[kde-linux] Debian 5.0, KDE: getting konqueror to open links from kmail in the background (and not interfere with other behaviors)

[Randy Kramer]

This question doesn't go into detail on all the things I've tried so 
far--I have googled, experimented, and read documentation but haven't 
found anything that resolves this for me.  I thought I'd try to ask it 
generally before trying to get more specific.

Here's the problem:

On Mandriva2006, KDE behaved as follows:
   * on pressing <alt><F2>, regardless of the location of the mouse, 
focus was shifted to the "Run Command" popup and I could type into the 
combo box
   * all popup dialogs on konqueror or other things (like the KDE 
control center) like those requesting me to type in the root password 
appeared on top of the application it was called from
   * in kmail, and with an instance of konqueror open on the same 
desktop, if I click on a link in an email, it is opened in a new tab in 
the open instance of konqueror (usually anyway--maybe there is some 
limit to the number of tabs that will be opened that way before a new 
instance of konqueror is started), and *konqueror remains in the 
background*.

To the best of my recollection, I did not have to do anything in the way 
of tweaking KDE, konqueror, or kmail configuration settings to get that 
behavior.

In Debian 5.0, the behavior is different, and none of the options I've 
tried have let me get the same behavior.  As installed, the first two 
items behave the same, but clicking a link in kmail causes konqueror to 
open the link in the foreground.  

(Aside: And, initially, as a new instance of konqueror instead of a tab, 
but I quickly found the konqueror settings to have external links 
opened as a tab in the background:

   * Open links in new tab instead of in new window
   * Advanced: Open new tabs in the background
   * Advanced: Open popups in new tab instead of in new window
   * Advanced: Open as tab in existing konqueror when URL is called 
externally
)

If I start to fool around to change the behavior, primarily with the 
Configure Window Behavior -> Advanced -> Focused stealing prevention 
level:  like changing it from low to normal or high, I eventually get 
to the point where konqueror will open links clicked in kmail (in tabs) 
in the background, but at that point, authorization dialogs open in the 
background and the Run Command dialog (from <alt><F2>) doesn't open 
with the focus unless the mouse pointer happens to be within the 
boundaries of the dialog when it opens.

My first question is--does anybody have it working the way I prefer 
(i.e., as it did in Mandriva2006) under any of:

   * Debian 5.0
   * KDE 3.5.10--I should point out that Debian 5.0 is sort of a hybrid 
somehow of 3.5.10 and 3.5.9--I can't explain what all that means,  
kmail is 1.9.9 and konqueror is 3.5.9

Thanks!

Randy Kramer
-- 
I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I created a video 
instead.--with apologies to Cicero, et.al.