[kde-linux] KDE 4. Trying to get it working like I need it to.

[Dale]

Duncan wrote:
> Dale posted on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:12:48 -0600 as excerpted:
>
>   
>> I log into KDE 4 whenever there is a update to something just to see
>> what is working and what issues still remain.  This is hopefully going
>> to be the catch all thread for me.  Right now, I have two things that I
>> want to work on.  There are others but this is two biggies.  I will say
>> that after this last update, it is looking pretty darn cool.
>>
>> I'm using Gentoo.  I have both KDE 3.5 and KDE 4 installed.  After
>> yesterday, I have the latest updates that are available through Gentoo.
>> Here are the versions of some of the software that may help in this:
>>
>> sqlite-2.8.16-r4
>> sqlite-3.6.18
>> kdelibs-4.3.3
>> akonadi-server-1.2.1
>> akonadi-4.3.3
>>
>> This is all the dbus related stuff:
>>
>> dbus-glib-0.76 (0)
>> dbus-qt3-old-0.70 (0)
>> dbus-python-0.83.0-r1 (0)
>> dbus-1.2.3-r1 (0)
>> qt-dbus-4.5.3-r1 (4)
>>
>>
>> If it matters,
>>
>> gcc-4.4.2
>>
>> Problem one, I used to use Konqueror as root to edit config files and
>> such.  I have to be root to do this.  I set Dolphin up to run as root
>> and it comes up fine.  I even like the look so far.  The last time I
>> tried this it wouldn't even open a folder, directory or whatever you
>> want to call it.  It does after this latest update today.  I assume that
>> got fixed.  However, if I got to a directory like /etc ,which is owned
>> by root, and try to open a text file, I get a error.  It won't let me
>> copy and paste so it is a screen shot.  It basically complains about
>> Klauncher and dbus.  Screen shot is attached as screenshot1.
>>     
>
> [ screenshot (messagebox):
>
> Title:  Sorry - Dolphin
>
> Message: KLauncher couldn not be reached via D-Bus.  Error when callling 
> start_service_by_desktop_path: The name org.kde.klauncher was not 
> provided by any .service files
>
> OK button only. ]
>
> As you know, I run Gentoo as well.  ~amd64, updated (deep newuse) a 
> couple times a week, revdep-rebuild done after update, emerge depclean, 
> then second revdep-rebuild if anything removed, to be sure.  Same gcc, 
> newest available ~arch.
>
> You "set Dolphin up to run as root", but didn't describe how.  Did you 
> create a new menu item for it or change the current one, or are you 
> starting Dolphin as root using some other method?
>   

I did this a while back.  I right clicked on the K menu thingy and
selected menu editor.  I then found Dolphin and told it to run as root. 
It's sort of the way KDE 3 does it but getting there is different.  I
actually found it by accident.  LOL

> What it looks like to me is that it's not starting a full root dbus 
> session (distinct from the user dbus session), so it's having problems 
> reaching it.  In some cases that can be due to how it was started, and 
> may involve errors even launching the kde app (tho you say it doesn't, 
> now) as a user other than the one you're running X as.
>
> FWIW, I don't tend to run much GUI as root, especially to edit system 
> config files and the like.  For that, I use mc, an ncurses based dual-
> pane filemanager type app (krusader would be the kde/graphical equiv), 
> run in a konsole window while in X/KDE or directly, when in text mode.  
> It just works better for me, because I get the same ncurses semi-GUI 
> interface regardless of whether I'm running in X or not, it doesn't 
> require any special d-bus permissions to run as root (I just start a 
> konsole session, sudo to a separate "admin" user that has less strict 
> sudo rights than my normal user rather than directly to root, and sudo 
> from there to root for individual commands as necessary).  As such, I 
> wouldn't see the running-kde-apps-as-root issues you're dealing with, 
> since I don't normally run any kde apps as root.
>
> If you wish to try something like that we can probably take that off list 
> and I can help you set it up.  Or we can continue working on this, 
> probably on-list, but I'm simply saying since I don't do it the same way, 
> I may be of limited help...
>   

I'm hoping I can continue to do this sort of like I always have.  I can
use nano to edit those files but I have grown accustomed to using
Kwrite.  There is no one here but me so I'm not worried about security
or anything.  It's not like I'm going to leave something open and
someone walk in and do some mischief. 

I may end up changing to something else tho.  I have had to do that
before.  I mostly think KDE 4 just needs a little more time or I just
need to config this differently.


>   
>> Problem two, akonadi isn't working.  I did Google for this and I
>> couldn't find a fix but it appears to be a common issue.  It appears to
>> be a mismatch between software versions.  This may be as simple as
>> someone who has it working posting what version they are using and me
>> matching that.  It may be something else that is needed.  This is the
>> error that it gives:
>>
>> +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>>
>> Akonadi Server Self-Test Report
>> ===============================
>>     
>
> I'm not yet running akonadi... probably won't until k-address-book (kab) 
> requires it in kde 4.4.  So again, can't help you directly.  However...
>
> 1) You don't mention where these tests are coming from.  Are they the 
> FEATURES=test run at build/install time?  Are they some GUI test run from 
> within KDE later?
>   

This happens as soon as my desktop pops up.  I don't touch a thing and
it pops up with this error.  I do start with a saved session and I
strongly suspect that it is Kopete that kicks this "test" into drive.  I
think that because I do have it set to start up in the bar at the bottom
and it is in the list I posted earlier as needing the server.  I could
be wrong tho. 

> 2) I'm not sure if akonadi works properly with sqlite.  Mysql is the 
> normal requirement.  I do see that akonadi (which is NOT merged/installed 
> here, unneeded in my config) doesn't require mysql be installed as a 
> dependency, here.  akonadi-server (which IS merged, required for various 
> bits...) has both mysql and sqlite USE flags, neither of which I have on, 
> but then I'm not actually using it that I know of, only building against 
> it as building against it is required by various kde components I have 
> installed, even if it's not actually used.
>   

Hmmm, maybe the USE flag is on in the profile and I need to disable that
thing in make.conf?  Of course, that may not work when it just plain has
to have it when KDE 4.4 comes out. 

> 3) The tests do seem to indicate that your akonadi-server is configured 
> for sqlite, not mysql.  As such, several of the mysql-only (early) tests 
> are skipped, some of the middle tests fail, and the later ones succeed 
> but perhaps only because it's not actually running to create the error 
> logs, etc.
>
> 4) What I'd guess is happening here, is that you've setup kde in what 
> amounts to a "null-akonadi" config, which is basically what I've done as 
> well, only I'm not running this test and don't know where it is to run.  
> The null-akonadi config would be possible since akonadi isn't actually 
> required by much in kde4 yet.  akonadi itself isn't required, but even 
> where it's not used, there are a few components that build against 
> akonadi-server, so it's required for these various components to link 
> against, even when akonadi itself isn't and may not be merged.  In such a 
> config, akonadi tests wouldn't be expected to succeed, because it's not 
> actually installed, only the null-server bits are installed, just enough 
> for the kde components that require them to link against can be merged.
>
> 5) What logically follows is this question:  You see akonadi failing, but 
> do you know for sure that you actually need it for anything?  If not, 
> that's likely a USE flag based choice available in the Gentoo 
> installation, since many people don't actually need it at this point, and 
> thus don't care if it actually works.  Of course, if there's some bit you 
> need that you know is failing without a running akonadi, then we go from 
> there, but I know that I don't need it for anything, here.  kmail, which 
> will require akonadi from kde 4.5, doesn't need it yet, and kab 
> (kaddressbook), which will require it from 4.4, doesn't need it with 4.3 
> either.  Some of the koffice bits require akonadi-server, but at least 
> the bits I have installed here, don't require akonadi itself.  Of course, 
> starting with kde 4.4, I /will/ require it for kab, which will require it 
> with 4.4 (unless I just nix kab at that point), and for 4.5, I /will/ 
> require it regardless, as kmail itself will require it then and I'm 
> unlikely to nix kmail... unless the switch to akonadi breaks it and I 
> have to.  But those are some time off.  With kde 4.3.x including 4.3.3, I 
> have nothing merged /here/ anyway that actually requires a usable 
> akonadi, so I don't worry about it.
>   

Interesting.  I don't use Kmail or Kaddressbook.  I do install with
kde-meta tho which pulls them in.  I just don't use them anymore. 

> Related but slightly OT...
>
> At present I'm not using the semantic desktop stuff, either, and it too 
> is "null-installed".  That is, soprano is installed, but using a USE flag 
> config that deliberately does NOT install a working backend.  The problem 
> is that there are only two working backends ATM, redland, which is 
> *SLOW*, and sesame2 is Java based and thus requires a working Java 
> backend.  While most of Java is now freedomware licensed, that's a recent 
> enough development that there's still some issues with it, and with the 
> only reasonably full implementation that's fully freedomware compliant, 
> iced-tea.  I /do/ finally seem to have iced-tea working correctly with 
> icecat (fully freedomare version of firefox), but that's only as of a 
> month or so ago, and wasn't the case back with kde 4.3.0.  Since the 
> EULAs required for sun's and blackdown's non-freedomware versions aren't 
> a viable option here and iced-tea wasn't working, that meant sesame2 
> wasn't a viable option, leaving only the redland backend that everybody 
> equally calls *SLOW*, making it not worth installing either.
>
> Luckily, the semantic-desktop stuff isn't yet integrated so deeply into 
> kde4 that it's absolutely required, yet, and while soprano seems to be a 
> non-optional dependency for linking purposes, it doesn't require an 
> actually working backend, Gentoo gives one the option of not installing 
> one and not enabling the semantic desktop bits, and I've been fine 
> without it.
>
> The latest is that there's now a third backend option, I forget the name, 
> but it's a much faster C based backend, 100% freedomware, AFAIK.  
> However, I don't expect that'll be actually integrated into the kde 4.3 
> serious, only for 4.4 or possibly not until 4.5 (tho the blogs via kde-
> planet say it's usable in kde-trunk right now).  I'm looking forward to 
> that.  It's also possible that now that I finally have a working iced-
> tea, sesame2 would work, but I'm not going to worry about trying it ATM.
>
>   

As long as I can get things to working and the desktop looks OK, I'm not
to worried about the rest.  I may customize things over time but it's
not a huge issue for me.  I spend most of my time looking at Seamonkey
anyway. 

I do want to change the mouse pointer thing tho.  That thing gets on my
nerves.  It looks . . . . . fuzzy.  You know, like a rat or something. 
LOL  It makes it hard for me to copy and paste text.  Clicking a link is
OK but selecting something is not easy.

Dale

:-)  :-)