Update on broken KMail
This is an update --- copied to the Debian-KDE and Libranet lists ----
on the problem that KMail does not load on one of the two Debian
installations on this computer. The problem is buried more deeply
than I can find it.
Both installations are based on Libranet. The "production" install is
less than one week old. I have not strayed from the stock Libranet
configuration which strives to optimize recent applications with
stability. KMail 1.5.4 works perfectly; it is where I am drafting
this message.
The "experimental" install is where I learn by trial and error.
Without realizing what "backported to woody" would mean for a system
tracking sid, I installed the Ralf Nolden debs from KDE.org on
Tuesday. KDE 3.2 is every bit as good as its advance billing. In
KMail 1.6, the colour coding of quoted and new text in messages
revolutionizes message reading. However, I decided it was more
prudent not to stay with the kde.org debs. I therefore removed them
and reinstalled 3.1.5 from Debian sid. Later, I learned that Ben
Burton and Chris Cheney have functional packages at
people.debian.org. I installed them.
Immediately upon replacing the Ralf Nolden kde.org debs with Debian
sid, KMail 1.6 broke. The message is always the same: an error box
that says "KDEInit could not launch 'kmail'".
I followed advice and deleted as much as I dared to from ~/.kde but
did not touch the config file .kderc. I doubt, however, the problem
is in my home directory. These two Debian installations are on the
same computer and use the same /home partition. I also *purged* all
of KDE and installed yet again.
I feel that I am flailing in the dark. While this is a problem that I
have brought on myself, I would be grateful for any expert advice on
finding it and squashing it. It is buried deeper than I can find.
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