KDE related programs OK?

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This is my first run with Budgie and it’s been a long time since I was on Linux.

Are there issues with installing programs that are KDE related due to all of the dependencies that also install along with them?

I was thinking about trying Okular because I have been struggling with the other PDF programs I have tried so far. I even tried the Linux version of the same one I run in Windows and I’m having the same issues. So I have been having to boot back into Windows to do some of my work. Ugg!

Anyways, I was just checking to see what the current consensus is on KDE stuff in Budgie.

Install Okular and the dependencies?
Instead install KDE desktop and select it at login?
Just avoid it?

Back in the day it seems like either I read not to, or I just decided not to. But that was a long time ago and I had a separate drive with Kubuntu on it so I didn’t really have to mix anything.

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QT based apps will work just fine.

Many people use kde connect on budgie for their mobile connectivity. No reported incompatibilities reported that I am aware of.

However, best avoid installing the whole of kdedesktop … like all desktops this will have side effects you were not expecting.

If in doubt run a virtual machine to experiment.

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Use the snap. That is what is made for: totally isolated installation of a specific piece of software.
Anything kde related will be inside the snap and not taint your current OS.

sudo snap install okular

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I hadn’t decided on snaps yet.

I think I will give it a try for this.

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Why not try “Document Viewer”, also known as Evince? it’s gnome’s default and I think budgie comes w/ it too.

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You guys probably won’t get this because I have a different work use for a pdf viewer/editor.

It’s not complex or anything at all but I do have a set of productivity needs.

  • I need to be able to quickly open pdf’s. (from firefox and the drive)
  • I need to be able to open multiples in tabs
  • I need to be able to copy text from the pdf and paste in other applications
  • I need to be able to highlight text in the pdf and add notes
  • I need to be able to save the changes to the pdf and have highlights etc show in other readers.
  • I need all the above to be quick, easy and productive

It is not that tall of an order. I have been using Foxit Phantom PDF Editor and Foxit Reader in windows. Even the simple Foxit Reader allows me to do all the above fine.

This small thing seems to be a thing I just can’t seem to make happen in Linux. I keep having to grit my teeth and boot Windows 10 to do this work.

I have tried Foxit Reader for Linux, Master PDF Editor 5, Evince, Atril, and now Okular via snaps. So far I am 0 for 5 on finding one that can complete that small list of needs productively.

Foxit Reader and Master PDF Editor react just alike. They both take near a minute to launch rather it is just the application or if I am trying to open a PDF. And they both copy text only every other operation after the first copy, rather graphical or control C. And we are only talking one line of text, like one 12 digit code or one street address, etc.

Evince and Atril, I can’t seem to find a way to open in tabs.

Okular is a bit fumbly and unproductive on copying, and really slow on highlighting. And then in the end, Save As does not respond.

I never expected any issues. And I don’t know what other readers are out there to try. I think it is more frustrating because it is a small thing.

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I am using Master PDF Editor. At least on my machine, it opens real quickly. In sort of seconds.

Here is a site with some suggestions and an interesting discussion.

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Why’d you delete your old post?

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@codic It contained a suggestion that has been discussed before…

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Oh I saw, never mind.

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Interesting I wonder why it opens so slow for me? I don’t even have to be opening a PDF, just the software. So would you mind to copy/paste like 6 words from a pdf to a text file and see if you also don’t have the copy every other time problem?

I am running ubuntu Budgie 19.10 and using Master PDF Editor 5.4.38 64 bit.

It is strange to me that Foxit reader reacts exactly the same, slow opening, copy/paste issues, while the others do not.

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Just checked this out.

Indeed, there are some glitches when pasting the copied text. Sometimes it pastes the newly copied text, sometimes the text I copied before.

It only seems to work perfectly when I press Ctrl+C at least twice …

No idea why that happens …

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Thanks for checking that for me, I do appreciate it a lot.

Yes, it only works every other time, so if you do it twice it covers the every other time.

Foxit is the same way. The others are not effected by this. Artril, Evince, Okular, nor the slow opening. For whatever reason it seems to take say 45 seconds for Foxit or Master to open even if I am just loading the software, not opening a PDF. I tried to see if I could report this to Foxit but can’t seem to find a way. I wonder if it could be reported to Master PDF Editor. I almost want to think that this is something like it’s not really compatible with never versions of Linux. Like there was a change at some point, where this worked fine on previous version but started doing wierd stuff after that.

I also found that Okular can’t open any PDF that has already been edited by another reader lol.

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If you are using 19.10 … and if these are QT apps then this is the issue … and the resolution

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OK I will test that out.

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Bingo, purging that allows Master PDF Editor to load right up in an acceptable time.

Foxit is still taking around 30 seconds?

No change on the copy text glitch on either.

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I believe Foxit is some port of some windows DLL or written in tkinter (that’s what the linux version looks like)
The copy text glitch is probably unrelated. You might wanna report to developers!

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OK so here’s another piece of the puzzle, and I mean no disrespect in this, it is just a troubleshooting step I used and I hope that it will not be taken the wrong way.

I tried a lot of distros via live USB and tested this stuff, and did not remember any issues, and I could not really remember anymore rather I just never happened to notice or if I just never tested on Budgie 19.10. This was the only flavor I booted in 19.10 and I thought maybe I didn’t check.

So I had fumbled across a usb drive and decided to boot it up for a test not knowing if it was one of the Ubuntu flavors or one of the other distros. So I booted it up and it turned out to be 18.04.3 Mate.

I installed Master PDF Editor on Mate and it runs like a whip. No start lag no copy issues. Being that was the case, I decided to install Foxit Reader and test it too. Same thing, runs like a whip. No start lag no copy issues.

Again, please don’t take this the wrong way. It is not meant as a joust of Budgie from Mate. Just a working through it step. I actually plan to create an 18.04 Budgie live USB now and test from it. I really don’t think it is a DE thing at all. I’m betting it is a version thing 18.04 vs 19.10.

I believe I just didn’t bother testing by assumption in 19.10. I booted the live USB and liked the updates I saw over 18.04 and I think most of them were DE related visual things.

I will let you know what the result is from 18.04 Budgie when I get a chance to test.

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So I tested in 18.04 Budgie, and indeed everything works fine with both.

Next up would be to try another flavor of 19.10 I guess.

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OK so I have tested with 19.10 Gnome and got surprised.

Both open quick.

Both have the copy issue. But it is different like it empties the clipboard when you paste. So then every other copy doesn’t work and nothing pastes instead of pasting duplicates. Hope that made sense.

If they also opened slow I would say oh its to do with 19.10 but they don’t.

I don’t fully understand the concepts of what is used in Budgie from Gnome, etc. So I my pea brain needs to think a little bit about what should test with next so I can go through my dumb narrow it down process to see if it’s a 19,10 thing, a Gnome thing or the version of Budgie on 19.10.