Posts by KindlyDoRight

KindlyDoRight · Desktop and Multimedia

rbit: I wrote a script to fix plasma-discover problem.

(T h a n k y o u , r b i t !)
Backlink: https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?pid=65844#p65844

KindlyDoRight · Other Issues

For someone's future benefit:

I experienced these same stalling symptoms with KDE plasma on X11 recently (freezing for 15-90 seconds), on a Debian 13 VM (after upgrading directly from Debian 12). The unresponsive UI behavior was occurring every 15 minutes or so. The mouse worked, and all the background services worked flawlessly. It was just the KDE Plasma UI.

My best assessment is that a UI timeout was occurring, waiting on some UI resource that was no longer available (or was misconfigured).
I also could not resolve the incessant UI problem. (Perhaps someone else can provide the proper troubling shooting technique).

Sadly (or fortunately), my only solution was to do a fresh install of Debian 13 in a new Virtual Machine, and migrate all of my system settings (/home, /etc, /var, /usr/share).

However, three days later, I did this exact same process to successfully migrate this VM away from Debian 13 and onto Devuan 6 (Hurray!). On the new Devuan VM install (OpenRC), I mounted the previous SYSTEM disk as '/00.PREV_SYSTEM'.

Then by using 'meld' as root, I compared every appropriate folder and file, and migrated the appropriate settings. (Note: you will learn a lot from this.)

sudo apt install meld
sudo apt install dbus-x11 #(this installs dbus-launch)

# dbus-launch meld & # run meld as root
dbus-launch meld /etc /00.PREV_SYSTEM/etc &
dbus-launch meld /var /00.PREV_SYSTEM/var &
dbus-launch meld /usr/share /00.PREV_SYSTEM/usr/share &

I then migrated the 'previous' /home directory by moving the entire content in this precise manner.

# make a full archive copy of the previous home directory
sudo mkdir /home-PREV
sudo cp -a "/00.PREV_SYSTEM/home/." /home-PREV

Check the content in /home-PREV before proceeding to the next step (i.e. ensure the content is there, correctly).

This next step REQUIRES attentive precision. (all on one command line... ONLY)

sudo mv /home /home2; sudo mv /home-PREV /home; sudo shutdown now

When you restart your new Virtual Machine, your system should be properly migrated (for Excalibur to Excalibur, but I migrated Debian Trixie to Devuan Excalibur).

-- I pray that your mileage will NOT vary (and that you will have great success).

P.S. ("in for a dime, in for a dollar" )

You also have to reinstall your Applications and Packages

Get the previous list of installed packages from the 'old' VM.

dpkg --get-selections > ~/package-list__PREVIOUS.txt

Copy the file (or its contents) to the new VM.

On the new VM, get the current list of installed packages.

dpkg --get-selections > ~/package-list__INSTALLATION.txt

Now compare the lists, and ONLY install what is appropriate.

meld ~/package-list__INSTALLATION.txt ~/package-list__PREVIOUS.txt &

P.P.S.

Also, you will need to reinstall any Flatpak applications.

sudo apt install  flatpak  plasma-discover-backend-flatpak
# Use "flatpak list" to view a list of installed applications (and support libraries)
flatpak list

KindlyDoRight · Desktop and Multimedia

I strongly prefer KDE on X11, with 10 virtual desktops, across 3 real monitors [4K 43" center primary and two flanking 2K 32"].
(On X11, because every application, terminal, folder window is restored to their proper virtual desktop position. And because cut & paste works between every app and virtual machine [no-friction].)

My workflow requires a robust "Round-robin" multitasking environment.
For a simple example: I maintain 31 different browser instances (with more than 10 windows and 1,000 tabs per instance). Each browser instance is topic specific (Publishing, DevOps, Typography, Programming, Home Maintenance, Adhoc Research, et cetera). And I maintain many specific-use Virtual Machines.

I don't use AI, BTW. I myself do the all the thinking, exploring, trying, evaluating, learning, adapting, growing, appreciating, and enjoying.
I have developed enterprise projects that lasted more than 14 years (as the preferred solution), across 15 different industries. My longest project is still very active, from 2003.
(My journey into coding began with APL in 1980, over a 150 baud modem - via a rotary 'all-in-one' acoustic coupler. I've seen and experienced a lot.)

For me, KDE on X11 is transparent to the way I think, work, and pivot. When Devuan 8 eventually comes around, I'll examine SonicDE on X11 for workstation use.

Yes, KDE is memory heavy, and yes, X11 has been declared 'obsolete'. But for my own soul, nothing else provides me the flexibility I need - season by season.

KindlyDoRight · Other Issues

Updated: Found this post (by rbit on dev1galaxy, 2026-04-16)

rbit: "I wrote a script to fix plasma-discover problem."
https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?pid=63245#p63245

(I removed my original post, an incomplete solution - [KindlyDoRight])

rbit has coded the correct solution.
(Absolutely perfect results for Devuan excalibur!)
(T h a n k y o u , r b i t !)

First, examine current Appstream status

appstreamcli status

Applying rbit's Fix

I copied rbit's shell script into "FixPlasmaDiscover.sh" file.

# (copy and paste rbit's shell code into FixPlasmaDiscover.sh, save, and close)
kate ~/Downloads/FixPlasmaDiscover.sh &

# set execute permission, then run it.
chmod +x ~/Downloads/FixPlasmaDiscover.sh
sudo ~/Downloads/FixPlasmaDiscover.sh

Output

Downloading: component: excalibur-main...
Downloading: component: excalibur-contrib...
Downloading: component: excalibur-non-free...
Downloading: component: excalibur-non-free-firmware...
Downloading: component: excalibur-updates-main...
Downloading: component: excalibur-updates-contrib...
Downloading: component: excalibur-updates-non-free...
Downloading: component: excalibur-updates-non-free-firmware...
Downloading: component: excalibur-backports-main...
Downloading: component: excalibur-backports-contrib...
Downloading: component: excalibur-backports-non-free...
Downloading: component: excalibur-backports-non-free-firmware...
Patching component: excalibur-main_amd64 ...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-main...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-main...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-main...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-contrib...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-contrib...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-contrib...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-non-free...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-non-free...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-non-free...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-non-free-firmware...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-non-free-firmware...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-non-free-firmware...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-updates-main...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-updates-main...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-updates-main...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-updates-contrib...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-updates-contrib...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-updates-contrib...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-updates-non-free...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-updates-non-free...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-updates-non-free...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-updates-non-free-firmware...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-updates-non-free-firmware...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-updates-non-free-firmware...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-backports-main...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-backports-main...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-backports-main...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-backports-contrib...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-backports-contrib...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-backports-contrib...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-backports-non-free...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-backports-non-free...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-backports-non-free...
Downloading 48x48 icons for excalibur-backports-non-free-firmware...
Downloading 64x64 icons for excalibur-backports-non-free-firmware...
Downloading 128x128 icons for excalibur-backports-non-free-firmware...

Review the updated Appstream status

appstreamcli status

The officially official Devuan Forum!

#1 Re: Desktop and Multimedia » KDE Plasma 6.3.6 - Sound and Discover issue. » Today 13:05:40

#2 Re: Other Issues » KDE Plasma freezes and becomes unresponsive sometimes » Today 09:35:28