KDE 4.8 beta

[SteveRiley]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

I tried with sqlite, it does seems a little faster, but i had an issue with that backend - at times i just couldn't mark mails as read, will try again, maybe something changed in the meantime.

I tried to change that. But when I go to KMail Configuration/Accounts, I go to Receiving, highlight GMail and click Modify...and then nothing happens. So, apparently that's broken too.

I take back what I said earlier...KMail and Gmail aren't working "beautifully" quite yet. First, it doesn't seem to matter whether I use imap.gmail.com or imap.googlemail.com -- if I start from completely blank Akonadi and KMail, I'm no longer seeing the weird pop-ups each time KMail tries to sync with Gmail. So that's progress of a sort.

Deleting mail is a real problem. Gmail wants to keep everything around forever, and it's idea of deleting is just to remove all labels. They still show up in "All mail" on the web interface. Well, I don't like that. When I say delete, I mean exactly that. So I've played with every conceivable combination of IMAP delete settings on the web configuration and in KMail; I cannot get mail to delete from both in a manner that you'd expect. Plus, if I try to delete a message in a folder (which for Gmail means just having a label), KMail is no longer able to read the remaining contents of the folder until I quit and restart the program. And most times, when I quit, the crash handler appears.

I think next I'll return to MySQL as the backend and try again. I really want to like this program...

[LinuxRocks]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

I also have PIM issues on 4.8. I was optimistic about KDEPIM state with 4.7.3/4 , but it seems it got some regressions with 4.8.
Mails are fetched really slow, multiple actions cause kmail to freeze for some time, mails don't get deleted,random crashes, etc.

I just successfully switched Akonadi's backend from MySQL to SQLite. So far everything looks good and KMail subjectively feels lighter. Gmail operates fine, Google Contacts import successfully.


1. Install the package akonadi-backend-sqlite

2. Stop the Akonadi server

3. Clean your Akonadi config by deleting the following:
~/.config/akonadi/*
~/.kde/share/config/akonadi*
~/.local/share/akonadi/*

According to the source I found for these steps, local contacts and mail aren't stored in these directories unless you explicitly configured an agent that way, so local data is safe.

4. Edit ~/.kde/share/config/kres-migratorrc to prevent the resource migrator from creating a bunch of databases when you restart:

[Migration]
Enabled=false

5. Because SQLite doesn't appear as an option in the GUI, you have to manually configure it. You'll need to create a new ~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc. Here's mine:

[%General]
Driver=QSQLITE3

[QSQLITE3]
Name=/home/steve/.local/share/akonadi/akonadi.db

[Debug]
Tracer=null

6. Start the Akonadi server and configure KMail and KAddressBook

7. If you're using Google contacts and don't have a need for local contacts, you can delete the local contacts resource that Akonadi creates when you first start the server


The source I linked above mentions using SQLite for many months now without experiencing any problems. Apparently the current version of SQLite has fixed the problems that were briefly documented on KDE TechBase. It's nice not having to run a full MySQL server just for email!

Hey Steve,

This is great info! I was using the beta, but ran into some issues that caused me to reload. However, I am using the sqlite solution with kmail (Akonadi backend) and kontact does feel quite a bit more snappy.

On top of that, my system, overall, feels a bit snappier without using mysql server. In fact, I apt-get purged mysql from my system .

Also, my system is using so much LESS memory:

free
       total    used    free   shared  buffers   cached
Mem:    6118364  1654940  4463424     0   75552   583404
-/+ buffers/cache:   995984  5122380
Swap:   3999740     0  3999740

That's with Chromium, Kontact, 3 terms, and hp-toolbox running. Usually, I have between 3 and 4 gigs used up by now :-D

Great find, thanks!!!

Joe

[jcphil]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

I tried with sqlite, it does seems a little faster, but i had an issue with that backend - at times i just couldn't mark mails as read, will try again, maybe something changed in the meantime.

I tried to change that. But when I go to KMail Configuration/Accounts, I go to Receiving, highlight GMail and click Modify...and then nothing happens. So, apparently that's broken too.

I take back what I said earlier...KMail and Gmail aren't working "beautifully" quite yet. First, it doesn't seem to matter whether I use imap.gmail.com or imap.googlemail.com -- if I start from completely blank Akonadi and KMail, I'm no longer seeing the weird pop-ups each time KMail tries to sync with Gmail. So that's progress of a sort.

Deleting mail is a real problem. Gmail wants to keep everything around forever, and it's idea of deleting is just to remove all labels. They still show up in "All mail" on the web interface. Well, I don't like that. When I say delete, I mean exactly that. So I've played with every conceivable combination of IMAP delete settings on the web configuration and in KMail; I cannot get mail to delete from both in a manner that you'd expect. Plus, if I try to delete a message in a folder (which for Gmail means just having a label), KMail is no longer able to read the remaining contents of the folder until I quit and restart the program. And most times, when I quit, the crash handler appears.

I think next I'll return to MySQL as the backend and try again. I really want to like this program...

I hear you. I want to like KMail too. But I think they built a hairball when they added on the whole Akonadi infrastructure. The problems all seem to stem from getting Akonadi to sync somehow with IMAP. Who needs that? Thunderbird has none of these problems.

[silviucc]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

I think the idea is not to rely on a single e-mail client. Also, they created a way to search for emails right from the desktop. I would not point to akonadi as the "evil of all evils". Kmail also has its own issues.

I believe that Kmail suffers from the same lack of love that affected T-bird.

[SteveRiley]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

This is great info! I was using the beta, but ran into some issues that caused me to reload. However, I am using the sqlite solution with kmail (Akonadi backend) and kontact does feel quite a bit more snappy.

On top of that, my system, overall, feels a bit snappier without using mysql server. In fact, I apt-get purged mysql from my system .

Are you using it with Gmail, or a different mail provider? When I switched back to MySQL, the Gmail problems that I described earlier remain...

[richb]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

Deleting mail is a real problem. Gmail wants to keep everything around forever, and it's idea of deleting is just to remove all labels. They still show up in "All mail" on the web interface

Go to trash, select all messages and click 'Delete Forever".

[LinuxRocks]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

This is great info! I was using the beta, but ran into some issues that caused me to reload. However, I am using the sqlite solution with kmail (Akonadi backend) and kontact does feel quite a bit more snappy.

On top of that, my system, overall, feels a bit snappier without using mysql server. In fact, I apt-get purged mysql from my system .

Are you using it with Gmail, or a different mail provider? When I switched back to MySQL, the Gmail problems that I described earlier remain...

I'm using my own service...

[rant;solution]
I host my own e-mail and web guest servers here at home on a low cost KVM host I picked up at a local computer store (6 core AMD with 8 gigs of ram) for about $350; add about $150 for 2x1.5 tb raid mirror and $85 for a 1x2 tb drive (Pre-flooding prices) for a home grown backup solution and a $120 UPS from Best Buy and I have all the security and coziness of piece-of-mind ... I've never been into spewing my personal data all over the internet especially sense I have been in the IT industry for over 20 years I have no faith in how other IT departments handle other people's data and, quite frankly, don't trust my personal information in someone else's hands where I can avoid it :-D.
[/rant;/solution]

I'm using Postfix and Dovecot on the server. Kmail works like a charm with my server and with changing over to sqlite, it is much, much quicker and a much lower memory footprint overall.

You know, another thing I noticed with this solution is the lack of minimize lag and other anomalies when playing full screen games like FPS shooters, etc... Seems like a full blown MySQL server installation is best kept on actual server hardware and not someone personal computer .

Also, keep in mind that I am not using the KDE 4.8 beta anymore either due to some other issues that cropped up with KDE, so I rolled back to 4.7.4.

I wonder how one could make the sqlite default from say a rebuild or if you want to add a new user. I suppose you could add the akonadiserverrc and other files to the skel; the KDE team should provide an install option if they are going to make the backend for it.

Thanks again for finding that!
Joe

[SteveRiley]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

I've never been into spewing my personal data all over the internet especially sense I have been in the IT industry for over 20 years I have no faith in how other IT departments handle other people's data and, quite frankly, don't trust my personal information in someone else's hands where I can avoid it :-D.

Funny...I just spent yesterday moving all my stuff from my own computers and onto Google. After using Gmail successfully for two years, I thought "why am I still storing and hauling photos and documents around"? So I converted my profile to Google+, promptly changed most settings to private, and then hoovered my entire photo collection there. Normally, PicasaWeb puts a 1 GB limit on your collection. But when you convert to G+, the limit is removed.

Seems like a full blown MySQL server installation is best kept on actual server hardware and not someone personal computer .

One area I'd like to see the KDE devs re-think is their use of databases. Akonadi/Nepomuk/Strigi, in their default configurations, require two full database systems: MySQL and Virtuoso. Why not use just one for both?

[sumski]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

Things are looking a lot better with RC2. Kmail is usable again: so far no crashes,mails get immediately deleted, no UI freezes

[GreyGeek]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

I installed Precise last night. It includes KMail 8.0 rc1. Except for the kwalletd problem, which makes it crash when you log out, it seems to be doing OK. I like the HTML preference feature.

[LinuxRocks]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

Things are looking a lot better with RC2. Kmail is usable again: so far no crashes,mails get immediately deleted, no UI freezes

Is RC2 on another ppa? Just upgraded again using the beta ppa and still at RC1.

[sumski]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

No, i'm using it on openSUSE. It got tagged yesterday, and should be officially released today

[jcphil]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

After upgrading to RC2, Akonadi continues to be a total hairball for me. If I create a new IMAP resource and click "Modify" it refuses to do anything (I never got a chance to configure it on creation). I'll try one more time after the final release. If it still fails then, I'll assume KMail is hosed forever and give up. Thunderbird works without any trouble. I might as well delete Kdepim. It does me no good.

[SteveRiley]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

Akonadi continues to be a total hairball for me. If I create a new IMAP resource and click "Modify" it refuses to do anything (I never got a chance to configure it on creation).

Start clean. Reboot, then when KDM starts, don't log in. Instead, switch to another TTY and then:

rm -rfv ~/.local/share/akonadi/*
rm -rfv ~/.kde/share/config/akonadi*
rm -rfv ~/.config/akonadi/*
rm -rfv ~/.kde/share/config/nepomuk*
rm -rfv ~/.kde/share/apps/nepomuk/*

(Yes, lines 2 and 4 do not have slahes in front of the stars.)

Now exit the TTY, log in to KDE, and configure Gmail in KMail. When you're creating your IMAP configuration:

General tab
* IMAP Server: imap.gmail.com
* Username: email@gmail.com (sometimes Gmail is confused if you omit the domain)

Advanced tab
* Do not select server-side subscriptions or disconnected mode
* Click Auto Detect to set up authentication

[Fintan]

Re: KDE 4.8 beta

Updated to RC2 today and lost my sound on VLC, Kmplayer, Dragonplayer. Sound works fine from Firfox (youtube, NFL,etc)

Anyone else?