why is there so much "weird shit" in akonadi/kdepim?

[Martin Steigerwald]

John White - 15.12.19, 21:52:44 CET:
> On Sunday, December 15, 2019 1:45:25 AM PST Anders Lund wrote:
[…]
> > Switching to pgsql is very simple - install it and change a single
> > line in ~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc:
> > Driver=QPSQL
> > 
> > Before editing the file run
> > $ akonadictl stop
> > 
> > and after
> > $akonadictl start
[…]
> I am thinking of switching to pgsql but am very nervous.  I live in
> kmail.  Over the years I have tried several email clients and kmail,
> with all its faults, is still the best. At least for pop3.

I still use it with POP3 too.

In case you use local filters which I bet you do, you need to reconfigure 
their destination folders after switching the database. As the filters 
reference the destination folders by RID numbers which are dependent on 
the database contents. Nowaways I believe KMail specially asks about 
reconfiguring them on first start.

But there is even an easier way: Export filters before the switch. They 
get exported by name of destination folder. Then remove them from KMail. 
Then do the switch. And import them back into KMail.

Of course before making the switch, make a backup of everything!

> If pgsql will solve some of the existing problems, and I know exactly
> what to do in order to make the switch, and if I won't lose ability
> to search my old kmail files, I want to try it.  But I don't
> understand why, if pgsql is better, the developers don't use it.  I

Well, PostgreSQL needs some manual upgrade step when moving from one 
major version to the next one. These have not yet been automated for 
Akonadi. They are documented tough.

https://userbase.kde.org/Akonadi/Postgres_update

Still need to do it to move from PostgreSQL 11 to 12.

> don't understand why, if akonadi is "junk", why the kmail developers
> still use it.  It there anyway to get some kind of consensus as to
> which is better and whether switching causes other problems?  Is
> there some way to get some input from the developers concerning this
> matter?

Daniel Vrátil, one of the KDEPIM developers, uses PostgreSQL himself.

In my experience things go much smoother with PostgreSQL.


Still I also agree that Akonadi needs more stability and robustness work 
and hope that some day Daniel or someone else completes with the rewrite 
of the search and indexing infrastructure as I bet it will be quite an 
improvement.

-- 
Martin