HOWTO: Fix screensaver for KDE 3.5.3

[Lil_Eagle]

If you have updated your KDE from http://kubuntu.org then you might have noticed that there is a bug with the screensaver not activating automatically, even when the box is checked to do so.

To fix this, go to: http://megaflexdestiny.net/bits/kde353screensaverfix/ and download the file libkdeinit_kdesktop.so.

Install it:

sudo cp /usr/lib/libkdeinit_kdesktop.so /usr/lib/libkdeinit_kdesktop.so.old
sudo cp Desktop/libkdeinit_kdesktop.so /usr/lib/

Of course you'll have to change the second command to point to where the file really is.

Once you've copied that file, restart X by pressing <CTRL><ALT><BKSP>, or reboot your machine.

Your screensaver should work.

There are both 32 bit and 64 bit versions of the necessary file. These files were created by compiling the latest snapshot of kdebase from kde.org.

EDIT: Filename spelled incorrectly, now fixed.

[Hobbsee]

The edgy packages were fixed with this last night, and the dapper packages should soon be rebuilt with this fix.

Please do not use an unofficial fix in the mean time, as the proper fix is so close.

[Lil_Eagle]

Please do not use an unofficial fix in the mean time, as the proper fix is so close.

How are we supposed to know that? I mean, think about it. KDE 3.5.3 was released on June 1, 2005, the same day that Dapper was released, yet the ubutuntu repositories 4 weeks later still only have 3.5.2 in them. For those of us who knew KDE 3.5.3 was available (since it was mentioned on the Kubuntu website) it was tempting to upgrade. Especially after reading about the numerous bug fixes.

The version that was released had a bug with the screensaver. According to KDE, that bug was squashed on June 14. Yet, noone listened to the complaints about the sceensaver. The solution was rather simple. Recompile kdesktop with the bugfix provided by KDE.

While it may not suit your fancy to use "unstable" code, no one is forcing you to do so. It is entirely up to you what you do to your system. You don't have to download the file, nor install it.

I thought the broken screensaver was a major enough issue to warrent an immediate bug fix and all I did was provide a simple method for others to fix the aformentioned bug.

Do you not think that the screensaver is a high priority? What about in a setting where security is important. You walk away from your computer, thinking that your screensaver will kick in a minute, and since you have it set to lock, you think that once it starts that your session is safe. If however, the screensaver never starts, then it will not lock, thus your session is still open to anyone who happens to walk by.

Now this may sound a little drastic, but people do think that way. Surely a better solution would be to manually lock the session whenever one leaves their computer. I can assure you not many people do that, including me.

[Rastareefer]

Thanks for the fix.

I am glad the "Edgy packages" have been fixed but as a newbie I am afraid I wouldn't know an edgy package if it hit me in the face much less what to do with it.

Hence, I am gratefull for the fix and instruction guide that even a newbie can comprehend.

I mean if the bug has been fixed, where do we get the fix & how does one install it?
Is this going to be a complete download of K/Ubuntu and instalation?

[arizonagroovejet]

I am glad the "Edgy packages" have been fixed but as a newbie I am afraid I wouldn't know an edgy package if it hit me in the face much less what to do with it.

The next version of Ubuntu, currently in development, is called Edgy Eft. Edgy packages are packages are for people already using the development versions of Edgy Eft.

I mean if the bug has been fixed, where do we get the fix & how does one install it?
Is this going to be a complete download of K/Ubuntu and instalation?

The fix has been done in the KDE source code. (The problem is a KDE problem not a Kubuntu problem - users of other distros have also found the screensaver not working.) For the fix to be easily available for Dapper one of the Kubuntu maintainers has to make a new version of the kdeskop package including the fix and put it in the Dapper repos. Such a package would show up automatically in adpet-notifier for you to install.
Having no idea when that would happen and being tired of having no screensaver I came up with my own solution to the problem and made it available to those who wanted to try it.
If you've installed the fix file from my website then installing a kdestop package delivered via adept should overwrite it. If the new kdesktop package includes the fix then your screensaver should keep working, if not it'll probaby stop working again.

If/when a new kdestop package appears for Dapper I'll be testing it to see if it fixes the screensaver problem and if it does then I'll modify the webpage to indicate the the bug is now fixed in the latest Kubuntu updates and that people should use those instead.

Hope that clarifies things a bit for you,

mike

[Rastareefer]

Yes, thanks.
You seem to have nailed it all.

[casperlingus]

Is there a reason the link is down? Is there somewhere else from where I can get the updated *.so file?

In fact, 2 days ago my office decided to make a rule requiring 5-minutes-til-screensaver-locking rule. I think I'm the only one that's not compliant at the moment (the only linux user, too).

I guess I'll apt-get xscreensaver and run that for now.

Casper...

[arizonagroovejet]

Is there a reason the link is down?

Not that I'm aware of. I can access the site fine right now both fromhome and from another place I have shell access.
What are you seeing - a 404, a 'forbidden' message or just timing out?

Is there somewhere else from where I can get the updated *.so file?

Yes, email me (see profile) and I'll email you back.

[Lil_Eagle]

One thing I noticed was that when I upgraded to Edgy, I kept getting the message that libkdeinit_kdedesktop.so was not a system link. It didn't cause any problem, but during the upgrade the message appeared at least 20 times. Since then, I have downgraded back to dapper because Edgy was too unstable for me.

While I don't mind broken packages once in a while, the kernel being broken is not something that I can accept. It's probably fixed by now, but I figured I'd just wait until the second or third alpha.

Why dapper is still kde 3.5.2 I have no idea. I would expect a backports package, but more than a month after the release of 3.5.3 it still isn't to be seen. The packages on kubuntu.org are the same ones that were there a month ago as well.

It seems that most effort is going to edgy, even though dapper is LTS. I suppose that means LTW (long term waiting) as well.

[mexlinux]

Your file semi-solved my problem, It blanks the screen but it does not start the screen saver...

Well, we can always use xscreensaver anyway