KDE 5 /Plasma 5, FYI

[dibl]

Over a month ago, in the "Very Important News" thread I mentioned that KDE Plasma 5/KDE Frameworks 5 aka KDE 5 is available for siduction users, but not ready for prime time. It has come a long way in the past weeks, although there are still unfinished package transitions. Since the kf5 packages are now pouring into Debian sid and screwing with KDE 4 anyway, I went ahead and upgraded my sid system to KDE 5, and am posting this from a KDE 5 plasma desktop. My siduction system is nearly 5 years old, and very crufty, so I cannot say for sure whether every issue that I am finding would be applicable to a new installation, or not. The kdesu and kdesudo command prefixes are not working (although strangely, gksu does!), and in systemsettings I don't seem to be able to set a couple of startup scripts as I should be -- it seems to be trying to set them in ~/.config instead of ~/.kde/Autostart, where they already were. You can "su" to root in a konsole window and work with root privileges that way. Mine is not automatically starting a command in krunner when I touch the keyboard after clicking on the desktop, but Alt-F2 works as expected to open a krunner command window. It appears that the panel will not support gtk or python dependent icons -- radiotray runs but won't put its icon on the panel like it does on KDE 4, so you can't actually use it. Otherwise it seems to work -- I've been beating on it all morning. I can add widgets and adjust the panel. I can put launchers on the panel, although it now is a 2-step process instead of the previous 1-click procedure. Everything has a very gnomish flat brown look in the default configuration, so I have installed the air-oxygen-color theme and adjusted kwin settings and gtk appearance settings, changed the wallpaper, etc. (No "breeze" fan here!).

I have a feeling the age and accumulated configuration cruft of my siduction installation may be working against me at this point -- although it's against my religion to reinstall the OS, I might need to do that. But not today.

Anyway there's your report. There's a thread or two on the siduction forum for adventuresome souls who want to try it.

[lcorken]

The rolling release idea sounded good to me so I tried Arch a couple of times but ended up getting frustrated or screwing it up irreparably (for my feeble mind) and always come back to Kubuntu. Also tried Siduction (LXDE) on an old laptop, had an issue there (don't remember what it was) that drove me back to Lubuntu. The old laptop now has Debian Jessie LXDE.

I keep all my stuff on a /data partition with several OS partitions so I can new install new releases and play with other distros at will. For me even an LTS can get "crufty" in 2 years. So I just hopscotch my OS every 6 months. Some users would find this a real pain but for me it works.

Ken

[claydoh]

It is interesting the cross pollination amongst the Debian KDE packaging
Kubuntu has a hand somewhere in much of the KDE packaging out there, which is something under-noticed, imo. But then again, that is really the way it should be anyway

[dibl]

It looks like part of the problems are the result of pre-existing config files in the user's home folder. I created a new user, after the KDE 5 upgrade, and for that user some of the systemsetting issues did not exist.

[GreyGeek]

It looks like part of the problems are the result of pre-existing config files in the user's home folder. I created a new user, after the KDE 5 upgrade, and for that user some of the systemsetting issues did not exist.

Wouldn't deleting the /home/username/.../.kde directory worked just as well?

[dibl]

Wouldn't deleting the /home/username/.../.kde directory worked just as well?

I suspect not. Plasma 5 is using ~/.config/autostart .desktop files, for sure, and maybe others.

[vinnywright]

their are 3 or 4 appindicator / tray packages that are not installed by default in plasma5 try searching for and installing all of them (not all programs look for all of them to get panel/tray access )

VINNY

[dibl]

Right, Vinny -- there's no task manager nor network manager widget installed by default. Also, there is a known issue with some non-KDE icons, in which they won't "park" in the system tray on the Plasma 5 panel. For example, radiotray won't park at all. Skype's launch icon will park, but the icons that indicate it is running, and/or you are signed on, don't show. So when you shut down the skype window, it's still running and you'll have to kill the process. As for radiotray, it's a non-player on Plasma 5 until the panel gets some more love.

[SteveRiley]

it seems to be trying to set them in ~/.config instead of ~/.kde/Autostart, where they already were

Plasma 5 and Frameworks 5 are moving away from the nonstandard ~/.kde directory and instead using ~/.config and ~/.local/share. See the XDG Base Directory Specification, Environment variables section.

flat brown look

Eww, really?

(No "breeze" fan here!)

Same. To my eyes, Oxygen is perfect. 3D shading of control surfaces actually increases their discovery and usability. I'm not exactly sure why "flat" is all the rage these days.

[NickStone]

I'm not exactly sure why "flat" is all the rage these days.

It might have something to do with Windows 8/Windows 10 default theme and users are wanting to emulate it. Or it could be that with so many people now using tablets/micro tablets (smart phones) that they have got used to flat themes and icons on those devices.

[ukdave]

Agree, oxygen theme is far better than breeze/mud and as for the default wallpaper, lets just say it is the first thing I change before doing anything else.