[gentoo-user] [OT] KDE desktop vanishing

[gentoo-user] [OT] KDE desktop vanishing

[Peter Humphrey]

Hello list,

Does anyone know why, sometimes, when I log in to KDE via KDM, all my 
applications have disappeared? Sometimes they're visible in the task bar but 
clicking on one doesn't bring it up, and sometimes the task bar is blank. 
Sometimes logging out and in again used to fix it, nowadays mostly not.

The only thing that's unaffected by all this is gkrellm, which is set to behave 
as a dock or panel.

It's as though a new Activity had been created without action by me, but no 
amount of fiddling with the New Activity button gets me any closer to an 
understanding. Personally, I'd be happy to have the whole concept of 
activities stripped out. I don't suppose there's any way for me to do anything 
like that as a user or sysadmin?

This happened to me again yesterday, and I ended up creating a new user from 
scratch and importing e-mails, copying the .mozilla and .opera directories and 
so on - only to find that that's been hidden today as well.

-- 
Rgds
Peter

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] KDE desktop vanishing

[J. Roeleveld]

On Wednesday, November 05, 2014 10:31:39 AM Peter Humphrey wrote:
> Hello list,
> 
> Does anyone know why, sometimes, when I log in to KDE via KDM, all my
> applications have disappeared? Sometimes they're visible in the task bar but
> clicking on one doesn't bring it up, and sometimes the task bar is blank.
> Sometimes logging out and in again used to fix it, nowadays mostly not.
> 
> The only thing that's unaffected by all this is gkrellm, which is set to
> behave as a dock or panel.
> 
> It's as though a new Activity had been created without action by me, but no
> amount of fiddling with the New Activity button gets me any closer to an
> understanding. Personally, I'd be happy to have the whole concept of
> activities stripped out. I don't suppose there's any way for me to do
> anything like that as a user or sysadmin?
> 
> This happened to me again yesterday, and I ended up creating a new user from
> scratch and importing e-mails, copying the .mozilla and .opera directories
> and so on - only to find that that's been hidden today as well.

I haven't seen this behaviour myself.

Do you also copy the ".kde" folder back?

--
Joost

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] KDE desktop vanishing

[Peter Humphrey]

On Wednesday 05 November 2014 12:32:53 J. Roeleveld wrote:
> On Wednesday, November 05, 2014 10:31:39 AM Peter Humphrey wrote:
> > Hello list,
> > 
> > Does anyone know why, sometimes, when I log in to KDE via KDM, all my
> > applications have disappeared? Sometimes they're visible in the task bar
> > but clicking on one doesn't bring it up, and sometimes the task bar is
> > blank. Sometimes logging out and in again used to fix it, nowadays mostly
> > not.
> > 
> > The only thing that's unaffected by all this is gkrellm, which is set to
> > behave as a dock or panel.
> > 
> > It's as though a new Activity had been created without action by me, but
> > no
> > amount of fiddling with the New Activity button gets me any closer to an
> > understanding. Personally, I'd be happy to have the whole concept of
> > activities stripped out. I don't suppose there's any way for me to do
> > anything like that as a user or sysadmin?
> > 
> > This happened to me again yesterday, and I ended up creating a new user
> > from scratch and importing e-mails, copying the .mozilla and .opera
> > directories and so on - only to find that that's been hidden today as
> > well.
> 
> I haven't seen this behaviour myself.
> 
> Do you also copy the ".kde" folder back?

If you mean .kde4, no I don't copy that, on the assumption that it would 
include whatever quirk had caused my vanishing-desktop problem.

-- 
Rgds
Peter

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] KDE desktop vanishing

[Peter Humphrey]

On Wednesday 05 November 2014 13:26:11 I wrote:
> On Wednesday 05 November 2014 12:32:53 J. Roeleveld wrote:
> > On Wednesday, November 05, 2014 10:31:39 AM Peter Humphrey wrote:
> > > Hello list,
> > > 
> > > Does anyone know why, sometimes, when I log in to KDE via KDM, all my
> > > applications have disappeared? Sometimes they're visible in the task bar
> > > but clicking on one doesn't bring it up, and sometimes the task bar is
> > > blank. Sometimes logging out and in again used to fix it, nowadays
> > > mostly not.
> > > 
> > > The only thing that's unaffected by all this is gkrellm, which is set to
> > > behave as a dock or panel.
> > > 
> > > It's as though a new Activity had been created without action by me, but
> > > no
> > > amount of fiddling with the New Activity button gets me any closer to an
> > > understanding. Personally, I'd be happy to have the whole concept of
> > > activities stripped out. I don't suppose there's any way for me to do
> > > anything like that as a user or sysadmin?
> > > 
> > > This happened to me again yesterday, and I ended up creating a new user
> > > from scratch and importing e-mails, copying the .mozilla and .opera
> > > directories and so on - only to find that that's been hidden today as
> > > well.
> > 
> > I haven't seen this behaviour myself.
> > 
> > Do you also copy the ".kde" folder back?
> 
> If you mean .kde4, no I don't copy that, on the assumption that it would
> include whatever quirk had caused my vanishing-desktop problem.

Now this is getting weirder. Just now I followed the clicks to create a new 
activity, then chose "Clone current activity" and lo! and behold! my desktop 
sprang into view.

What the devil is going on? How many "activities" do I now have?

-- 
Rgds
Peter

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] KDE desktop vanishing

[Dale]

Peter Humphrey wrote:
> On Wednesday 05 November 2014 13:26:11 I wrote:
>> If you mean .kde4, no I don't copy that, on the assumption that it would
>> include whatever quirk had caused my vanishing-desktop problem.
> Now this is getting weirder. Just now I followed the clicks to create a new 
> activity, then chose "Clone current activity" and lo! and behold! my desktop 
> sprang into view.
>
> What the devil is going on? How many "activities" do I now have?
>

I had something weird like this about ever since KDE4 was brought in
that finally got fixed.  I use the "Folder" layout on mine.  Just about
every time I would login, no folders.  Sometimes I could logout and back
in and they would show up.  Usually I had to right click, select the
edit menu and change something and hit apply for them to show back up. 
This had been going on for a really long time.  Then a few months ago, I
noticed they started working again.  I don't recall doing anything that
made it do it but a good while back I did rename the .kde4 directory and
get a fresh start. 

Point is, sometimes KDE does something weird and eventually they get
around to fixing it.  It sure is annoying until they get it fixed tho. 

Have you checked to see if there is a bug reported on the KDE bug
tracker?   If you can't figure it out and sure it is not a setting of
your own, may want to file one.  Given that you tried a fresh .kde4
directory, I don't see how it could be something you did. 

Dale

:-)  :-) 

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] KDE desktop vanishing

[Volker Armin Hemmann]

Am 05.11.2014 um 11:31 schrieb Peter Humphrey:
> Hello list,
>
> Does anyone know why, sometimes, when I log in to KDE via KDM, all my 
> applications have disappeared? Sometimes they're visible in the task bar but 
> clicking on one doesn't bring it up, and sometimes the task bar is blank. 
> Sometimes logging out and in again used to fix it, nowadays mostly not.
>
> The only thing that's unaffected by all this is gkrellm, which is set to behave 
> as a dock or panel.
>
> It's as though a new Activity had been created without action by me, but no 
> amount of fiddling with the New Activity button gets me any closer to an 
> understanding. Personally, I'd be happy to have the whole concept of 
> activities stripped out. I don't suppose there's any way for me to do anything 
> like that as a user or sysadmin?
>
> This happened to me again yesterday, and I ended up creating a new user from 
> scratch and importing e-mails, copying the .mozilla and .opera directories and 
> so on - only to find that that's been hidden today as well.
>

have you tried restarting plasma? Or switched screens?

i have occasionally lost programms from the task bar, switching desktops
brought them back.

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] KDE desktop vanishing

[Peter Humphrey]

On Wednesday 05 November 2014 23:21:46 Volker Armin Hemmann wrote:

> have you tried restarting plasma? Or switched screens?

I don't know how to restart plasma, other than logging out and in again. I 
have six virtual desktops most of the time, and they're all equally blank.

> i have occasionally lost programms from the task bar, switching desktops
> brought them back.

This sounds unlike my problem. Thanks anyway.

PS. Sorry for the delay replying - some nasty, sticky stuff hit the fan and 
I've only just got it going again.

-- 
Rgds
Peter.

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] KDE desktop vanishing

[Paul Klos]

Op zaterdag 8 november 2014 09:52:32 schreef Peter Humphrey:
> On Wednesday 05 November 2014 23:21:46 Volker Armin Hemmann wrote:
> 
> > have you tried restarting plasma? Or switched screens?
> 
> I don't know how to restart plasma, other than logging out and in again. I 
> have six virtual desktops most of the time, and they're all equally blank.
> 
You might try 

$ killall plasma-desktop && plasma-desktop &

to restart you plasma session.

Cheers,

Paul

Re: [gentoo-user] [OT] KDE desktop vanishing

[Peter Humphrey]

On Saturday 08 November 2014 12:44:46 Paul Klos wrote:
> Op zaterdag 8 november 2014 09:52:32 schreef Peter Humphrey:
> > On Wednesday 05 November 2014 23:21:46 Volker Armin Hemmann wrote:
> > > have you tried restarting plasma? Or switched screens?
> > 
> > I don't know how to restart plasma, other than logging out and in again. I
> > have six virtual desktops most of the time, and they're all equally blank.
> 
> You might try
> 
> $ killall plasma-desktop && plasma-desktop &
> 
> to restart you plasma session.

Oh, well if that's all there is to it, I will - thanks.

-- 
Rgds
Peter.