OpenSuse 13.2 - A list of minor problems

English Applications
#1

I’ve been using OpenSuse 13.2 (with gnome 3-14.1) for the last few weeks and have encountered a few issues I can’t fix myself. Maybe these are known issues and/or someone might have a solution for some of my problems.

Rhythmbox is controlling the master volume:
Is there a way to get rid of this “feature”? It does not make sense to me, when I want to reduce the volume of the music playing in the background, that everything else is affected by this as well.

**KeepassX and Skype window positions keep changing:
**This is a minor complaint, but still somewhat annoying. Every time I launch or hide KeepassX and Skype (maybe other Qt4/5 applications as well), the window will shift towards the centre of my screen (usually up or left).

Auto-Typing in KeepassX fails randomly (libxdotool?)
Auto-Typing will randomly drop letters. I noticed this problem in many gnome-shell versions (starting with 3.6), but with Keepass2, which is using libxdotool.

**Spell checking in Firefox:
**This is a major issue in my opinion. I can manually choose the correct language, but it seems as after a while firefox will default to “English (Malawi)”, and sometimes to a random language.

Aside from these issues, I’m very pleased with OpenSuse 13.2 so far and would like to keep it as my default system.
Maybe someone could help me fix this, or at least point me in the right direction (filing bug reports?).

Thanks!

#2

Go to Bugzilla, search if these bugs are already reported, and if not, file them.
You can log in with the same username/pw as on the OpenSuse forums.

#3

For volume control install pavucontrol package it will give you control over each application . Note it looks like you use Gnome but in KDE there is a control verimix which can live on the system tray and is a bit more convenient then pavucontrol.

Can’t help with rest since you use gnome and I know KDE

#4

Gnome already has the option to control the volume per application. My problem is that one application somehow controls the master volume too.
Let’s say I reduce the volume in rhythmbox and it will also affect the master volume at the same time for some weird reason.

#5

In KDE there is a fix to that in one of the /etc files I forget which don’t know if it applies to Gnome. A search here may uncover the thread that discussed it.

#6

I believe this is the thread

https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/494849-KMix-PulseAudio-Streams-and-Volume-Levels?highlight=controlling+master+volume

#7

You can probably blame PulseAudio for that, as it preferred to mimic the behaviour of Windows (7). If this was 13.1/KDE/PulseAudio, adding option
“flat-volumes = no”, to the end of /etc/pulse/daemon.conf and rebooting, worked for me. You should also check if there is a default statement and note that it could be a comment only or not. I haven’t tested it on 13.2 or on Gnome, so for quick recovery take a copy of daemon.conf before you change it.

#8

Ok, just checked /etc/pulse/daemon.conf on my 13.2 (updated today to GA level), it contains the “;” commented statement “;flat-volumes = yes” which confirms that P/A defaults to using “flat volumes”, where individual apps’ volume setting can adjust the overall or master volume.

So just add an uncommented statement setting flat-volumes to no, to the end of that file and reboot, as previously described.

#9

Sorry for the late reply! I will definitely check my /etc/pulse/daemon.conf and see if it will work.
Thanks

#10

Well, still no luck.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the time to deal with these silly issues. I did three installations of 13.2 on different hardware, and they all suffer from the same problems.
Windows not keeping their position and size, spell-checking randomly choosing different languages, every application changing my master volume setting… no thanks.

Guess I’ll stay with debian.

#11

How odd others are not reporting the same problems.

#12

frankly, to me it is not at all clear where I should report all the minor problems I have with opensuse 13.2 and kde5.

For example, no intelligent tool seems to exist anymore for managing dual monitors (as we had in 13.1 and kde4) - the only way out are manual xrandr settings. Where do I report that?

And why do I no longer have a kmix widget in the panel, nor can I find one to install? If I start kmix manually, then it gets there, but after the restart it is gone, and I see no way to make it permanent. I am sure I could tinker with some startup files somewhere, but previously I did not have to do this. Where do I report that?

I generally like 13.2 with kde5, but the difficulties in getting functionalities back that were nicely arranged previously is nerve-wrecking.

#13

There is no KDE5. :wink:
Plasma 5 is not ready yet, it’s only included in 13.2 as technical preview.
And KF5 applications have not been released at all yet.

If you have problems, better report them upstream:
https://forum.kde.org/viewforum.php?f=289
http://bugs.kde.org/

For example, no intelligent tool seems to exist anymore for managing dual monitors (as we had in 13.1 and kde4) - the only way out are manual xrandr settings. Where do I report that?

KScreen is available for Plasma 5 as well, the package is called “kscreen5”.
This is not included in 13.2 yet, you’ll have to add the additional KDE:Frameworks5 repo.
https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:KDE_repositories#KDE_Frameworks_5_.26_Plasma_5

But it doesn’t seem to load the settings on login at the moment.

Again, see above where to report issues.

And why do I no longer have a kmix widget in the panel, nor can I find one to install? If I start kmix manually, then it gets there, but after the restart it is gone, and I see no way to make it permanent. I am sure I could tinker with some startup files somewhere, but previously I did not have to do this. Where do I report that?

Install kmix5, it should be started automatically on login then.
Again, this is not included in 13.2 yet (it hasn’t even been released yet), you’ll need that additional repo.

And it might be a good idea to update all plasma5 packages to the ones from that repo as well.

I generally like 13.2 with kde5, but the difficulties in getting functionalities back that were nicely arranged previously is nerve-wrecking.

What you see are not difficulties with 13.2, but missing features in not-yet-finished (or even unreleased) software that’s not even installed by default.

#14

There is no KDE5. :wink:
Plasma 5 is not ready yet, it’s only included in 13.2 as technical preview.
And KF5 applications have not been released at all yet.

If you have problems, better report them upstream:
https://forum.kde.org/viewforum.php?f=289
http://bugs.kde.org/

For example, no intelligent tool seems to exist anymore for managing dual monitors (as we had in 13.1 and kde4) - the only way out are manual xrandr settings. Where do I report that?

KScreen is available for Plasma 5 as well, the package is called “kscreen5”.
This is not included in 13.2 yet, you’ll have to add the additional KDE:Frameworks5 repo.
https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:KDE_repositories#KDE_Frameworks_5_.26_Plasma_5

But it doesn’t seem to load the settings on login at the moment.

Again, see above where to report issues.

And why do I no longer have a kmix widget in the panel, nor can I find one to install? If I start kmix manually, then it gets there, but after the restart it is gone, and I see no way to make it permanent. I am sure I could tinker with some startup files somewhere, but previously I did not have to do this. Where do I report that?

Install kmix5, it should be started automatically on login then.
Again, this is not included in 13.2 yet (it hasn’t even been released yet), you’ll need that additional repo.

And it might be a good idea to update all plasma5 packages to the ones from that repo as well.

I generally like 13.2 with kde5, but the difficulties in getting functionalities back that were nicely arranged previously is nerve-wrecking.

Why aren’t you just using a stable, established desktop then, like KDE4 or GNOME?

What you see are not difficulties with 13.2, but missing features in not-yet-finished (or even unreleased) software that’s not even installed by default.

And AIUI that’s totally unrelated to the rest of this thread anyway.
You should better open your own thread with questions about “KDE5”.

#15

thanks indeed - all those points are helpful, and I admit I should perhaps not have given in for the temptation to install plasma5. But, more generally, if I know (as I do now) where to report things, then I am happy to use unreleased software of this kind - and hopefully help to develop it.

On the thread, I am ok if it is moved to a more appropriate place…

#16

Well, there’s nothing wrong with installing plasma5. But don’t “complain” about the 13.2 release when you miss features in plasma5 or KF5 based applications… :wink:
You can of course still always install another desktop…

Btw, you can use kmix4 as well in Plasma5, and it should be autostarted on login as well. I just tried and that worked fine here.
But you might have “Autostart on Login” disabled in KMix’s settings. Have a look there (open the full mixer by clicking on the icon and pressing the “Mixer” button, and choose “Configure KMix…” from the “Settings” menu).

But, more generally, if I know (as I do now) where to report things, then I am happy to use unreleased software of this kind - and hopefully help to develop it.

Ok, but especially in this case, you should install the latest version.
Many KF5 applications (not-yet-released development snapshots) are available in [noparse]KDE:Unstable:Extra[/noparse].

The issues you mentioned here are not really an issue any more. (although as mentioned, KScreen’s settings are not loaded at login AFAICT)

If you have further questions, please open a new thread as I wrote already. But there have been a few already regarding KF5/Plasma 5.
I even maintain a repo with packages that can be co-installed with KDE4:
http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-kde/2014-09/msg00068.html
https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/501838-kde5-with-opensuse-13-2-keeping-kde4
https://forums.opensuse.org/showthread.php/502450-KDE-5-on-13-2

On the thread, I am ok if it is moved to a more appropriate place…

Well, I wasn’t talking about the thread.
I think that your reply doesn’t really fit in here, because the thread is more about general problems in 13.2.
I wouldn’t call missing features (or applications) in Plasma5 a specific problem of the openSUSE 13.2 release… :wink: