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Announce: KDE multiple KDEDIRs support |
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----------------------------------------------- |
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I am now committing a new "kde scheme". It is considerably different from the |
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previous one. All KDE users are strongly advised to follow the upgrading |
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instructions below before emerging/remerging any KDE-related programs. |
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|
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There have been several such changes in the last weeks, and I understand |
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remerging kde every time isn't pleasant. I've tried to make sure that the new |
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scheme is scalable and customisable enough to satisfy everybody and not just |
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the proverbial 99%, and is stable and solid enough to be used in its default |
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configuration for many KDEs to come. (Reminder: we have support for running |
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kde2 apps under kde3 and vice versa.) |
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|
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Short description: |
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KDE 2,3 apps now install in /usr/kde/{2,3}, together with their respective |
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kdelibs, not in /usr anymore. This allows for multiple KDEs (even more than |
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two) and solves issues like the noatun crash-on-startup and the lack of icons |
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in kdm, and some other things too. Also apps from different KDE trees can be |
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run under any of the KDEs, which is a Gentoo-unique feature afaik. |
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|
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Upgrading instructions: |
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Ideally, unmerge kde-base/* and all kde apps, then remerge them. |
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Remerging kdelibs and kdebase should be enough though. However, in this case, |
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after merging a new version of a kde app, unmerge all previous versions or |
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strange things may happen! |
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Before starting the new kde for the first time, rename your ~/.kde dir to |
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~/.kde2, or it'll be deleted (kdebase2 creates a symlink .kde -> .kde2). |
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|
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Have fun! |
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|
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--- |
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|
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Detailed info: |
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You don't need to read this unless you want to know how things work. |
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Also, DO NOT USE the technique described here for enabling custom KDEDIRs! |
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It is untested, unsupported and very un-standard. Please don't use it if you |
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don't have to. It is only for those who really need it, and even they should |
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wait a few days as I haven't really tested the non-standard KDEDIRs part yet. |
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|
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The previous setup was this: kdelibs 2,3 lived in /usr/kde/{2,3}. *All* other |
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apps lived in /usr. Some (noatun, kdm...) and many Makefiles didn't like that |
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at all. Also you couldn't have more than 1 version of a package, particularly |
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of kdebase etc. So the whole multi-kdelibs idea was being wasted. |
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|
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Due to all the problems KDE's unique (severely non-standard :-( ) structure |
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has presented, we have decided to abandon the attempt to make it behave in |
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/usr and will now give it a tree of its own. |
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|
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The new setup: |
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There are 2 variables with default values set in make.globals: |
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KDE2DIR=/usr/kde/2 |
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KDE3DIR=/usr/kde/3 |
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|
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kde.eclass (which all kde ebuilds use) directs all kde2 apps to install in |
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KDE2DIR, and all kde3 apps in KDE3DIR. It also tells them to use a kdelibs |
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installed there. Support for separating kdelibs and kde apps (for custom |
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solutions) isn't yet in, wait a few days for that. |
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|
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A kde app installs into the current setting of KDE?DIR, so you can just |
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change that and things will install into your custom kdedir. Again, users are |
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highly discouraged from doing this! Detailed instructions and support for |
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those who really do need it (e.g. kde developers) will follow in a few days. |
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|
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kdelibs adds the dir into which it installs to PATH (via env.d), and newer |
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kdelibs have higher priority (are nearer the beginning of the path). So, if |
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you install kde 2 and 3 (when 3 is available), KDE3DIR/bin will come before |
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KDE2DIR/bin in your path. The same goes for KDE?DIR/lib in LDPATH. |
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|
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kdebase has a custom startkde script; it exports KDEDIR=<this kdebase's |
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prefix>. It also symlinks ~/.kde to ~/.kde2 (for kdebase2) or ~/.kde3 (for |
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kdebase3). It'll delete your ~/.kde, so back it up as per the instructions |
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above. |
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|
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You'll have to configure your apps twice (once for kde2, once for kde3). When |
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you start using kde2/3, that is, when kde3-final comes out. You might play |
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with symlinks for the config files, or something like that, or I might come |
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up with some automation for this in the future. |
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|
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kdm has a rather long list of session types, since the list is static all |
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possibilities are included. The correct ones for kde are kde-$version i.e. |
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kde-2.2.2 (the old setup had a symlink called kde). |
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That's about it. Enjoy! |
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|
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-- |
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Dan Armak |
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Gentoo Linux, Desktop Team |
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Matan, Israel |
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