Re: switching user after kde 3.4 update

From: Kevin Nathan (knathan_at_project54.com)
Date: 03/23/05 

Date: Wed, 23 Mar 2005 11:23:28 -0700

On Wed, 23 Mar 2005 10:21:45 +0000
Alexander Linkenbach <Linkenbach@bigfoot.com> wrote:

> Kevin Nathan wrote:
>
> > But, I'd like you to try it, to see if the same errors are present
> > as with the 'Switch User' program. If they are, we have some avenues
> > of troubleshooting to explore.
>
> No, logging in from consoles manually works just fine, but strangely
> in runlevel 3 my
> first user is not on F7 but F8, with the others following on F9, F11
> and F12. F7 just gives me a blank prompt. Runlevel 5 gives the correct
> order 7-10.
>

This should not be. When you login from runlevel 3, is it right after a
reboot or coming up from runlevel 1? Or, are you at the KDM login screen
and you do a Ctrl-Alt-Fn to get to a new virtual console (vc)? And, do
you simply do:

   startx

or

   startx -- :1

> > Not if they aren't being actively used. The biggest thing is make
> > sure things like screensavers aren't running. Without those sorts of
> > things running, the other X sessions have little impact.
>
> Hm, all four logged on brings my "free" ram down to 112/502M with no
> apps running (no screensaver either) as opposed some 300M (which semms
> pretty low anyway considering only one kde session running...)
>

Ok, you're still in the 'Windows-Think' mode. Try to forget that while
in Linux. The key point is: 'Unused memory is wasted memory.' Run the
'free' command and compare it to mine (I'm running one KDE session and
one xfce session right now):

efreet:/etc # free
         total used free shared buffers cached
Mem: 970752 961164 9588 0 180680 168360
buffers/cache: 612124 358628
Swap: 2096472 540176 1556296

There are plenty of threads on this in this, and other, ng and searching
with on groups.google.com with:

   "Unused memory is wasted memory" group:alt.os.linux.suse

will show you several of them -- might want to browse through them.
Basically, Linux knows how to efficiently use memory, do *not* worry
about low free memory in Linux! :-) (Notice how mine is only 9MB free?)

> > I'd be more suspicious of the 'upgrade' rather than a
> > clean install.
>
> I'd agree, until recently. The 9.1 -> 9.2 went so smoothely for the
> first time that I didn't need to repair a single thing at all. Which
> seemed rather odd to me after some real desasters with 9.0 -> 9.1

Remember, from 9.0 to 9.1 you did a major kernel change. Upgrading
insteading of clean installing in that situation is just asking for
trouble! :-) The general consensus on this ng is that 9.0 *really*
should have been 8.3; and 9.1 should have been 9.0.

> IMHO this was the first upgrade worth its name.

After one disastrous upgrade (a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far
away) I decided to *never* do an OS upgrade again (true for me when I
was using Windows, as well), and many on this ng feel the same. I'm even
leery of program upgrades, to the point where I will often rename the
config dir for the program, remove the program (via YaST or rpm) and
*then* install the newer version. That way, I don't worry about the
newer version trashing my old config and, if the new version doesn't
work out, not having a clean config to go to for the previous version.
Some have no (or little) trouble, but not me.

> By the way, I really appreciate your effort, Kevin.

NAP! :-)

> Judging by your
> appearance in most threads here you do not seem to have too many
> problems with your machines yourself ;-
>

No, I really don't -- but when I *do*, they can be _impressive_! ;-)

Part of that is clean installs and using only supported hardware. The
vast majority of problems I see here seem to be related to 'My Brogodon
card/mb/peripheral won't cranistate, how can I fix this?' These sorts of
problems wouldn't be seen so much if they bought supported hardware, or
a computer with Linux pre-installed on it, like in the Windows world.

Conversely, if you build a cheap box yourself and want to put Windows on
it with nothing more than the Windows CD itself, good luck! Try buying a
piece of hardware that doesn't have Windows support and making it work
under Windows -- then try it under Linux . . . ;-) 

-- 
Kevin Nathan (Arizona, USA)  
Open standards. Open source. Open minds. 
The command line is the front line.