[arch-general] Does anybody still have kde3 running? libpng problems preventing apps from running?

[David C. Rankin]

On 03/03/2010 10:15 PM, Sébastien Leblanc wrote:
> David, are you running kdemod-legacy? If not, you should try it.
> 
> Sébastien Leblanc
> 

Sebastien

	Yes, I'm running kdemod3-legacy. It has been really great for a long time. (Not
to mention I have the whole thing cached so moving it around is a breeze)

	I'm using the rit repo:

[kdemod-legacy]
Server = http://mirror.rit.edu/kdemod/legacy/x86_64

	When I did the install a few days ago, I was pleased to notice that some of the
packages had been updated in the past month or two. I'll try the AUR libpng
suggestions and see if that doesn't get kde3 back.

<small break taken to go to the new box and check the libpng issue which led to
firing up kde44 for the first time on this box>

<rant on - kindly look away if you are easily offended>

	And...... I just went through the initial run through of kde44 on the new
server and it would be 'funny' if it wasn't so 'sad'. How much more lipstick are
we going to put on that pig??

	Don't get me wrong, it is a gorgeous desktop, but the basics and fundamentals
are so F'ed up it is ridiculous. The more we struggle with it, the more I am
convinced that it is a fundamental flaw in the widget set that kde4 is built on
that is the inherent cause of a large part of the usability problems. (that and
-- kde4 is so far behind that they are just throwing code together so the
milestone check-boxes can be checked off regardless of result.) I don't think
the devs have adequate fine-grained control over the polymorphized
mutiply-inherited widget set kde4 is built on to be able to fix much of what is
wrong with the desktop.

	Case in point, I go to add fonts which requires the root password for system
wide font install, but the "[ ] remember for this session" check box is missing
so you have to enter the root password for every single font you selected. Damn
glad I only selected about 30 to add... How does something like that disappear.
It probably went to the same place the color setting controls went for the
system monitor cpu, network, etc... plasmoids. Off in La,La land somewhere...

	Then there is whatever konqueror has now become. I can use it, in fact I even
like it, but it is so frustrating to work with you just want to scream. Simple
crap like it remembering the size of the columns you have set, but it can't even
get that right. I mean go adjust view properties add owner, group and
permissions, then size the columns so you have a reasonable file name field
width and a tidy width for the remaining columns so you have no horizontal
scroll at the bottom. Then go settings -> configure konqueror, choose any
setting and click "Apply", the columns automagically resize them selves every
time. What is this some dime-store gui framework that can't do simple stuff like
remember column sizes? That never happened in kde3.

	Then there is the complete lack of logical layout for any of the controls on a
majority of the dialogs. Wasted space everywhere. Go right click the desktop,
click activity settings to change the wallpaper and look at all the wasted space
those three silly controls take up at the top of the wallpaper thumbnail list
and that huge amount of space that monitor icon takes up on the right side.

	At the very least, those controls should be on the right-side under the little
monitor icon that takes up a quarter of the dialog width so you could have the
thumbnail list extend to the top of the dialog showing 2-3 more thumbnails with
each scroll.

	Then there is the scrolling itself, kde4 can't even figure out how to scroll an
even "page up/page down" (or list up/list down) without something getting stuck
1/2 in and 1/2 out of the viewing area or skipping 2-3 items altogether -- and
we have been dealing with these same problems since June 4, 2008 with the
"Official" release of 4.0.4!

	But, it is a damn good looking desktop :p

</rant off> I feel better now.... I just don't see any light at the end of the
tunnel? I certainly thought that by the 4.4 release, all of this beta and .0
(dot zero) type stuff would be gone. At this rate, I could see many of the same
frustrations being dealt with in 2012. And if it isn't fixed before the Mayan
calendar runs out.. who knows :p Oh well, que sara.... flux, xfce, openbox,
windowmaker, gnome, etc.. all still do a fine job and they do it without any
scrolling problems....

	

-- 
David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E.
Rankin Law Firm, PLLC
510 Ochiltree Street
Nacogdoches, Texas 75961
Telephone: (936) 715-9333
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www.rankinlawfirm.com