I've whipped up a really quick hold/unhold tool to keep kde 3 in place but to still let you do upgrades/dist-upgrades. Supports apt-get and aptitude, you pick. Warning: holding/uholding kde with aptitude is SLOW.

Warning: by using this, you cannot get any support from anyone, debian, sidux, whoever, so only use this if you absolutely hate kde 4, or if kde 4 has serious showstopper bugs that simply give you no other choice.

To do, make sure to follow these steps exactly. Start smxi with the following options:



This will skip the first steps and go right to the post du options, and add a new option in post du fixes, run-kdehi

Select this option, then select which you want, hold or install.

You can also download and run kdehi directly:

and just run it before running smxi.

However, now that kde's packages are all on hold, you will need to skip the upgrade to kde 4 step in smxi, which you can do like this:


Don't forget this before every upgrade / dist-upgrade with smxi or it will start the conversion process, which you can of course just exit if you forget.

If kde gets back to a shape you can live with, just start kdehi again and pick the unhold option.

I needed this for a few remote boxes that I can't convert to kde 4 at the moment, but remember, if you use this, no support, your system might fail at any point, but there it is if you want it.
Back to top

Apart from kde3 being likely to break due to new libs in sid I would be concerned about security issues and bugs which may surface later in stale sid. However I tested this smxi function and it works for now.

Those of us who have been around for a while, thanks to the tools and past support from Debian, sidux and smxi should be able to maintain our own systems and know better than to make inappropriate support requests.

Debian seems commited to maintaining kde3.5.9 for the lifetime of Lenny, possibly into 2011. For some that's the best option at the moment; being Debian it's always possible to upgrade later unlike most other distros.
Back to top

those security concerns are massively overrated in my opinion. Almost non existent in any real world scenario, but one thing you'll find from people not very good at security is that they will confuse genuine security issues with local exploits that basically mean someone has to be sitting at your computer.

So I ignore that matter, it's a non starter in my opinion, if you are behind a router, and are running a reasonably new kernel and desktop, the attack vectors are basically non-existent in the real world.

but yes, the issue of libs eventually failing is real, but that's trivially easy to overcome, we can simply do a one time per month test dist-upgrade, and if it works, there is no problem for anyone else, just use this thread.

For example, I didn't post this until I did two test upgrades, and both were fine. I have grown increasingly fond of true correct real empirical data after the split with the sidux guys, and will rely on that always over any fantasy statements based on something other than fact and empirically verifiable statements. Blame the fact I gfew up around science, and studied real stuff in college, silly I know, but there it is.
Back to top

Still running Kde3.5.10 on sidux-09-01 tracking testing/sidux on Core2 desktop and an AA1 w/160HD using only Synaptic for package management (apt-get if Synaptic breaks). I would be using Xfce4.6 if no alternative except Kde4.2 existed.

Only blip so far is akonadi-server, mysql-server & mysql-server-5.0 not installing completely. Removed them all with no adverse effects for me.

I found this via Google search: kubuntuforums.net/forums/index.php?topic=3101925.msg170850#msg170850
>>> "I think without Akonadi, PIM apps use their own data resources like they did before...akonadi should enable them to use a single data pool and share data with other PIM apps (like possibly kopete being able to tell whether there's email in kmail from a contact etc.). It's my impression that KDE apps don't yet use Akonadi's potential to the fullest in KDE4.2...I'm sure this will improve in future releases."

I have Chandler loaded and it seems to use it as well but it's only a trial user. Thunderbird works as always. No kmail running.

Continue with Kde3.5.10 until an everyday reliable Kde4.x is released. It will be nice when it is complete, compared to Kde3.5.10.
Back to top

H2, Thank You for this add on to smxi.

Worked perfectly!
Back to top

An advisory for those who are anxious to try Kde4.2.4:
My experience was that it is much nicer and might be OK if you are willing to cope with the remaining lacks. It is very nice but still somewhat fragil. I can't depend on it yet. Well, maybe if I would leave it alone.

I thought it was more ready, but it seems not to be, for me.
On the AA1, going back to Kde3.5 via sidux-2009-01, smxi & kdehi. (fingers crossed). And then roll back the desktop to Kde3.5. Yes, I was overly optimistic. :((

[edit: kdehi still works as expected.]

Reinstalled sidux-2009-01, added apt.conf to track testing,
add testing to sources.list to track testing/sid/sidux, then get/run:
# kdehi ;; to apt-get hold Kde3.5
# smxi -! 31 ;; and then d-u:
442 upgraded, 137 new, 12 removed, 89 unchanged.
Need to get 58.4MB of 603 MB (copied in saved apt-archives)

OK, do it. Looks like I'll have to get OOo3.1 directly from sid.
Took about 30 minutes to install those 600 MB. I am always amazed at how these massive changes install without error.

I will stick with Kde3.5 until I read glowing reports of new Kde
in these pages. (fingers crossed).

Thanks again, h2, for these excellent maintenance tools.
Back to top