I've just upgraded to the 4.2 beta of KDE and for some reason my two remote calendars are gone in KOrganizer.

In KDE 4.1 I had two remote calendars configured (uploading and downloading a calendar file from a server) and I tried to do the same in the latest version of KOrganizer, but for some reason the only option is to create a local calendar file.

Is there currently a method to recreate this behaviour and if not, are there plans to bring it back?

In beta 2, if I right-click the calendar list and select "Add..." I get a list of about 15 different types of resources. However, after adding one and then removing it, and trying to add it again, a different dialog came up prompting for a name. After restarting, I get normal behavior, though.

Sounds like something didn't get installed / wrong version. Can't be Akonadi, as that is currently broken for me ( fresh self compiled install ) and yet I still have "Calendar in remote file" present in my add list.

It is not directly under local calendar though, you have to look for it. If you are using Distro packages, make sure they are fully updated, or if self compiling, you might be missing a *-devel package.

I must be missing a package then, because I only see three options (Akonadi calendar and two local options). I'm using Debian svn distro packages, so there might be a problem with packaging.

Solved! The issue was a missing package for KOrganizer, which should have been a dependency, but wasn't. I installed kdepim-resources and I have several more options (not fifteen, but more than three) to choose from, including the remote option.

Probably it shows up as a recommended package, rather than a required package in Debian.

The package only lists its dependencies (of which kdepim-resources isn't part), there are no further recommended packages. It's not an official or supported repository, so problems can occur.