KDE 4.11/12 save with Kubuntu 12.04?

[Katzinski]

Hi,
There is an issue with Dolphin (a .desktop file does not open its URL in firefox when clicked in Dolphin but the same file works when moved to the desktop and clicked there). The issue has been discussed at forum . kde . org / viewtopic . php?t=119863. Advice was upgrading KDE to the latest version. Now, I'm using Kubuntu 12.04 LTS with KDE 4.8.5. For some reason(s), 12.04 is still distributed with this "outdated" version of KDE, and I just would like to make sure that my system will not be damaged when I install KDE 4.11 or 4.12.

So, is installing KDE 4.11 or 4.12 save on Kubuntu 12.04?
If so, how do you do that?

[oshunluvr]

Most of us have already done this. 4.11/12 is a very large improvement over 4.8 as one would expect. However, there are no guarantees in life or Linux. If you want to upgrade - do it. If you don't - don't.

To upgrade to 4.12, add the backport ppa to your 12.04 package manager and update/upgrade:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/kubuntu-ppa/backports/ubuntu precise main
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/kubuntu-ppa/backports/ubuntu precise main

[oshunluvr]

Note that this will also upgrade many other applications. If you have a critical mission that depends on one package or another, you should research the outcome of the upgrades.

[oshunluvr]

I should have also said you can add the PPA from the command line if you're more comfortable that way:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports

[dequire]

IIRC that bug that is affecting you is fixed in the latest Dolphin. I know a patch was added at some point.

[Katzinski]

Thank you very much for your advice.
So, just to make sure as I am new to Kubuntu:
o The packages I get via kubuntu-ppa/backports are stable software? (wiki .kubuntu.org/ Kubuntu/KubuntuPPAs states different stages of stability).
o Once I update/upgrade, my system is being maintained and automatically updated by Muon via kubuntu-ppa/backports from then on? No conflict with the default repository settings?
Maybe my questions are too basic for a forum. If you know some good source to read on that please let me know.

[oshunluvr]

o The packages I get via kubuntu-ppa/backports are stable software? (wiki .kubuntu.org/ Kubuntu/KubuntuPPAs states different stages of stability).

No. "Stable" means no longer being upgraded, only security patches and bug fixes. "Stable" by it's nature is outdated. If you want stable don't add the backports. Backports are newer versions of packages and therefore unstable. "Unstable" does not mean un-tested, just subject to upgrading.

o Once I update/upgrade, my system is being maintained and automatically updated by Muon via kubuntu-ppa/backports from then on? No conflict with the default repository settings?

No. Your system isn't being automatically updated by Muon or anything else now. Adding the backport PPA won't do it either. You will continue to get notifications of software updates just like you are now and you will have to initiate the update process yourself just like you are now.

Not all Kubuntu packages are in the backports PPA, just some. Muon or whatever package manager you use will offer you the latest available update/upgrade to any package you have installed from all available sources regardless of which repository that package resides in. Kubuntu backports are maintain by the Kbunutu team so the likelihood of a package "conflict" is extremely small. This might not be true for some third-party PPA's, but that's not what you're asking about.

Frankly, if you want the Dolphin issue fixed now your only choice is to upgrade. Otherwise, wait it out and maybe it will be fixed before 2017 when support for 12.04 ends. I've never heard of any "damage" being done by adding the 12.04 backport PPA but I also can't imagine what you mean by damage. Good Luck.

[Katzinski]

Thank you, Oshunluvr, for your kind help, especially for clarifying terms. I upgraded, problem solved .

[dequire]

Excellent! Glad you got it sorted out. And welcome to the forums!

[oshunluvr]

Excellent! Glad you got it sorted out. And welcome to the forums!

I agree as well. Although, I have less hair than dequire. If you're new to linux, you're in the right place.

If you're concerned that some change you make might leave you with an unusable computer, you should review the various ways to makes backups and get religious about doing them. For myself, I always felt like the best insurance against this occurrence was to dual boot two installs side-by-side (I actually have 5 installs of various distros at the moment). That way if you break one of them (and you likely will eventually!) you can just boot to the other. If you keep a separate /home as you should, it takes very little hard drive space to have 2 Kubuntu installs. Just food for thought.