[Kroupware] Re: [Kde-pim] kontact

[Don Sanders]

On Thursday 13 March 2003 18:57, Ralf Nolden wrote:
> On Donnerstag, 13. März 2003 06:17, Don Sanders wrote:
> > 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.
>
> I'm not ignoring it, I don't have the *time* right now to care for
> it !
>
> > 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.
>
> You're running a build also like other people, so it should be
> possible for you to find it.

But you're the only person to report a problem like this. There have 
been several thousand downloads of the package now and I haven't had 
anyone else report a problem like this.

I can create a really large addressbook that will take a significant 
amount of time to save and judiciously kill the kaddressbook process 
while it is in the sensitive saving state. 

But perhaps reproducing the bug requires a system configured similarly 
to your own, if you work out a way to reproduce the problem please 
let me know. It would be pretty bad for KDE 3.1.1 to go out with a 
problem like this.

Don.