Kde 3.5

[ZDevil]

Alright, let's talk 'big'.  

Walt, do you use the packages or the squashfs image? 
I'm also curious to know how fast is it running in hdd in your C3100, e.g. desktop startup, konqueror, korganizer, etc?  Thanks!

I installed from the packages... actually just the base, lib, and pim.  128meg swap partition enabled as well on hdd.
Desktop Startup :  1 minute 50 seconds (after waiting for ipkg to finish up because that takes forever)
Konqueror : 50 seconds (including default Conquer your desktop! page load)
Konqueror 2nd : 22 seconds (including default Conquer your desktop! page load)
Konsole : 10 seconds
Konqueror 3rd : 30 seconds (including default Conquer your desktop! page load)
I need to add some lib to get korganizer working and will up date this post with those times later tonight.

UPDATE:
Korganizer : 55 seconds
Abiword : 30 seconds
Kmail : 50 seconds
[div align=\"right\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Here are my results of some less casual timing.

Setup: ShiroiKuma's squashfs image + 64MB swap on SD

-- KDE desktop and Kwin:
1st run = a few minutes,
Afterwards = ~1 min 20 secs  
Comment: Well, the xnest KDE on my ibook even takes longer to start!    

-- Abiword: starts just as fast as in other wms
Normal run = 15secs!
Comment: Darn impressive. This can really be used to impress/scare people, even to other non-pdaX users  

-- Konqueror:
1st run = a bit more than 1 minute
With preloading 1st time = ~20 secs
Restart after closing = ~30 secs.  
Comment: Not bad, at least way better than Firefox.

-- Konsole:
Normal run = 18 secs
Comment: It's a 'big' deal!  mrxvt loads in less the 2 secs only, and with multi-tabs!!

-- Kwrite:
Normal run = ~ 35 sec
Comment: No way for fast note-taking.  Thoughts can easily slip away at any moment during this time lag.  Leafpad would be a very good lightweight alternative. 3 secs. What else can you ask for?

-- KNote:
Normal run = ~ 25 secs
Comment: Use Xpad.  It starts in less than 10 secs together with gcin/scim, and automatically docks as an applet just like Knotes.

-- KOrganizer:
1st run loads automatically with KOrganizer Reminder Client = 1 min 40 sec ..
Reopening with Reminder already on = ~ 1 min
Comment: Even heavier than Konqueror.  What an amazing record.  I'm using JPilot instead.

Nonetheless all the above KDE apps are running fine and fully usable once launched.  

But come on check out this guy:

--Kontact:
1st run loads automatically with KOrganizer Reminder Client = 2 min 35 sec!
Subsequent startup with Reminder already on =  2 min 10 sec
Comment: A super app indeed, but this one may be an exception to Chero's method.  It's linked to so many parts in the PIM system and as a result it does run extremely sluggish.  Very basic actions in Kontact such as tapping the buttons in the left pane and exiting the app makes you wait for yet a few more ages, which is downright beyond any point of being usable.

BTW, shall we call for some informal benchmarking for this?  

BTW : why so much fuss about load-time. I leave the apps I need open and just suspend.
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109666\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Yeah, that's what I do too. Basically, I have 6 desktops on KDE, divided thematically into what I use - language study, pim, konsole, etc. and it works fine while up and running. Starting KDE itself, or Firefox is a drag, but once up it works.
I use a 512 meg swap on a CF, with it it works fine.
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109669\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

And for me the same .
(installed on hdd - 64Mb swap)
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109666\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

So far 64MB seems to be already enough in my case, as I've never seen it filling up, if I'm not doing compiling in it.   And there's a theory saying that using swap can actually slow things down as the system is busy with throwing stuff back and forth between ram and the card.  Any convincing evidence for or against this?  

The only problem I had was the time synchronization bug on suspend and resume, which I've taken care of as [a href=\"https://www.oesf.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=14655&hl=hwclock]described here[/url].
Zdevil, I think this might also be the case for your crashes on resume that you mention. I've never had such a crash with KDE, but have had the time-lag problem. Now it's gone.

Thanks for the pointer.  However, my /usr/bin/apm looks very different from the script posted there, so I dare not try it out yet.  Setting suspend times (both battery and AC) to 0 min resolves the problem, though.   [Update: It turned out to be my illusion.  Setting them to 0 doesn't help.  Still need to wake it up from sleep 3 times religiously. ]

So, ShiroiKuma, got any plan for the next stage?
I was just wondering if the current image can be further stripped or separated in to a few images.  I suppose not everyone is happy with the performance of the PIM apps and may choose not to use them at all (for example, KO/Pi definitely runs better than KOrganizer I bet).  What do you think?    

Oh yes, one very stupid off-topic question: I've installed some apps on my 256MB SD and use them with my C860, but now I am planning to move all the stuff to a 1GB card and use them with my C1000 (still running Sharp rom and is about to collect dust if I don't flash it to pdaX soon).  Is there a way to restore/preserve the symlinks created for the apps?

[Chero]

Oh yes, one very stupid off-topic question: I've installed some apps on my 256MB SD and use them with my C860, but now I am planning to move all the stuff to a 1GB card and use them with my C1000 (still running Sharp rom and is about to collect dust if I don't flash it to pdaX soon).  Is there a way to restore/preserve the symlinks created for the apps?
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109685\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Code: [Select]

# ipkg-link mount /mnt/card creates the links to the packages installed on SD.

Have fun,
Chero.

[ShiroiKuma]

Thanks for the pointer.  However, my /usr/bin/apm looks very different from the script posted there, so I dare not try it out yet.  Setting suspend times (both battery and AC) to 0 min resolves the problem, though.   [Update: It turned out to be my illusion.  Setting them to 0 doesn't help.  Still need to wake it up from sleep 3 times religiously. ]

So does mine, what I did is find the line

Code: [Select]

$APM --suspendand just before it add the two lines

Code: [Select]

/usr/bin/sethwclock
/sbin/sltime -set

So, ShiroiKuma, got any plan for the next stage?
I was just wondering if the current image can be further stripped or separated in to a few images.  I suppose not everyone is happy with the performance of the PIM apps and may choose not to use them at all (for example, KO/Pi definitely runs better than KOrganizer I bet).  What do you think?   

It can definitely be done, though it's not gonna make anything faster, but it'll leave more space on the internal flash.

Anyhow, I have decided to go and ditch KDE since it is way too slow. When in XFCE4 everything is snappy, so I don't plan to be modifying anything... But you can do it, it's pretty easy, just time consuming, took a couple of hours, to cut everything out, symlink, pack it...

[ZDevil]

Ok, let me try and see if I can come up with something this weekend, and see how long KDE can keep my interest or how long I will keep it.    
ShiroiKuma, many many thanks for your great work!  

[omro]

Hello,

This is exciting!

Does anyone else run out of installable memory on a C1000 to the point where they can't install anything after they've copied the squashfs file?

Knowing me, I'm doing something simple, wrong. 
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109357\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Yes, it's one of biggest moments ever in my pdaX experience.    
I flashed 1.1.0 Beta, and then set up KDE3.5 immediately before installing any other apps.  After this there remains about 12MB (forgot exactly how much) in the internal memory.
I'm sure we can have a lot more space if we can do without the PIM apps...
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109474\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Hiya,

How did you get it to work? On my C1000 I flashed the beta1. The copied the squashfs file to the right place and then tried to install the squashfs tools using the graphical installer within pdaXrom. But it kept saying there is insufficient memory.

The root was 0mb and the user was 12mb and everytime I tried to flip between the two and try and install it, nothing happened.

Any ideas what I'm doing wrong?

[omro]

Was just wondering if, in the future, there would be a build of pdaXrom that comes prebuilt with a working KDE? Assuming enough people actually are keen to have KDE rather than the other desktop environments on their Z.

[ZDevil]

I did nothing special here.  I tried it on my C860.  Reflashed it to 1.1.0 beta and simply followed ShiroiKuma's how-to and it worked.  
Upon flashing only 40+MB are used, and the squashfs image takes about 60MB, so there should be enough space.
For C1000, you have to use squashfs_2.2r2_armv5tel.ipk provided by pgas.

p.s. Forgot to mention that I flashed with 121MB root partition.

[ZDevil]

Did it!  

A million thanks to ShioriKuma for his generous tips and his extremely useful symlink package, which turns building up the symlinks into a matter of a blink.  You are such a great guy!  

What I did is actually nothing new.  I just squashed Laze's (kudos to you too!    ) KDE packages, kdebase and kdelibs, unstripped.  So no PIM and other extra stuff, but you can always install the other KDE packages in the feeds as usual afterwards.  

It's now 42.8MB only!  So upon a clean reflash with this image installed, there are still about 30MB left.  Tested it a few times on my C860.  Very smooth and no issues.

To distinguish this image from ShioriKuma's, it's called 'KDE Lite'.  Maybe you can think of a nicer name.  I'm just a sloppy guy.  

Download link here: (Link removed.  Please refer to Post #91 for new links and new symlinks package)
The zip file includes the squashfs image and a new symlinks package.
The download link will expire in 30 days if nobody is interested in it .  If someone is interested to host it, please do.

Good news: Dunno why, this image runs even much faster than the stripped one, responsiveness close to other wms now.  Also got more free RAM left when inside KDE.  Previously there are very likely 1 or 2 MB remaining, now there are 6~7MB free.

Just follow ShioriKuma's how-to posted on the first page of this thread.  Same method, except use the new image and symlinks package.

Remember -- For the very first time you load KDE3.5, you'll go through the Desktop Setting Wizard.  (See my third screenshot FYI).
In the 3rd screen, which asks you how many eye candies you want to see there, choose wisely.
[Editied: well you can always go back to this wizard whenever for further fine-tuning  ]

For instance, first I turned to the lowest rank from the left, and checked these options manually:

Desktop Wallpaper, Display Contents in Moving/Resizing Windows, File Manager Background Picture, File Manager, Icon Highlighting, Panel Background Pictures, Panel Icon Popups, Smoothed Fonts (Antialiasing), Window Moving/Resizing Effects.

I also have a feeling that this wizard setting is one of the keys to fine-tune and improve the overall performance.    

Some initial test results:
First loading of KDE -- as slow as before, but
Subsequent loading -- 1 minute 10 seconds only.
Konqueror -- 35 seconds, no preloading.

Hope someone here will still be brave and interested enough to try out this.

Have a nice weekend with KDE3.5!

[puthreguy]

I installed kdelibs in flash memory and everything else on the harddrive and it works preety smooth (except kontact which takes forever to load even if i install kdepim in flash memory).
However I have a problem with kicker that is crashing or is dissapearing when I resume after a long suspend. Am I the only one who has this problem?

Did anybody compiled kdenetwork? I miss Kopete

PuthreGuy

[flavien]

Hi everybody, i have installed KDE from the feed of 1.1.0 beta 1 (http://mail.pdaxrom.org/1.1.0beta1/Zaurus-7x0-860/feed/).

It is working but very slow on my SL3000 with RC12b1 (on hard drive of course, NAND is too small   ). Slow mean a lack memory in my Zaurus. (i use a swap   )

If i use ShiroiKuma stripped feed on my SL 3000, it could be more speed .? (more customize etc ..)

New pdaXrom version 1.1.0 beta 1 is require to be optimize with KDE ? (any improvement in kernel or something like this)

Thanks a lot  

[ZDevil]

Hi everybody, i have installed KDE from the feed of 1.1.0 beta 1 (http://mail.pdaxrom.org/1.1.0beta1/Zaurus-7x0-860/feed/).
It is working but very slow on my SL3000 with RC12b1 (on hard drive of course, NAND is too small   ). Slow mean a lack memory in my Zaurus. (i use a swap   )
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109825\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

You may want to have a go with the "Lite" version I squashed.  Feels faster and uses less memory (storage and system).  

[ZDevil]

Some more user experience for the non-nerds:

-- Disabling KTips on startup makes KDE load even faster, now 1 minute 5 seconds only!

-- You can do many things in the Control Center.  But it is not necessary to launch the whole Control Center itself.  Just open up K Menu (i.e. the desktop main launch menu), go to Settings > Control Center > and then blah blah blah, which will load pretty fast and get to exactly where you want to go.

-- To get your "Win" key (nothing to do with 'that' name actually), which I need so badly,
just go to Control Center (again, no need to start Control Center itself!), K Menu > Control Center > Regional & Accessibility > Keyboard Shortcuts,
then go to the first tab 'Shortcut Schemes',
then the first sub-tab 'Global Shortcuts',
under 'Action', scroll all the way down to Panel,
find 'Popup Launch Menu', tap on it,
below the 'Action' pane, choose 'Custom'
for instance, I map the Meun key on my C860 to this, which is XF86Start,
finally 'Apply' and 'OK', now you get the handy KDE Win key.

-- Another very useful shortcut is the 'Run Command', which brings you a lovely small popup dialog window for you to issue a command without calling up a terminal.
Follow the same track of fixing the KDE Win key as described above, and in the 'Action' pane go further down to 'Desktop', customize your favourite shortcut key there.
For me, I map the Mail key (XF86LaunchC) to mrxvt, and Shift-Mail to Run Command.  Super useful and convenient.

-- Still have issues with apm.  Doing three times of resuming religiously can bring it back, but sometimes it may fail with a blackout with only the cursor left.  Adding the two lines as suggested by ShiroiKuma in /usr/bin/apm doesn't seem to help.  Read that other users not using KDE also experience this.  So perhaps this is an 1.1.0 beta issue?  

So far I've found that a bit customizing in Desktop Setting Wizard and Control Center does help improve the overall performance.    

A few questions:
-- I load the matchbox battery applet and it docks alongside the KDE clipboard.  But it doesn't seem to show the battery level faithfully, as once (i did it once only) it didn't signal 'charging' even though it's already being fed by AC.  Any hint?

-- Are there any cpu and ram monitor applets?  I would be very interested to take a look at how grotty KDE is.    


How about the other KDE users here?  Any good tips for fine-tuning this amazing big boy on Z?

Will try to post some feedback here every now and then, if the experts don't mind this stupid dummy kind of actions.

[ScottYelich]

does anyone have a link to zdevil's kde-lite?
I need to be able to wget a url -- the rapidshare javascript/ticket/hiding prevents
me from being able to grab the file directly.

Scott

[ZDevil]

-- Still have issues with apm.  Doing three times of resuming religiously can bring it back, but sometimes it may fail with a blackout with only the cursor left.  Adding the two lines as suggested by ShiroiKuma in /usr/bin/apm doesn't seem to help.  Read that other users not using KDE also experience this.  So perhaps this is an 1.1.0 beta issue? 
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109890\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Update: No, it actually works in matchbox, as I see the clock resetting itself upon resume, but KDE seems to fail to do this.  Any solution?    

Update 2:: The context of the problem becomes more obvious to me now.  Resume from time-out suspend is working.  The real problem seems to be related to suspend by pressing the Off button and the device has to go through the triple resume ritual (and this may fail sometimes)  The same seems to apply to ShioriKuma's image as well.  

[ZDevil]

So far I've found that a bit customizing in Desktop Setting Wizard and Control Center does help improve the overall performance.   
[div align=\"right\"][a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=109890\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a][/div]

Good news: Further playing with these options now reclaim more than 10MB free RAM free for the first time!    My fear of this big boy gets smaller now.