Krusader update trouble

Krusader logoConstantly updating your system is a basic requirement if you want to keep things running safely. However, the word ‘patch‘ can give good sysadmins really bad feelings, especially in the common Windows world. And so they wait for the opportune moment – until it is too late and bad feelings turn into bad dreams, as the recent WannyCry attacks vividly illustrate. Lessons should be learned

Well, I update my machines as soon as updates arrive. And usually the Linux update managers make that a smooth job. But sometimes updates come with hiccups. As with Krusader, KDE’s great OFM file manager, when it replaced the 2.4.0 version with the 2.6.0. Turns out some configuration files have been moved to another location, but the update process does not remove the old ones. Here is the remedy.

The online Krusader Handbook clearly explains where to find the configuration files. Basically: in the ~/.local/share folder (a hidden folder, so turn on your ‘Show hidden files’ option). Yet in earlier versions these files where stored in the ~/.kde/share/apps and ~/.kde/share/config folders.

Because the old files where not (re)moved during update, Krusader acted strangely. Suddenly the bookmarks seemed to have vanished, or toolbar icons could not be changed as desired. The solution is simple: just copy the appropriate files to the new locations and delete the old ones. Restart Krusader, and you are done.

Krusader will only update to the 2.6.0 version if you are using KDE Plasma 5.x. On KDE 4.x systems Krusader will stick to the legacy 2.4.0 version, and consequently no configuration files problem will occur.

For the rest the new Krusader version is fine. People will get used quickly to minor changes like using the F2 key for inline filename editing, which actually is more in accordance with common Linux practice in many other applications. Pity the spacebar can no longer be used to calculate folder or file sizes, but och, life goes on.