--------------------------------------------
- Documentation version:  2.0.0-beta2
- Documentation date:  2009-01-23
- Parsing date: Sat Jan 24 21:27:32 UTC 2009
--------------------------------------------
 

This file contains the FAQ
This file is parsed from Docbook/XML source files.

NOTE:
after the parsing process to generate this TXT file all te URL's are gone,
to see the URL's again please take a look at the HTML version of this file.

Feedback for the documentation is always welcome.

Frank Schoolmeesters, documentation coordinator
[frank_schoolmeesters {*} yahoo {.} com]

The most recent version of this document is available online at: 
http://krusader.sourceforge.net/handbook/faq.html

More documentation is available at:
- online:
    http://krusader.sourceforge.net/handbook/index.html
- most recent tarball
    http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=6488
- when downloading and installing the most recent Krusader,
  the doc's will be available via the Help menu


            as always, enjoy
                 Krusader Krew.

                      http://krusader.sourceforge.net


db   dD d8888b. db    db .d8888.  .d8b.  d8888b. d88888b d8888b.
88 ,8P' 88  `8D 88    88 88'  YP d8' `8b 88  `8D 88'     88  `8D
88,8P   88oobY' 88    88 `8bo.   88ooo88 88   88 88ooooo 88oobY'
88`8b   88`8b   88    88   `Y8b. 88~~~88 88   88 88~~~~~ 88`8b
88 `88. 88 `88. 88b  d88 db   8D 88   88 88  .8D 88.     88 `88.
YP   YD 88   YD ~Y8888P' `8888Y' YP   YP Y8888D' Y88888P 88   YD 


------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 13. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Table of Contents

Installation FAQ
Usage FAQ
General FAQ

If you have problems with Krusader please check the Installation procedure, as
your problem may be caused by a bad installation.

The FAQ is divided into three sections:

  ● Installation FAQ (this page)

  ● Usage FAQ (issues with running/using Krusader)

  ● General FAQ (bug reports, forum, mailing list, ...)

If you feel that a FAQ is missing or if something is not clear to you, please
let us know.

Installation FAQ

1. Does Krusader need KDE to run?
2. Which libraries does Krusader need to run?
3. I have followed all the steps but make complains about missing libs or
    headers. What do I need to do?
4. How do I compile Krusader when I'm using a 64 bit processor ?
5. I have downloaded the Source RPM krusader-x.xx.dist.src.rpm, what to do now?
6. I'm trying to install binary foo (RPM or DEB package), but it fails. What's
    wrong?
7. I can't find an RPM or DEB package for Krusader, what to do?
8. I've installed Krusader, but when I start, only the "Help" menu appears.
    Why?
9. Some new menu items are missing after updating Krusader, what's wrong?
10. I have a libGLcore.so.1 compile error after using the NVIDIA installer,
    what to do?
11. I am having trouble compiling and installing Krusader, how do I send a help
    request?
12. How can I build an RPM package for Krusader?
13. Why does Krusader-svn show an old version number in the about box?

1.  Does Krusader need KDE to run?

    No, Krusader does not need the KDE window manager to run on your computer
    but Krusader's natural environment is KDE, because it relies on services
    provided by the KDE base libraries. Only some shared libraries are needed
    e.g. KDE libraries, Qt™ libraries, etc. This means that Krusader runs on
    GNOME, AfterStep, XFce and other window managers provided the approriate
    libraries are installed on your computer. All this is not a problem since
    the apt-get world can resolve these dependencies instantly.

    You do not need to switch to the KDE window manager to use Krusader; you
    can still use GNOME, AfterStep, XFce or another window manager. However,
    the configuration of the Krusader fonts and some behavior is done by
    running kcontrol.

    A lot depends on what you want to do with Krusader. You should know that
    Krusader uses the KDE KIOSlaves to access remote file systems, and support
    for only a limited number of file system types are shipped with KDElibs,
    most of the KIOSlaves are bundled with KDEbase (including fish, sftp and
    tar). However, if you want the property-dialog to show EXIF-data for
    .jpeg's, you need KDEgraphics. If you want ID3-infos, you need
    KDEmultimedia, and so on.

    To summarize, if you want a working Krusader - install KDElibs. If you want
    a functional Krusader then you need KDElibs + KDEbase. For maximum
    functionality, Krusader needs all of the KDE package libraries, but the KDE
    window manager is optional.

2.  Which libraries does Krusader need to run?

    For running Krusader (e.g. when you have installed Krusader with a binary
    RPM) you need less libraries than if you compile Krusader from source. e.g.
    you only need the C-compliler gcc when you compile Krusader from source
    (see the next question).

    Take a look at the Krusader dependencies paragraph of our install chapter.

    If you need more details please take a look at the Krusader requirements on
    Ubuntu. The "depends" are required, the "suggests" make Krusader more
    powerful.

3.  I have followed all the steps but make complains about missing libs or
    headers. What do I need to do?

    Install the missing packages.

    Take a look at the Compilation requirements paragraph of our install
    chapter.

    Most RPM-based distributions separate the headers from the libs. The
    headers are needed to compile Krusader. Look for packages in the form
    foo-devel-*.rpm (e.g. kdelibs-devel-foo.i586.rpm) or foo-dev-*.deb for
    Debian® based distributions. These are usually included with your
    distribution.

    Tip

    If you ca not find the needed package, use rpmfind and click 'missing lib
    or header' in the search line. Or use apt-cache search foo to find the
    corresponding package for Debian® based distributions.

4.  How do I compile Krusader when I'm using a 64 bit processor ?

    As far as we know, there are no issues. Krusader is also available on many
    other architectures.

5.  I have downloaded the Source RPM krusader-x.xx.dist.src.rpm, what to do
    now?

     1. Check the ownership and the permissions on /usr/src/RPM/ and all
        recursive directories that your normal user can read-write-execute in
        these directories.

     2. To produce the binary RPM for your computer, do this:

        $ rpm --rebuild </path/to/rpmfile/> krusader-x.xx.dist.src.rpm

     3. If all dependencies are OK, a binary RPM krusader-x.xx.dist.rpm will be
        created at /usr/src/RPM/RPMS/i586 (replace i586 with your
        architecture).

     4. Test the binary RPM for errors before installing:

        $ rpm -i --test </path/to/rpmfile> krusader-x.xx.dist.rpm

        If the prompt returns without any message, then everything is OK.

     5. Install the binary RPM as usual, for example:

        $ su -c 'rpm -Uvh </path/to/rpmfile> krusader-x.xx.dist.rpm'

        You will be asked to enter your root password.

     6. Now you can start Krusader.

    Tip

    For more information about RPM, visit rpm.org and read the RPM Guide by
    Eric Foster-Johnson.

6.  I'm trying to install binary foo (RPM or DEB package), but it fails. What's
    wrong?

    Since we only prepare (and use) the source, we have no way of knowing this.
    Did you test the binary RPM before installing?

    $ rpm -i --test </path/to/rpmfile> krusader-x.xx.dist.rpm

    If the prompt returns without any message, then everything is OK. RPM's
    downloaded from our website are usually provided by Krusader users. Visit
    your distro website and search for an updated RPM.

    If the RPM is not OK, try to find another package at Linux® software
    archives such as freshmeat.net or KDE-APPS.org. If you still can't find the
    appropriate package for your Linux® distribution, we recommend searching
    for it with rpmfind or rpmpbone.

    In general, a package for an older version of your distrubution or even for
    another distribution might work on your computer (e.g. FC RPM's often work
    on Mdk and RH, and vice versa), but it is always the best that you install
    only RPM's that exactly match your distribution. If you can't find a
    package that matches your distribution version, architecture or
    distribution, then use a source RPM. When you use a source RPM, the
    Krusader sources will be built, on your computer, guaranteeing a suitable
    binary RPM for your specific distribution and architecture. In addition,
    this method results in maximum system speed, since the resulting binary is
    customized for your computer. Please read the previous question, it
    explains how to install a source RPM. The best solution is explained in the
    next question.

7.  I can't find an RPM or DEB package for Krusader, what to do?

    Check if your distribution provides Krusader, if it doesn't then contact
    your distribution creator and ask them to include Krusader!

    Did you take a look at the URL's on the Installation procedure page? If you
    have and found nothing, you can always compile Krusader from source. Even
    if you feel you haven't got the necessary skills, you will probably succeed
    in compiling Krusader: we provide a very detailed installation procedure.
    This HowTo enables newcomers to compile Krusader from source, even if they
    have never done a compilation from source before, just follow the
    instructions carefully. Feel free to post a help request if you encounter
    problems.

8.  I've installed Krusader, but when I start, only the "Help" menu appears.
    Why?

    In this case only the Help menu is visible and all other menu items like
    e.g. File and Select are missing. This is because some distributions put
    the krusaderui.rc file in the wrong directory. To solve the problem, just
    copy the krusaderui.rc file from the package krusader_kde3/krusader/
    krusaderui.rc to $KDEDIR/share/apps/krusader/krusaderui.rc and ~/.kde/share
    /apps/krusader/krusaderui.rc and re-run Krusader. If you have compiled
    Krusader from sources this is often caused if the KDEDIR - QTDIR
    environment variables are not correctly set. The result is that the
    krusaderui.rc file is installed in the wrong directory. Please read the
    following question, as well.

9.  Some new menu items are missing after updating Krusader, what's wrong?

    The krusaderui.rc file is stored in $KDEDIR/share/apps/krusader/
    krusaderui.rc. When you change the "Toolbar", KDE makes a copy of that file
    in the home directory at ~/.kde/share/apps/krusader/krusaderui.rc. If
    Krusader was previously installed on your computer, and you install a newer
    Krusader version the ~/.kde/share/apps/krusader/krusaderui.rc file must be
    replaced with the newer version. Note: this will also reset all your
    changes on toolbars and shortcuts!

    The first line of krusaderui.rc contains the version number. After
    installing a newer Krusader version, KDE will automatically replace the old
    ~/.kde/share/apps/krusader/krusaderui.rc with the newer version when
    starting the new Krusader for the first time (KDE will detect the newer
    version number in the first line).

    If you install a CVS or beta version and Krusader was already installed on
    your computer then you should delete the krusaderui.rc file from your home
    directory to activate the new menu entries $ rm ~/.kde/share/apps/krusader/
    krusaderui.rc

    If the ~/.kde/share/apps/krusader/krusaderui.rc file is older, then the new
    menu elements will not be shown. Read the previous question for information
    on how to update the krusaderui.rc file. If krusaderui.rc is missing or in
    a wrong directory, only the "Help" menu appears, please read the previous
    question.

10. I have a libGLcore.so.1 compile error after using the NVIDIA® installer,
    what to do?

    This problem occurs when you use the NVIDIA® installer and not the official
    NVIDIA® packages of your distribution. Krusader is based on Qt™ which can
    be linked against the X OpenGL libraries. As a result Krusader may look for
    OpenGL as well. The problem is that the NVIDIA® installer (prior to version
    7xxx) doesn't perform it's task properly: it replaces the OpenGL header
    files (which get included into Krusader) but doesn't set the libGL links
    correctly. The best solution is to use the NVIDIA® packages provided by
    your distributor or a new NVIDIA® installer, the current version at the
    moment of writing is 7114. If, for some reason, you must use an old NVIDIA®
    driver, one solution is the following hack, the exact commands depend on
    the distribution used and the version of the NVIDIA® driver (6111 in this
    example), but it should read something like this:

    $ ln -s libGLcore.so.1.0.6111 libGLcore.so.0
              $ ln -s libGLcore.so.1.0.6111 libGLcore.so
              $ ln -s libGLcore.so.1.0.6111 libGLcore.so.1.0.0
              $ ln -s libGLcore.so.1.0.6111 libGLcore.so.0.0.0
              $ ln -s libGLcore.so.1.0.6111 libGL.so
              $ ln -s libGLcore.so.1.0.6111 libGL.so.0
              $ ln -s libGLcore.so.1.0.6111 libGL.so.0.0.0
              $ ln -s libGLcore.so.1.0.6111 libGL.so.1
              $ ln -s libGLcore.so.1.0.6111 libGL.so.1.0.0
              $ ln -s /usr/lib/libGLU.la /usr/X11R6/lib/libGLU.la


11. I am having trouble compiling and installing Krusader, how do I send a help
    request?

    Please read our detailed installation procedure and the FAQ. If you can't
    find a solution to your problem then feel free to post a help request at
    our Krusader forum or use the Krusader-users mailing list. But before
    posting a help request, please try the following:

     1. Use the Search function on the Krusader Forum, your problem might be
        solved or discussed already.

     2. If you can't find a solution, please make a note of the following
        issues:

          ● the Krusader version used

          ● the Linux® distribution + version used

          ● a good description of the problem

        Without this information, it is very difficult for us to help you.

        Note

        If you give us the error messages (e.g. make error messages) please
        start with the FIRST error message, all the error messages which follow
        the first error message are consequences and not the cause of your
        problem.

     3. Send out your help request.

    Thank you for your co-operation!

12. How can I build an RPM package for Krusader?

    If you have experience with compiling from source, you will probably be
    able to build a Krusader RPM too. Information about RPM can be found at
    rpm.org and in the RPM Guide by Eric Foster-Johnson. The following is the
    short procedure howto on building an RPM.

    Warning

    NEVER build RPMs when logged in as root. Mistakes in building packages
    (e.g. a bad krusader.spec file) can do serious damage to your system when
    logged in as root.

     1. Compile Krusader from source to check that the compilation works fine.

     2. Check the ownership and the permissions on /usr/src/RPM/ and all
        recursive directories that your normal user can read-write-execute in
        these directories.

     3. Copy kusader-1.xx.tar.gz to /usr/scr/RPM/SOURCE

     4. Copy kusader.spec to /usr/scr/RPM/SPECS Tip: the latest kusader.spec
        can be found in CVS.

     5. Edit kusader.spec and add your name, your e-mail address, the rpm name,
        ... Other changes may be needed if rpmbuild fails.

     6. Build the binary and the source RPM with:

        $ rpmbuild -ba /usr/scr/RPM/SPECS/krusader.spec

        If everything went OK you will have a binary RPM in /usr/src/RPM/RPMS/
        i586 (depending on your architecture) and a source RPM in /usr/src/RPM/
        SRPMS/ e.g. krusader-1.70-beta1.suse10.i586.rpm and
        krusader-1.70-beta1.suse10.src.rpm

     7. If the build is not OK you will receive an error message during the
        rpmbuild process, try to fix it and run rpmbuild again.

     8. And finally: test the RPM before sending it in.

13. Why does Krusader-svn show an old version number in the about box?

    Because we only change the version number just before we do a new release.
    Krusader-svn will show an older version number, so ignore the version
    number and check the download date. We simply haven't yet decided what the
    next version number will be.

Usage FAQ

1. Krusader keeps crashing, why?
2. When I try to mount/unmount my cdrom/floppy, Krusader reports something
    about a supermount, what's this about?
3. Why does Krusader freeze or hang on a dead mountpoint?
4. When I try to resize Krusader to make it smaller, I discover that I can't
    resize it below a certain size. Why?
5. Samba ISO 8859-x codepage / What to do if Krusader does not read shared
    directories containing special international characters?
6. Krusader reports "krarc:... protocol not supported" error at opening an
    archive file, what to do?
7. I get the error message "Protocol not supported by Krusader: "krarc:/path/to
    /foo-archive", when I try to open foo-Archive, what to do?
8. What todo if an extenal tool doesn't seem to work?
9. Howto executing jar files (and not enter the jar archive)?
10. Why do I have trouble with my FTP connection?
11. I get "FTP protocol not supported by Krusader" error when trying to open a
    remote FTP directory, what to do?
12. How don't add ".part" suffix when copying files via ftp?
13. How can I close a remote connection (e.g. a FTP connection)?
14. I am experiencing problems with the media:/ protocol, why?
15. How can I disable the default sounds, e.g. when I do a delete action ?
16. Where the remote connection manager ?
17. Why doesn't mimetype magic sometimes work inside archives?
18. Where is Konfigurator, do i need to install the KDE Desktop Enviroment to
    use it?
19. How can I set the look & feel of 2 different users to be the same?

1.  Krusader keeps crashing, why?

    We've been receiving a lot of emails and bug reports (December 2005)
    regarding random crashes, especially during file operations such as copy,
    move, etc. These crashes are related to Qt™ 3.3.5 and NOT Krusader. It
    seems that Qt™ 3.3.5 introduced a serious bug which is currently (December
    2005) causing random crashes in many KDE applications including Konqueror.
    You can use Google to find out more. As far as we know, Debian®-Sid and
    SuSE® already posted new Qt™ binaries that fix the problem, and Gentoo® has
    masked Qt™ 3.3.5 completely. As for now, you either need Qt™ 3.3.4 or a
    fixed Qt™ 3.3.5 or a higer version, depending on your distribution. More
    information is available on our website.

2.  When I try to mount/unmount my cdrom/floppy, Krusader reports something
    about a supermount, what's this about?

    Supermount is a daemon which handles the mounting/unmounting of removable
    filesystems for you. Just insert a floppy, and do cd /mnt/floppy supermount
    will do the mount for you automatically and transparently. Usually this
    works fine. However, supermount misleads the system into thinking that the
    floppy/cdrom is mounted at all times! This creates some problems for
    Krusader, as it cannot really know when the floppy or CD has been removed
    because the system information is not correctly updated by supermount - is
    there really a floppy in the drive? Of course, this can be solved, but as
    for now, we don't consider it a priority.

3.  Why does Krusader freeze or hang on a dead mountpoint?

    When Krusader is e.g. browsing an NFS share and the NFS server goes down,
    Krusader will freeze. This Krusader (and all other open internal viewers/
    editors) freeze is fatal, and can only be corrected with the kill -9. We
    have no solution for this. This is an issue not confined to file managers,
    or even the Linux® OS! The problem is that you "hang" on the first access
    to the dead share - so there is no way around it, no check to avoid it,
    even ls will freeze. Just trying to read something - anything - is enough
    to get you stuck. The one and only way around this architectural problem is
    using a multi-threaded design - this way if we get stuck, we don't hang the
    entire application event loop, but we don't think that the time is right
    for adding threads, we are not sure that *all* the KDE systems out there
    are using Qt™-mt (the multi threaded version of the Qt™ library), and the
    Krusader Krew may not be the right people to address this major issue in
    any case; so currently this is just a bug we have to learn to live with.

4.  When I try to resize Krusader to make it smaller, I discover that I can't
    resize it below a certain size. Why?

    See the F1, F2 (etc.) buttons? They are not allowing Krusader to downsize
    as they have a minimum size. Just disable them View->Show FN Keys Bar and
    you'll be able to resize Krusader to your liking. Since version 1.51 we
    have improved this greatly: when downsizing the buttons will look like 'F5
    ..py'. When the button faces are too small to read a tooltip will give the
    complete text. The minimum width is 45 pixels for each button.

5.  Samba ISO 8859-x codepage / What to do if Krusader does not read shared
    directories containing special international characters?

    Krusader does not handle (yet) Samba ISO 8859-x codepages, if you use a
    codepage different than 8859-1 you will have to do a manual configuration.
    Create or modify the file: ~/.smb/smb.conf

    [global]
              workgroup = MyWorkGroup (ex. WORKGROUP)
              client code page = MyCodePage (ex. 852)
              character set = MyCharSet (ex. ISO8859-2)


    Unfortunately kcontrol (KDE 3.1.1) fails to configure smb.conf properly, so
    this must be done manually with a text editor.

6.  Krusader reports "krarc:... protocol not supported" error at opening an
    archive file, what to do?

    Install the krarc slave properly:

    Copy the kio_krarc.so, kio_krarc.la files into $KDEDIR/lib/kde3

    Copy the krarc.protocol file into $KDEDIR/share/services

    or the directory where the KIO slaves are placed in your Linux®
    distribution.

7.  I get the error message "Protocol not supported by Krusader: "krarc:/path/
    to/foo-archive", when I try to open foo-Archive, what to do?

    The icons, kio_slaves and documentation must be installed in the correct
    places in the KDE directory tree. The kio_krarc.* files must be in the same
    directory with the other KIO slaves. Try this: locate kio_tar.* and copy/
    link the kio_krarc.* files to the same location. Don't forget to run #
    ldconfig on this directory when you're done. For more information click
    here.

8.  What todo if an extenal tool doesn't seem to work?

    Krusader uses several programs as external tools, and sometimes they appear
    not to work. Open a terminal and check if tool foo is installed.

    $ foo

    Check if tool foo is properly configured in the Konfigurator Dependencies
    page. For Archiving tools: autodetect the archives again with the Auto
    Configure button in the Konfigurator archive page. Check the Konfigurator
    Protocol page If it doesn't work, backup your ~/.kde/share/config/
    krusaderrc configuration file and remove it from this location, Restart
    Krusader, Krusader will now start the first start configuration wizard,
    follow these guidelines.

9.  Howto executing jar files (and not enter the jar archive)?

    Go to the Konfigurator Protocol page and remove application/x-jar from the
    krarc node, Krusader should no longer enter the archive. Global file
    associations are handled by KDE and not by Krusader. To assosiate the jar
    extension:

      ● Open KDEs control center: kcontrol

      ● KDE Components->File Associations

      ● Enter jar as filename pattern

      ● Add java as application

10. Why do I have trouble with my FTP connection?

    This problem often occurs when you are behind a firewall or proxy. Open KDE
    Control Center->Network->Preferences, "Enable Passive Mode (PASV)" has to
    be turned on or off, depending on it's current setting. Now try your FTP
    session again to see if it works. Also, make sure you have no other FTP
    sessions open (using web browsers, etc.), they can cause complications.
    More information can be found in Active FTP vs. Passive FTP, a Definitive
    Explanation.

11. I get "FTP protocol not supported by Krusader" error when trying to open a
    remote FTP directory, what to do?

    The reason for this error is that 'FTP via HTTP proxy' feature is not yet
    supported by Krusader. This error may be caused by a misconfiguration of
    the proxy settings in KDE Control Center. Modify the proxy settings to not
    use HTTP proxy and FTP will work.

12. How don't add ".part" suffix when copying files via ftp?

    When uploading files a .part suffix is added to the filename, once the
    upload is complete the filename is renamed automagically to remove the
    .part suffix. This works great but sometimes some ftp-servers don't allow a
    rename operation. You can solve this by unchecking the checkbox Mark
    partially uploaded files in KDE's control center. The checkbox is located
    at Internet and Network->Connection Preferences.

13. How can I close a remote connection (e.g. a FTP connection)?

    It's explained in the remote connections chapter.

14. I am experiencing problems with the media:/ protocol, why?

    The media:/ protocol was removed from KDE4.

15. How can I disable the default sounds, e.g. when I do a delete action ?

    Those are the default KDE System sounds, and not related to Krusader. If
    you want to disable them globally open your KDE KDE Control Center (
    kcontrol): KDE Control Center->Sound & Multimedia->System Notifications,
    Event Source: "KDE System Notifications" and uncheck sound items you don't
    like.

16. Where the remote connection manager ?

    Use our Bookmark Manager. Use a remote URL and bookmark it.

17. Why doesn't mimetype magic sometimes work inside archives?

    When you enter an archive and press F3 to view a file that has no known
    extension, e.g. README, INSTALL etc.. And if the viewer opens in hex-mode
    instead of the usual mode, than you need to configure: KDE Control Center->
    KDE components->File Associations->Application->octet-stream, binary viewer
    needs to be removed.

18. Where is Konfigurator, do i need to install the KDE Desktop Enviroment to
    use it?

    Konfigurator is Krusaders configuration module, when you have installed
    Krusader than you have also Konfigurator. For some reason some people think
    it's an other KDE application, but it is not, so you don't need to install
    the KDE Desktop Enviroment to use Konfigurator. When runnig Krusader, use
    Settings->Configure Krusader, and it will start Konfigurator. Please read
    the manual, Krusader has many many configuration options, a lot of things
    can be customized to your needs with Konfigurator.

19. How can I set the look & feel of 2 different users to be the same?

    Presuming that the current setup is the good configuration, you can copy
    the configuration to the other user.

    # cp ~/.kde/share/config/krusaderrc /home/foo_user/.kde/share/config

    And when the other user is Root use:

    # cp ~/.kde/share/config/krusaderrc /root/.kde/share/config

General FAQ

1. How can I report a wish, a suggestion, or a comment?
2. How can I send a patch?
3. How can I report a bug?
4. How can i send good debug or crash reports?
5. What todo if the KDEcrashhandler sends no usefull backtrace information?
6. Does Krusader have a mailing list?
7. Does Krusader provide newsfeeds?
8. Does Krusader have an IRC channel?
9. How does the Krusader forum work?
10. How can I translate Krusader into my native language?
11. How can I support Krusader?
12. Is there a Mac OS X port?
13. Is there a Windows port?
14. Why is Konqueror in "midnight commander style" not an OFM?
15. Why should I use an OFM?

1.  How can I report a wish, a suggestion, or a comment?

    An open source project's greatest strength is derived from getting user
    feedback. That is why we love to hear what you have to say. Your "gripes"
    are our instructions. After about 6 months, programmers can no longer see
    their own mistakes. It's natural. We want the ideas, qritiques, and
    feedback because we all want to make Krusader the best and most useful file
    manager available anywhere.

    The most convenient way to contact us is to use the Krusader Forum, or the
    krusader-users mailing lists. For information on what remains to be done
    look at the ToDo Forum. Adding ToDo items into the ToDo Forum is for
    developers only, but feel free to post to the New Features Discussion/
    Requests Forum for things that aren't on the ToDo Forum, but should be. If
    you have a nice feature request, the Krusader Krew will add your request to
    the ToDo Forum. We review and discuss every submission. For more
    information how the forum works click here.

2.  How can I send a patch?

    It's not easy to write patch guidelines, but here are some.

     1. Patches, new code or new features are always welcome!

     2. Focus only on one problem at a time, so the developers can easily
        understand you, and commit your patch it works.

     3. Preferrably, you can start a discussion with the developers on the
        krusader-devel mailing lists or on the Krusader Forum. Unfortunatly, we
        can't apply a patch if the patch is in conflict with the "general
        design" of the Krusader code (read for more instructions in this FAQ).
        Please send only one change request per mail, so that the discussion is
        easier to follow. The modifications should be committed step by step,
        checking each line.

     4. Submit your patch files into our Patch Tracker, so that all patch
        proposals stay organised and don't get lost, tar.gz archives or diffs
        are usually ok. Do not copy changes into a mail. Most mailers will
        change the white spaces, so that the diff will not apply or the code
        snipped does not diff. In the past, patch mails went lost or
        disorganized in many many mails, so please use the Patch Tracker,
        thanks!

     5. Use portable solutions, Krusader should run on:

          ● All POSIX (Linux®/BSD/UNIX®-like OSes), Solaris™.

          ● All BSD Platforms (FreeBSD®/NetBSD®/OpenBSD®/Mac® OS).

          ● KDE 3.3- KDE 3.5 and even on GNOME with KDElibs (for krusader-2.x
            KDE 4) .

          ● GCC 2.95 - GCC 4.1

        Architecture changes are made by the team only.

     6. A final note: always keep in mind a patch might be rejected. Either it
        has side effects, which we could not fix or it contradicts with the
        idea behind the patched module. In this sense, a software project
        differs from, let's say a wiki: a software project has to have someone
        to make all the final decisions. Otherwise the software will not work.
        Furthermore: keep in mind that the examination of patches might take
        time, as we all have private lives.

3.  How can I report a bug?

    Bugs?!?!? Well, ok.... We have an online Bug Tracking System.

    Using the online bug-tracker helps us have a clear and orderly way to know
    how many bugs are open, bug priority and follow-ups. It saves us from
    browsing through the entire Krusader forum, searching for yesterdays bug.
    Please use this system.

    Before reporting a bug, please read the following:

     1. Use the Krusader Forum's Search function , your bug might be already
        solved . Please DO NOT post new bugs to the Bug Discussion Forum
        (except if you are not sure that you have found a bug). We use it for
        bug discussions.

     2. Check if the bug is already posted in the online bug list of the Bug
        Tracking System.

     3. If you can't find this bug mentioned, please submit it into the bug
        tracker by clicking the Submit New button in the bug-tracker window.
        Please submit the following issues: the Krusader version used, the
        Linux® distribution + version used, processor type, and as good a
        description of the problem as you can manage.

    Thank you for your co-operation!

    Note

    If possible, try to do the same operation with Konqueror or another KDE
    application. If you encounter the same problem then it is possibly a
    KIOSlaves or KDE (kdelibs) bug, and not a Krusader bug. Krusader uses the
    KDE libraries and the KIOSlaves for many operations. In some cases you can
    encounter problems if your distribution is incorrectly configured, please
    test it first as explained above.

    Note

    If you've got bugs to report please do not use KDE's bugzilla http://
    bugs.kde.org/, KDE's Bug Tracking System. Report Krusader bugs directly to
    us.

4.  How can i send good debug or crash reports?

    Usually binary packages that are been used by your distribution do not
    contain debug information. Since we usually only develop and fix
    Krusader-cvs, compile Krusader-cvs in debugmode and install it, than check
    if the bug still exist.

    $ cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=debugfull

    Install valgrind, a suite of tools for debugging and profiling Linux®
    programs. Run Valgrind/Krusader

    $ valgrind --tool=memcheck {foo_path}/krusader

    The valgrind tool will write to stdout, what really happens. If you could
    send these informations before the crash, it's almost sure, that we may fix
    or tell you what to do.

5.  What todo if the KDEcrashhandler sends no usefull backtrace information?

    Usually binary packages that are been used by your distribution do not
    contain debug information. Since we usually only develop and fix
    Krusader-cvs, compile Krusader-cvs in debugmode and install it, than check
    if the bug still exist.

    $ cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=debugfull

    If the KDEKrashhandler still doesn't provide usefull backtrace information,
    than sometimes a coredump will give better information. Run Krusader, with
    disabled crashhandler.

    $ krusader --nocrashhandler

    On a crash you will get a .core file, usually in your home directory. Run
    gdb, the GNU Project Debugger

    $ gdb -c corefile krusader

    Now type bt to get the backtrace and type q to quit gdb. Often the best
    debug results will be given when using the valgrint tool.

6.  Does Krusader have a mailing list?

    Yes, currently we have 6 mailing lists. No spam, no bother, just Krusader.
    Feel free to subscribe and unsubscribe.

    Tip. our mailing lists can be browsed online or read with a newsreader, so
    that you don't even need to subscribe to follow the action on the mailing
    lists.

      ● Krusader-news is a very low volume list, used for newsletters and
        announcements of new versions or critical bugfixes. The news can also
        be read online at latest news and in the News and Announcements Forum
        which are basically the same but displayed in another format.

      ● Krusader-devel is the developer mailing list (read-only). If you want
        to follow the development of Krusader on the cutting edge, this is the
        list to follow.

      ● Krusader-users is the Krusader users mailing list. Here you can ask for
        help and talk with the Krusader users and developers.

      ● Krusader-i18n is the translations mailing list.

      ● Krusader-doc is the documentation mailing list.

      ● Krusader-commits (read-only): when the Krusader Krew commits code into
        CVS, it will be reported in this mailing list. Want to keep track?
        Waiting for a certain feature/bugfix? Follow Krusader's development
        here.

7.  Does Krusader provide newsfeeds?

    Yes, we do. Several newsfeeds in various formats are available.
    rss-filerelease feed, rss-forumfeed, krusader-news feed, krusader-devel
    feed and even additional feeds by gmane.org. krusader-users feed,
    krusader-i18n feed, krusader-doc feed.

8.  Does Krusader have an IRC channel?

    Yes, we do. Feel free to talk to the Krusader Krew and fellow-users via
    freenode.org servers. The server is irc.freenode.org, the channel is #
    krusader. Everyone is welcome.

9.  How does the Krusader forum work?

    In the spirit of freedom of speech, everything that is Krusader related can
    be discussed in our forum. It does not matter if you are a newcomer or an
    advanced user, everyone is welcome. An open source project's greatest
    strength is derived from getting user feedback. That is why we love to hear
    what you have to say. With your feedback we can make Krusader better and
    better; otherwise, we are not aware of issues and ideas you may have. But
    please remember the following, so that we can maintain some order in the
    chaos.

    If the Documentation, FAQ, Krusader Forum and Krusader-devel (please use
    the search function ) can't help you, do not hesitate to post on our forum.
    The Krusader Krew or the Krusader community is always available to help
    you.

    Please use the Search function of the Krusader Forum, your issue may have
    been previously discussed (this allows us to minimize the double/triple/...
    postings). If your issue has already been discussed in the past there is a
    great chance that you will have an instant solution to your problem. If the
    issue is currently being discussed, you can join in the discussion. Some
    questions are asked over and over again, that's why we have created this
    FAQ. This allows us to spend more time developing Krusader.

    The Krusader Forum is split into seven sections:

      ● News and Announcements Forum: all the latest news.

      ● NewsLetter Forum: all newsletters.

      ● Bug Discussion Forum: discussions about bugs, please DO NOT use the
        forum for bug reports (except if you are unsure if you have found a
        bug).

      ● New Features Discussion/Requests Forum: discussions about new features
        for future Krusader versions.

      ● ToDo Forum here you will find the list of the planned features.
        Registered users will be able to VOTE and COMMENT on the TODO items.
        Here you get the chance to push your favourite features (+3) and still
        prefer certain features over others (+1), if you don't care about a
        feature just simply don't vote on that feature. Unregistered users may
        only browse the ToDo Forum. The ToDo ranking system contains the
        results based on the votes. Adding ToDo items or removing ToDo items
        which have been implemented will be done by the Krusader Krew.

      ● UserActions Forum: discussions about UserActions. Posting your own User
        Actions is greatly appreciated. We plan to include the best ones in the
        next Krusader releases.

      ● General Discussion Forum: everything that is Krusader related and
        doesn't belong in the other forums.

    Thank you for your co-operation!

    We provide RSS feeds for our forums. You don't have to check for new posts
    all the time, instead the news will come to you! To make use of them,
    simply point your RSS aggregator to here.

10. How can I translate Krusader into my native language?

    Please read the i18n page. It's not difficult to translate! Most anyone can
    do it, it just takes some time.

11. How can I support Krusader?

    You can support Krusader in many different ways. Please send us feedback,
    bug reports, patches, donations, translations, ...

12. Is there a Mac® OS X port?

    Yes, there is Mac® OS X port, but you will not have the all the power you
    would have on Linux®. Please read the Mac® OS X port section for more
    information. A recommended native file manager for Mac® OS is Disk Order©
    (shareware).

13. Is there a Windows® port?

    Yes, since 18 June 2008, Krusader-2.x compiles on Windows®. Before Krusader
    can be used several Qt™4-libraries and KDE4-libraries need to be installed.
    A recommended native file manager for Windows® is Total Commander©
    (shareware).

14. Why is Konqueror in "midnight commander style" not an OFM?

    The two panels and a commandline are available, all the other stuff like
    OFM features and the OFM interaction with the user is missing from this
    profile.

15. Why should I use an OFM?

    An Orthodox File Manager (OFM) is much faster than a one panel filemanager
    and faster than the command line. If you would like to know how Krusader
    feels, there is only one way to discover: install it on your computer and
    use it for a while. If you prefer to waste time and lose productivity,
    continue to use one panel filemanagers which are based on Windows®
    Explorer. Matej Urbančič has written a blog on why OFM is better than a one
    panel filemanager.

