Still happens with 9.10  kubuntu release. See below
=============================================
$ startkde                              
*** glibc detected *** ksplashx: double free or corruption (out): 0x09bbf480 ***
======= Backtrace: =========                                                    
/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6[0xd51ff1]                                          
/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6[0xd536f2]                                          
/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(cfree+0x6d)[0xd567cd]                              
/usr/lib/libX11.so.6[0xa23669]                                                  
ksplashx[0x8057871]                                                             
ksplashx[0x805a8df]                                                             
ksplashx[0x804a7f5]                                                             
/lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc.so.6(__libc_start_main+0xe6)[0xcfdb56]                  
ksplashx[0x804a631]                                                             
======= Memory map: ========
00110000-00136000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 3828       /usr/lib/libpng12.so.0.37.0
00136000-00137000 r--p 00025000 08:01 3828       /usr/lib/libpng12.so.0.37.0
00137000-00138000 rw-p 00026000 08:01 3828       /usr/lib/libpng12.so.0.37.0
00138000-0013a000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 2946       /usr/lib/libXinerama.so.1.0.0
0013a000-0013b000 rw-p 00001000 08:01 2946       /usr/lib/libXinerama.so.1.0.0
0013b000-00157000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 4085       /usr/lib/libxcb.so.1.1.0
00157000-00158000 r--p 0001c000 08:01 4085       /usr/lib/libxcb.so.1.1.0
00158000-00159000 rw-p 0001d000 08:01 4085       /usr/lib/libxcb.so.1.1.0
00159000-0015b000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 2923       /usr/lib/libXau.so.6.0.0
0015b000-0015c000 r--p 00001000 08:01 2923       /usr/lib/libXau.so.6.0.0
0015c000-0015d000 rw-p 00002000 08:01 2923       /usr/lib/libXau.so.6.0.0
0015d000-00181000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 133662     /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libm-2.10.1.so
00181000-00182000 r--p 00023000 08:01 133662     /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libm-2.10.1.so
00182000-00183000 rw-p 00024000 08:01 133662     /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libm-2.10.1.so
00405000-00413000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 2936       /usr/lib/libXext.so.6.4.0
00413000-00414000 r--p 0000d000 08:01 2936       /usr/lib/libXext.so.6.4.0
00414000-00415000 rw-p 0000e000 08:01 2936       /usr/lib/libXext.so.6.4.0
00673000-00674000 r-xp 00000000 00:00 0          [vdso]
006f4000-007da000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 1586       /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6.0.13
007da000-007de000 r--p 000e6000 08:01 1586       /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6.0.13
007de000-007df000 rw-p 000ea000 08:01 1586       /usr/lib/libstdc++.so.6.0.13
007df000-007e6000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0
00a01000-00b2b000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 2919       /usr/lib/libX11.so.6.2.0
00b2b000-00b2c000 ---p 0012a000 08:01 2919       /usr/lib/libX11.so.6.2.0
00b2c000-00b2d000 r--p 0012a000 08:01 2919       /usr/lib/libX11.so.6.2.0
00b2d000-00b2f000 rw-p 0012b000 08:01 2919       /usr/lib/libX11.so.6.2.0
00b2f000-00b30000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0
00b5f000-00b7b000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 2537       /lib/libgcc_s.so.1
00b7b000-00b7c000 r--p 0001b000 08:01 2537       /lib/libgcc_s.so.1
00b7c000-00b7d000 rw-p 0001c000 08:01 2537       /lib/libgcc_s.so.1
00ba9000-00bc4000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 66         /lib/ld-2.10.1.so
00bc4000-00bc5000 r--p 0001a000 08:01 66         /lib/ld-2.10.1.so
00bc5000-00bc6000 rw-p 0001b000 08:01 66         /lib/ld-2.10.1.so
00bdf000-00be3000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 2934       /usr/lib/libXdmcp.so.6.0.0
00be3000-00be4000 rw-p 00003000 08:01 2934       /usr/lib/libXdmcp.so.6.0.0
00ce7000-00e25000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 133658     /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc-2.10.1.so
00e25000-00e26000 ---p 0013e000 08:01 133658     /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc-2.10.1.so
00e26000-00e28000 r--p 0013e000 08:01 133658     /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc-2.10.1.so
00e28000-00e29000 rw-p 00140000 08:01 133658     /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libc-2.10.1.so
00e29000-00e2c000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0
00eb4000-00ec8000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 521        /lib/libz.so.1.2.3.3
00ec8000-00ec9000 r--p 00013000 08:01 521        /lib/libz.so.1.2.3.3
00ec9000-00eca000 rw-p 00014000 08:01 521        /lib/libz.so.1.2.3.3
00f87000-00f89000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 133661     /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libdl-2.10.1.so
00f89000-00f8a000 r--p 00001000 08:01 133661     /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libdl-2.10.1.so
00f8a000-00f8b000 rw-p 00002000 08:01 133661     /lib/tls/i686/cmov/libdl-2.10.1.so
08048000-08062000 r-xp 00000000 08:01 2820       /usr/bin/ksplashx
08062000-08063000 r--p 00019000 08:01 2820       /usr/bin/ksplashx
08063000-08064000 rw-p 0001a000 08:01 2820       /usr/bin/ksplashx
08064000-08066000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0
09a8f000-09be0000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0          [heap]
b7400000-b7421000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0
b7421000-b7500000 ---p 00000000 00:00 0
b7565000-b786a000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0
b787a000-b787d000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0
bfeed000-bff02000 rw-p 00000000 00:00 0          [stack]
startkde: Starting up...
kdeinit4: preparing to launch /usr/lib/libkdeinit4_klauncher.so
kdeinit4: Communication error with launcher. Exiting!
kdeinit4_wrapper: Warning: connect(/home/fin/.kde/socket-fin/kdeinit4__2) failed: : Connection refused
Xlib:  extension "Generic Event Extension" missing on display ":2.0".
Could not register with D-BUS. Aborting.
startkde: Shutting down...
kdeinit4_wrapper: Warning: connect(/home/fin/.kde/socket-fin/kdeinit4__2) failed: : Connection refused
Error: Can not contact kdeinit4!
startkde: Running shutdown scripts...
startkde: Done.