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

[Kevin Krammer]

On Monday, 2009-11-09, Duncan wrote:
> Dale posted on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 05:12:48 -0600 as excerpted:

> > 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 is the KDE "Akonadi Self test report" shown when an error occurs on 
startup and which can be explicitly run in KDE's system settings program.

> 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.
> 
> 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.

Oh my!
I totally overlooked that when looking at Dale's test output.
How did that end up being configured for sqlite which is known not to work?
Gentoo didn't pull the sources from the experimental sqlite branch, did they?

Dale, your akonadiserverrc (see other reply) also needs this:

[%General]
Driver=QMYSQL

Next version will have support for Postgres, though not tested very well.

> 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.

The requirement is actually a library shared by Akonadi Server and KDE's 
Akonadi client library.
This library is usually installed alongside Akonadi Server, which is why you 
get this package/ebuild dependency.

> 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.

Since Dale's session configuration seems to be highly experiemental without 
him knowing, I am almost certain this is a result of one of the compatibility 
plugins being loaded.
Dale you can check in KDE's system settings -> advanced tab -> KDE resources.
For Contacts or Calendar, things called "Akonadi Compatibility Resource" or 
something similar.

Basically plugins for KDE's current resource system to get data from Akonadi.
Intended in the long run for keeping compatibility with old applications, 
currently disabled in all our releases, only enabled for testing in trunk, 
betas and RCs.

Dale writes in another reply that he gets it at login, which most likely means 
it is the contact resource plugin, either being used by Kopete or something 
like the KRunner "Contacts" plugin.

Removing it through system settings should help here.

> 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.

I am not totally sure (haven't had time to follow development closely enough 
recently), but KMail might require Akonadi for address related stuff in 4.4, 
just not for its own data.

> 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.

As far as I understood the situation with Sesame2 is that the main problem is 
its own source, because as a good Java citizen it is using Maven as its build 
and dependency system which interferes with Linux distributions' dependency 
systems.

> 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.

I think it is called Virtuouso, probably slightly different spelling :)

Cheers,
Kevin
-- 
Kevin Krammer, KDE developer, xdg-utils developer
KDE user support, developer mentoring
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