Re: KDE Support in Debian
* Boyd Stephen Smith Jr. <bss@iguanasuicide.net> [2009 Nov 10 15:41 -0600]:
> On Tuesday 10 November 2009 15:27:35 Nate Bargmann wrote:
> > * Jan De Luyck <mailinglists+debiankde_20070717@kcore.org>
> > [2009 Nov 10 09:28 -0600]:
> > > I'm using KDE4 on my sid (unstable) workstation and laptop without any
> > > KDE- related problems.
> >
> > This may be KDE or Debian related, but I know that on this T41 laptop I
> > cannot run full desktop effects with the latest Sid. I use the Radeon
> > Xorg driver and when I select desktop effects all of the Plasma related
> > stuff on the screen is corrupted. Meanwhile, I have Kubuntu 9.10
> > installed on another partition on this laptop and it absolutely rocks
> > with full desktop effects enabled--same hardware and Xorg driver.
>
> Did you install the proper firmware package? The firmware is arguably non-
> free, so it doesn't appear in Debian kernels. It may appear in Ubuntu kernels
> because they take a different stance on such firmware.
I think so as I have the firmware-linux package installed which pulled
in firmware-linux-free and firmware-linux-nonfree. Last I checked (it
was some time back) I think the Kubuntu installation has similar
packages installed.
> > I'm not sure if the reason is simply the 2.6.31 kernel in Kubuntu
> > versus the 2.6.30 kernel in Sid or if the Kubuntu kernel has been
> > compiled with desktop support and Debian's has not. Some time ago
> > after discussion on this list I filed a Debian bug wishlist report
> > asking for a Debian kernel with the desktop support enabled. It was
> > closed as "will not fix".
>
> Yes, pending a formal vote, firmware without source code will not be added
> back to the Debian kernel, and such firmware will be removed as bugs are filed
> against it.
Apples and oranges. I did not ask for firmware, in fact this was
before certain firmware was placed into non-free as I recall.
Searching I came up with:
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=375845
as the report. The actual closing report was that activating PREEMPT
support triggered a lot of bugs but the possibility was left open of
eventually enabling PREEMPT support. There are a couple of lines with
PREEMPT in them that differ between the Sid kernel and the Kubuntu
kernel here most that Debian sets CONFIG_PREEMPT_NONE=y and Kubuntu
sets CONFIG_PREEMPT_VOLUNTARY=y (they are consectutive lines in the
config files).
> I agree with Debian's stance on the firmware issue. Others may not, even if
> they are similarly concerned with software freedoms in general.
So far it's not bothersome to me.
- Nate >>
--
"The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all
possible worlds. The pessimist fears this is true."
Ham radio, Linux, bikes, and more: http://n0nb.us/index.html
Reply to: