gnome user switcher applet doesn't work with kdm

[Benjamin Kay]

***summary***

Every user that will set KDM as login manager, will see an error message because user switching applet will die (since it is incompatible with KDM apparently).
This is bad! To show error message (application crash) to each user.

Quick fix: at least just make nicer error message like "This applet is not currently compatible with KDM." and disable restarting it!

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Binary package hint: gnome-applets

The new user switcher applet in Intrepid (the one that replaces the logout button) is causing problems when kdm is set as the login manager. The user switcher applet isn't drawn, and an error dialog (see attached screenshot) with the following text appear immediately after login:

"User switcher" has quit unexpectedly
If you reload a panel object, it will automatically be added back to the panel.

The dialog provides two buttons, "Don't Reload" and "Reload". Clicking "Reload" doesn't bring the applet back -- it just brings up the same dialog. Clicking "Don't Reload" makes the dialog go away, but the user is still left without the applet. Switching the login manager to gdm does not automatically bring the applet back, however after switching to gdm the applet can be added to the panel manually.

The fact that the switching users in Gnome doesn't work with kdm isn't so bad (and it's the same situation we had in Gutsy). The following are real problems:
1. vague error message
2. absence of a logout button
3. applet doesn't automatically return if the user switches back to gdm

Here's what I think ought to happen if the user sets kdm as the login manager:
1. The first Gnome login after the switch, a notification tells the user that user switching won't work without gdm, and offers to switch the login manager back to gdm.
2. The applet is drawn the same way (with the user's name and a functioning logout button), but clicking on it doesn't provide the option of switching users.
3. The ability to switch users automatically returns if the login manager is switched back to gdm.

EDIT:
Sorry, forgot package versions. I'm using October 28's Intrepid daily-live, the x86 version.
gnome-applets 2.24.1-0ubuntu1
gdm 2.20.8-0ubuntu3
kdm 4:4.1.2-0ubuntu12

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

reassigning to fast-user-switch-applet, that's a GNOME applet and it's designed to work when using gdm though, that's not really a bug

[Mongoola (mongoola)]

I have the same problem, except I am still getting the error even after switching back to Gnome/GDM and uninstalling the kubuntu-desktop package. If I try to add the fast-user-switch applet to my panel I keep getting the error described above. Any help would be appreciated.

[Jim Lewellyn (styyle14)]

i read somewhere that editing your /etc/init.d file and changing kdm to gdm is necessary, but don't quote me on that

[aditya (aditya-kavoor)]

This is the command to get back to GDM :

sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm

[Amir E. Aharoni (amir-aharoni)]

> This is the command to get back to GDM :
> sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm

Thanks.

I'd say that the fact that one needs to type a command on the terminal to do that is a bug by itself.

[Chris Coulson (chrisccoulson)]

Why do you think thats a bug? What else would you suggest? Switching login managers is not a very common and often-executed procedure...

[Amir E. Aharoni (amir-aharoni)]

> Why do you think thats a bug?

Every operation which is related to GUI, but must be performed using the terminal is a bug.

> What else would you suggest?

GUI.

> Switching login managers is not a very common and often-executed procedure...

Neither is configuring keyboard layouts. Most people do it only once after they install the OS. Yet there's GUI for it.

[Chris Bainbridge (chris-bainbridge)]

dupe of bug 131868?

[LimCore (limcore)]

  "that's a GNOME applet and it's designed to work when using gdm though"

Heh.

Do you really think every day users are interested WHY they get this _error_ message?

Users care this much: -----><----- (the inner part, between arrows) about WHY - they do not care (usually) at all.

For users it just Do Not Work.
So it is in fact a bug.

[Sebastian Geiger (lanoxx)]

I do very much think that it is a bug. I noticed quite a couple of times that developers and users have quite a very different understanding of what is a bug and what not. Sometimes I even get the feeling that only something that is a potential security risk is really considered as a bug. But in general I think developers only consider something a bug if it seriously limits the intended functionality of the software or makes the software unusable (produces a crash). Where as cosmetic things are almost never considered real bugs, although they are as much annoying for the user as are the rest of the bugs.

Also in situations where the software is still usable but produces strange side effects in certain circumstances are not always considered real bugs. An example would be network manager deactivating networking after resuming from standby. Because one can simply reactivate it with two mouse clicks it does not seem to be considered a real bug. For the user though its certainly annoying.

The same can be said in the current situation: The applet is not working if kdm is the window manager in use instead of gdm. If this is a known thing then there should not be an error with a non working reload button but instead a clear message informing the user (at least).

The person who opened this bug said it very clearly already:

> Here's what I think ought to happen if the user sets kdm as the login manager:
> 1. The first Gnome login after the switch, a notification tells the user that user switching won't work > without gdm, and offers to switch the login manager back to gdm.
> 2. The applet is drawn the same way (with the user's name and a functioning logout button), but
> clicking on it doesn't provide the option of switching users.
> 3. The ability to switch users automatically returns if the login manager is switched back to gdm.

Or in short if its not clear enough:

1. Inform the user!
2. Adjust functionality to the new situation (kdm instead gdm)
3. Bring back functionality when the situation goes back to normal (kdm -> gdm)

Best Regards
Lanoxx

[Musthafa Meeran (musthafameeran-deactivatedaccount)]

I can confirm that this is still an issue in Ubuntu Jaunty Alpha 6 also !!

I think we can change the subject to remove Intrepid and make it generic.

Thanks a lot...

[LimCore (limcore)]

Thanks LanoxxthShaddow for the comment, I second that.

Also, who can change the priority? It should be at least Medium! Because every user that will try to use kde *will* see this error message - and will think, oh my god, they failed again.

[1oooop (gravygod)]

Thanks. This solved my problem.

[Laurent Schwarzenberger (lsch036)]

This happens in Jaunty too.

I installed KDE4 to test it out, put KDM instead of GDM and Gnome begins behaving weird.

1) The mentioned user switcher applet (A problem since this is the only GUI way to log out now)
2) NM continuously asks for passwords in both KDE and GNOME

Restoring GDM fixes all this, but not everyone is going to know this.

[Jayen (jayen)]

Is it possible to add functionality to kdm-gdmcompat to cover this? Surely kdm can do what gdm can do, and a bridge could be included in the kdm-gdmcompat package?

[Faldegast (faldegast)]

This is still a problem.

Whats the kde app for switching users?

[Jayen (jayen)]

I use krunner with the "Desktop Sessions" feature. Just type "New Session" or "Switch User" or something like that.

[Phillip Susi (psusi)]

This package has been removed from Ubuntu. Closing all related bugs.