Please run "kdebugdialog" and enable all areas, then try again. Also, check the setting of your timezone, and make sure the needed timezone files are installed.

I fixed the timezone, was pointing to "/Europe/Bucharest" not "Europe/Bucharest".

This is the output from dolphin:

dolphin(3881)/kio (KDirListerCache) KDirListerCache::slotResult: finished listing KUrl("file:///home/Pictures")
dolphin(3881)/kio (KIOJob) KIO::TransferJob::slotFinished: KUrl("thumbnail:/home/Pictures")
dolphin(3881)/kio (Scheduler) KIO::SchedulerPrivate::jobFinished: KIO::TransferJob(0x9ec1c50) KIO::Slave(0x9e4c1a8)
dolphin(3881)/kio (Scheduler) KIO::SchedulerPrivate::doJob: KIO::SimpleJob(0x9ec2f68)
dolphin(3881)/kio (Scheduler) KIO::SchedulerPrivate::jobFinished: KIO::StatJob(0x9ec2f68) KIO::Slave(0x9e40918)
dolphin(3881)/kio (Scheduler) KIO::SchedulerPrivate::doJob: KIO::SimpleJob(0x9f52560)
dolphin(3881)/kio (Scheduler) KIO::SchedulerPrivate::jobFinished: KIO::StatJob(0x9f52560) KIO::Slave(0x9e40918)
dolphin(3881)/kio (Scheduler) KIO::SchedulerPrivate::doJob: KIO::SimpleJob(0x9dec678)
dolphin(3881)/kio (KIOJob) KIO::TransferJob::slotFinished: KUrl("thumbnail:/home/Pictures/acqua-emerge.png")
dolphin(3881)/kio (Scheduler) KIO::SchedulerPrivate::jobFinished: KIO::TransferJob(0x9dec678) KIO::Slave(0x9e4c1a8)

Ok, can you please confirm that you can write to ~/.thumbnails? You may need to check ~/.xsession-errors to see output concerning the thumbnail generation.

Yes, I can write to ~/.thumbnails and dolphin shows thumbnails of images in the information panel. It also shows in the info panel the file name and the play button if it is a media file and the file name, type and size in the status bar, but no tooltips.
On info panel -> right click -> Cofigure -> Cofigure Shown Data -> Select which data should be shown in the information panel is empty.

Code: Select all

dolphin(8654)/kdecore (KLocale) KuitSemanticsPrivate::formatFromContextMarker: "Unknown interface subcue '::textbox' in context marker for message {Select which data should be shown:}."
dolphin(8654)/kdecore (KLocale) KuitSemanticsPrivate::formatFromContextMarker: "Unknown interface subcue '::textbox' in context marker for message {Select which data should be shown in the information panel:}."


I use fvwm (xinit) + KDE applications (konqueror + kparts).

Unfortunately i'm out of ideas as to why this would be failing. The information isn't present in the right hand information panel either I gather? Can you reproduce under a new user?

The same as root, no tooltips and in the info panel just the file icon/thumbnail and name.
Are you sure semantic-desktop/nepomuk support is not needed?
If I run:
kfile4 -av /home/Pictures/1.jpg

kfile(2587)/KFileMetaInfo KFileMetaInfoPrivate::init: KUrl("file:///home/Pictures/1.jpg")
kfile(2587)/kdecore (KSycoca) KSycocaPrivate::openDatabase: Trying to open ksycoca from "/var/tmp/kdecache-seba/ksycoca4"
kfile(2587) processMetaDataOptions: "-- /home/Pictures/1.jpg ----------------------------------"
kfile(2587) processMetaDataOptions: =All Values=
kfile(2587) printList: "http://www.semanticdesktop.org/ontologies/2007/03/22/nfo#fileName:1.jpg"
kfile(2587) printList: "http://www.semanticdesktop.org/ontologies/2007/01/19/nie#mimeType:image/jpeg"
kfile(2587) printList: "http://www.semanticdesktop.org/ontologies/2007/01/19/nie#url:/home/Pictures/1.jpg"
kfile(2587) printList: "http://www.semanticdesktop.org/ontologies/2007/01/19/nie#lastModified:1100358760"
kfile(2587) printList: "http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#type:http://www.semanticdesktop.org/ontologies/2007/03/22/nfo#FileDataObject"
kfile(2587) printList: "http://www.semanticdesktop.org/ontologies/2007/01/19/nie#contentSize:95383"
kfile(2587) printList: "http://www.semanticdesktop.org/ontologies/2007/01/19/nie#isPartOf:(empty)"
kfile(2587) printList:

As far as I know, it should not be needed. The metadata extractor certainly seems to work fine, as you can see in the output from that command. You might want to try building it with Nepomuk support enabled, but Nepomuk itself disabled at runtime and see if that has any effect.

But that means I have to install soprano, soprano backend, kdelibs with semantic-desktop enabled, nepomuk just to have file/directory tooltips. All I want is to see general info and preview from file/directory properties dialog in tooltips. Why does it work for properties dialog and not for tooltips?

I have no idea - as it should work. You may want to file a bug report.

There's already a filed bug with the same issues like mine.
https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=270842
I think this problem is with Gentoo or source based distros only, where semantic-dektop can be disabled and when nepomuk is not used.