[Kde-pim] configuration in akonadi-next

[Martin Steigerwald]

Am Samstag, 10. Januar 2015, 14:43:39 schrieb Martin Steigerwald:
> Am Freitag, 9. Januar 2015, 09:14:00 schrieb Aaron J. Seigo:
> > > For binary-format config files you always need a special tool. For
> > 
> > Well, a hex editor is not a "special" tool. but if there is no real world,
> > actual benefit derived in actual practice, it doesn't matter (theory is
> > worth  zero). so how many of our users edit their config files with a text
> > editor? for those that do so: why do they do so? is that their first
> > choice, or would they be better served by other means?
> 
> Oh, I edited a file like:
> 
> martin at merkaba:~> cat .config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc
> [%General]
> Driver=QMYSQL
> 
> [QMYSQL]
> Name=akonadi
> Host=
> Options="UNIX_SOCKET=/tmp/akonadi-martin.p16YJP/mysql.socket"
> ServerPath=/usr/sbin/mysqld
> StartServer=true
> 
> [Debug]
> Tracer=null
> 
> often enough.
> 
> During my PostgreSQL backend usage quite sometime ago files I even needed to
> edit things, as the default path to some PostgreSQL binaries in there was
> incorrect for my setup.
> 
> Yeah, in Akonadiconsole you can configure Akonadi, but this is a developer
> tool.
> 
> Often enough during the long time of my KDE usage I fixed up various text
> based configuration files, even also Plasma related ones, as it forgot some
> settings or at some time got just that broken, that I wasn´t able to
> correct things with GUI anymore. Heck, and even kmailrc I edited at some
> time.
> 
> Granted, that has been sometime ago and things got better, and also granted,
> there can be a nice Akonadi server configuration KCM or some such, but
> still:
> 
> If at any time it would happen that I would need to edit the configuration
> with from Windows registry or gconf based tool, I would probably just
> switch the desktop and be done with it.
> 
> I have been very grateful that I was able to fix up things with text based
> configuration files, in case nothing else worked. Its one of the reasons I
> am, despite the huge breaking of things with KDE 4.0 and with KDEPIM +
> Akonadi which, to be honest, partly at least for some, is still quite
> broken, its one of the reasons I am still with KDE:
> 
> Cause I feel to be in control.
> 
> I want to control the software I use.
> 
> At the time I get the impression that the software I use tries to hide its
> configuration details away from me or at any point makes it any less
> accessible or at the time a nice command line based configuration spits out
> an error to me instead of just doing the change I requested, cause of some
> silly sanity check or what, I get the impression that the software tries to
> control me. And that would be a *huge* and *big* no-go. A no-go as in
> no-go.
> 
> Whether text based are suitable for everything? No, they aren´t. I gulped at
> Akonadi using a database at first, but it made quite some sense for me
> after a while. Whether KDEPIM contains binary-alike stuff in text based
> configuration files that may better be stored elsewhere, maybe. Or whether
> having one huge big file with all in one like kmailrc, or splitting things
> a bit more…
> 
> But for me that doesn´t speak against the general principle.
> 
> And frankly spoken: With Akonadi I already felt less in control than before.
> Look at what people do when things don´t work:
> 
> - Restart KMail
> - Restart Akonadi
> - rm -rf all of Akonadi from scratch and stuff like this.
> 
> Why do they do so?
> 
> I bet it is due to the following:
> 
> They don´t understand how the software works and they do not feel in control
> of it.
> 
> So please, if you propose any binary based configuration:
> 
> Make it accessible.
> 
> Big time.
> 
> Make it in a way that lets the user feel and actually also be in control
> instead of allowing technical arguments overweigh user needs.
> 
> Pretty please.
> 
> 
> While I understand that change can be good. I see quite a lot of change in
> the Linux area in the last time where I get the impression it is change for
> the sake of change without obvious benefits.

Admittedly I wrote this a bit heatedly and it borders on being a rant.

But I fully stand to the main point:

Let the user feel and be in control.

I don´t care that much about the exact approach to achieve it.

I care more about the end result.

It is one pillar on why I prefer KDE / Plasma over other desktops. I can make 
it work the way I want and I understand it well enough to feel at home and 
comfortable with it. Well most parts of it at least. I know where to look for 
many parts and I like it that way.


So if you feel offended, Aaron, please take my apologies that I probably wrote 
this a bit heatedly. No offence meant and I appreciate the idea to rewrite 
Akonadi as I think the current one still has issues that may not be easily to 
solve without rewriting it.

-- 
Martin 'Helios' Steigerwald - http://www.Lichtvoll.de
GPG: 03B0 0D6C 0040 0710 4AFA  B82F 991B EAAC A599 84C7
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