[Kroupware] Re: [Kde-pim] kontact

[Don Sanders]

On Thursday 13 March 2003 01:30, Ralf Nolden wrote:
> On Mittwoch, 12. März 2003 14:51, Don Sanders wrote:
> > On Wednesday 12 March 2003 21:15, Ralf Nolden wrote:
> > > On Mittwoch, 12. März 2003 12:23, Don Sanders wrote:
> > > > On Wednesday 12 March 2003 19:25, Ralf Nolden wrote:
> > > > > On Mittwoch, 12. März 2003 05:17, Don Sanders wrote:
> > > > > > On Wednesday 12 March 2003 14:11, Don Sanders wrote:
> > > > > > > On Tuesday 11 March 2003 23:07, Ralf Nolden wrote:
> > > > > > > > On Dienstag, 11. März 2003 14:18, Don Sanders wrote:
> > > > > > > > > On Friday 07 March 2003 19:48, Ralf Nolden wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > On Freitag, 7. März 2003 05:51, Don Sanders wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > On Thursday 06 March 2003 16:14, Seth Kurtzberg
> >
> > wrote:
> > > > > > > > > > > > Hello list(s)
> > > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > > I've been reading messages about kontact, and
> > > > > > > > > > > > I wanted to try it, so I pulled the latest
> > > > > > > > > > > > from CVS and built it. That gives me a
> > > > > > > > > > > > kontact directory, but I don't find an
> > > > > > > > > > > > executable named kontact. Is there something
> > > > > > > > > > > > else to build, or does the executable have a
> > > > > > > > > > > > different name?
> > > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > > For a version of Kontact that is known to work
> > > > > > > > > > > and be stable I suggest using the
> > > > > > > > > > > kdepim-kontact-0.2.1.tgz package on the Kontact
> > > > > > > > > > > website.
> > > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > > It isn't complete :-) You need to move the docs
> > > > > > > > > > over to the kdepim package for the apps that got
> > > > > > > > > > moved there too. Don, can you package up a new
> > > > > > > > > > version that does that ? People asked me to
> > > > > > > > > > provide debian packages for my repository so I
> > > > > > > > > > gave it a try and hit that bug.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > I'll look into that for the next package due at the
> > > > > > > > > end of the month. If people want the doc sooner I
> > > > > > > > > guess some packager will have to manually mv it for
> > > > > > > > > now.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > These releases are intended to stable and usable
> > > > > > > > > but not complete. Even if/when the doc is included
> > > > > > > > > it will still be out of date as it won't cover all
> > > > > > > > > the new features.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > Regarding being stable - I tried it and lost all of
> > > > > > > > my addressbook contacts
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I experienced a bug in HEAD that did that but not
> > > > > > > kontact.2.1.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Can you reproduce it?
> > > > >
> > > > > Sorry, I'm lacking the time to do that currently.
> > > > >
> > > > > > Yeah my first guess would be that you're running
> > > > > > kontact.2.1 against HEAD kdelibs, and that there's a
> > > > > > change of format between HEAD and the KDE_3_1_BRANCH, and
> > > > > > that this change is backwards but not forwards
> > > > > > compatible.
> > > > >
> > > > > No, I used the branch for my system and then installing
> > > > > kontact after compiling it against the branch in a chroot,
> > > > > so I made sure I don't have any stuff from HEAD around in
> > > > > my build systems.
> > > >
> > > > And you don't experience this when running KAddressBook from
> > > > the KDE_3_1_BRANCH? That would be surprising as KAddressBook
> > > > from kontact.0.2.1 and the KDE_3_1_BRANCH are very similar.
> > >
> > > No, never had any problems with the branch one. It's probably
> > > that the addressbook on a crash (which doesn't happen on the
> > > branch)
> >
> > Sorry are you saying the kontact release crashes and the branch
> > doesn't? Any backtrace?
>
> Nope, sorry. Should have taken care of that immediately but I was
> showing off KDE at that moment *mumble*
>
> > > looses all its data.
> >
> > Can you reproducibly cause KAddressBook to crash and lose all its
> > data? Either from the branch or from the kontact package?
>
> I only experienced that with the kontact package, never with the
> version in the brach. KAddressbook has alwasy been 100% stable and
> even more I was astonished that I lost all my data.
>
> > > I think it's also a misbehavior that it
> > > doesn't do autosaving if you change contacts...
> >
> > KAddressBook when used as a part in Kontact should automatically
> > save contacts on exit of Kontact, I just verified this.
> > KAddressBook standalone from both the branch and the kontact
> > package should prompt for saving on exit. It might be nice to use
> > a timer to auto save the data but I don't think it would be
> > productive to discuss this issue further at this time.
>
> Maybe it's exactly the autosave feature that misbehaved. If the
> crash happens during that function your data is lost entirely.
> Autosaving should always work in a backup way, so one copy is
> always safe.

kontact just calls the kde libs addressbook save function. If the 
saving misbehaved and data was lost this indicates there is a bug in 
kdelibs.

Cornelius I'm looking through the kdelibs/kabc code to try to verify 
that a temporary file is used. Can you give me a pointer as to where 
the temporary file is created? (Assuming a temporary file is used).

> > If the 3.1 release works and the kontact version doesn't it
> > should be easy pinpoint the location of any bug. This is because
> > the kontact version of kaddressbook and the branch are almost
> > identical and the differences can easily be backed out.
> >
> > If possible can you see if KAddressBook standalone from the
> > kontact package behaves differently from the 3.1 release. If so
> > can you apply the attached patch to the kontact package and see
> > if the problem persists?
>
> No, I can't because I lack the time as already pointed out. I'm
> having loads of work to do here and there's no time left for half a
> day of experiments unfortunately.
>
> > BTW it's probably a good to double check that any problem occurs
> > in KAddressBook standalone from the kontact package and not in
> > the 3.1 release.
>
> As Kontact will be in KDE 3.2 it's not the most urgent matter for
> me right now. When we'll have more time starting to move packaging
> snapshots from HEAD I guess there'll be more users reporting
> problems by then. Right now the KDE 3.1.1 release is way more
> important than packaging a kontact development snapshot, sorry.

I'm confident that any bug you've experienced is a bug in kdelibs and 
not one in the kontact package, and that by ignoring this bug you're 
ignoring a bug in the KDE 3.1 release, and if it's not fixed one in 
the KDE 3.1.1 release also.

It's possibly that the bug is more likely to be exposed by the kontact 
package due to the fact that it autosaves on exit, but instead of 
ignoring this I think it would be better to treat this as a clue to 
help find any bug in kdelibs. I'm personally willing to spend some 
time looking at the kdelib kabc saving code and looking for any 
weaknesses that might be exploited by a crash.

Don.