'm not 
going to be concerned about reading the FAQ if, for example, I'm running 
Gnome or if I don't have any idea what environment I'm running.  And the 
title for section 9.7 says that it's *KDE* that's not reading my 
.bash_profile.  Nothing there gives any clue that we may be talking about a 
special case.  As a matter of fact, it also says "the normal practice".

I would be interested to see the text in that section of the FAQ that gives 
me an indication that it is about the case where the environment is not 
known.

Finally, if I am interested in configuring my X setup when the environment 
is not known, would I go to Chapter 9 of the FAQ?  Would I even look in the 
KDE documentation at all?  Assuming I want to configure X when the 
environment is not known, let's say that for some strange reason I open 
http://www.kde.org/documentation/faq/index.html .  I scan the headings... 
hmmm, Chapter 9 looks interesting because I want to configure.  But the 
question now is "How do I configure X when the environment is not known?" 
Is the answer then, "Why- naturally you would look in Chapter 9, 
'Configuring KDE'" ?  I think not.  And the converse is true as well.
--
-Mike                                   Mike at Schwager.com
                     -o)
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