KDE Plasma 5.6 Bringing More User-Facing Improvements

[Awesomeness]

I know nothing about how a complex FOSS project like KDE is managed, but I do know a bit about how that works in the corporate world. One major difference, I imagine -- someone correct me if I'm wrong -- is that it is difficult to dissuade volunteer developers from working on whatever strikes their fancy and persuade them to work on something they'd rather avoid.

So, if a few volunteer developers spend their time working on the little trinkets outlined in that post rather than helping resolve long-standing failures in core, key, packages like Kontact and KMail, who can tell them not to?

For the most part your observation matches how KDE works.
There are also several paid developers. There it depends what their employer pays them for.

In the commercial arena, a years-long litany of bugs and outright failure to deliver advertised functionality in mail and desktop search would have generated thousands of derisive posts and attacks on Microsoft or Apple, and an obvious impact on their revenue. ("Outlook is still broken in the new Windows! Why bother upgrading?")

There is no software free of bugs. Even in the commercial space bugs have different priorities and low-priority bugs may exist in products over many years (basically until the affected feature is rewritten).
For years Apple's own OSX mail suite was actually pretty unusable. That changed only after Apple internally migrated towards it. Mail is not the core product of Apple – of KDE neither.

[eggbert]

How about if KDE takes over Mozilla Thunderbird since it needs a new home, rather than trying to re-invent the wheel. Who needs contacts and email integrated into every aspect of the desktop environment. We've been hearing about Akonadi/kontact/kmail for over a decade now, and it still not usable. Does anyone even use the kde PIM stuff?

[Awesomeness]

How about if KDE takes over Mozilla Thunderbird since it needs a new home, rather than trying to re-invent the wheel.

KMail is older than Thunderbird.

Who needs contacts and email integrated into every aspect of the desktop environment.

Those are not integrated into the DE.

We've been hearing about Akonadi/kontact/kmail for over a decade now

And you still did not learn that those are not part of Plasma.

Does anyone even use the kde PIM stuff?

I do. Works fine (better than Thunderbird).
It's still not part of Plasma, therefore off-topic here.

[magika]

Does anyone even use the kde PIM stuff?

Me also wonders. Last time I tried using KMail (it was 4.1x something, mind you) and it didn't work for shit. I also hate that akonadi/pim stuff is being shoved as dependency into every app possible. However, I use Gmail with few accounts and simply don't need mail software, and don't see myself using something like Thunderbird. And no, I don't trust stuff saving my passwords.

I also share same feelings about Nepomuk/Baloo/Tracker. Screw that shit.

[Loose_Control]

What do you mean by "manual save session"?

In the session management config you can choose between restore previous session, empty session and manually saved session. (Older systemsettings screenshot https://userbase.kde.org/images.user...ger-config.png)

Switching to manuall adds an entry to the k-menu which saves the session in its current state. (It has no icon.) When you login KSM will restore the session you saved and not the session it usually tries to restore. (the one when you logged out.)

[bug77]

Tried deleting ~/.config/ksmserverrc and all files in ~/.config/session outside of a running session?

Ok this is a new one ever tried to debug it?

Session save/restore is pretty broken (http://marc.info/?t=144832701200004&r=1&w=1) i have switched to manual save session since it works better in my opinion.

The first two are documented bugs (I don't have links), but I will try the workaround for the session restore.
I generally value things that work without intervention, but I will try the manual save (forgot this option even exists), because moving windows between three activities is not much fun.

Edit: deleting those file works, but as soon as there's a session to restore (whether manually or automatically saved), it chokes again. Even with a session containing just 4 Firefox windows.

Edit2: Using KDE from Kubuntu PPA, which is 5.4.x.

[mgraesslin]

Am I the only one that really wants to see them stabilise the interface and add features - and put time into their mail client / groupware?

Erm you realize that Plasma and KMail/Kontact are different products developed by different people. I consider it very unlikely that you get Plasma developers to work on KMail.

[Loose_Control]

I generally value things that work without intervention, but I will try the manual save (forgot this option even exists), because moving windows between three activities is not much fun.

Edit: deleting those file works, but as soon as there's a session to restore (whether manually or automatically saved), it chokes again. Even with a session containing just 4 Firefox windows.

Edit2: Using KDE from Kubuntu PPA, which is 5.4.x.

Each firefox window is on a different VD and gets restored on VD 1 or what exactly isn't working?
I have Firefox 1 window on VD 1, Okular on VD 3 and Konsole on VD 4 and it is working for me at the least.

[bug77]

Each firefox window is on a different VD and gets restored on VD 1 or what exactly isn't working?
I have Firefox 1 window on VD 1, Okular on VD 3 and Konsole on VD 4 and it is working for me at the least.

Neah, the mere existence of a session to restore slows the startup process. It just happens that I have tried it with a session containing just the four Firefox windows, but I suspect the contents of the session doesn't really matter,
Firefox (all windows), Thunderbird, Okular seem to always be restored correctly (VD1). Krusader, Konsole, Skype, Netbeans, there's no telling where these will be restored.
It's actually a bit more complicated: if after startup I end up on VD2 or VD3, Firefox, Thuderbied and Okular are correctly restored to VD1, but the others are restored on whatever VD happens to show up first.

[geearf]

In the session management config you can choose between restore previous session, empty session and manually saved session. (Older systemsettings screenshot https://userbase.kde.org/images.user...ger-config.png)

Switching to manuall adds an entry to the k-menu which saves the session in its current state. (It has no icon.) When you login KSM will restore the session you saved and not the session it usually tries to restore. (the one when you logged out.)

Oh I did not know about that, thank you!
I will try it and see if that works better.
Since my sessions rarely change, I'm hoping I can save it once now and then and just re-use it.
That way no need to remember to do it.