I would suggest filing a feature request about that, as it should be plausible for it to detect changes to filesystem resources and update it's cache of them.

Moult wrote:My KDEPIM apps seem to want to use Akonadi. Akonadi apparently must have Nepomuk running. I go to system settings, advanced tab, click "Desktop Search". I uncheck Enable Nepomuk Semantic Desktop and hit apply. Now I keep on getting the error "Nepomuk Indexing Agents have been Disabled". The Akonadi page here: http://userbase.kde.org/Akonadi#Nepomuk ... n_Disabled says that I should run those commands - but that would restart Nepomuk. Is there a way to completely just disable Nepomuk and Akonadi altogether?

The issue of the Akonadi error dialog upon disabling Nepomuk was reported as Bug 227791. The "fix" was to move this from an error dialog to a system notification. A subsequent bug report for the system notification (Bug 280876) was immediately closed as a duplicate of Bug 227791.

I'm quite speechless—I can't think of any other occasion on which I've turned off a nonessential system service (or even an essential one, for that matter), and then received a nag message every time I log in trying to convince me that I was wrong to have disabled it. For example, if I disable the KDE screensaver, I don't get a system notification every time I log in warning me that the screensaver is disabled and reminding me that I'm now in terrible danger of monitor burn-in. If I disable NetworkManager, I don't get a system notification suggesting that I turn it back on so that I can get on the Internet. Why should Akonadi and Nepomuk enjoy such privileged status that they can abuse the KDE system notification facility to second-guess a user's deliberately made configuration choices?

Quite simply, KDE software uses Akonadi as an essential service which should not be turned off. The fact that some users feel they do not need *any* of the things that use Akonadi does not alter this, and therefore the advice on that UserBase page, which was written by a user, does not have any official backing. In fact Nepomuk should be enabled for proper running, but Strigi is not necessary. They are, as you know, set in System Settings.

The question that needs to be asked is 'Why is Nepomuk disabled?'. If you turned it off, you get to keep the pieces. If you didn't, you should be searching your logs for clues.

annew wrote:Quite simply, KDE software uses Akonadi as an essential service which should not be turned off.

I don't think it's possible to turn off Akonadi, and I recognize that it's essential for the basic functionality of the KDE PIM applications. However, Nepomuk certainly is not essential, as apart from the nag message, everything is able to run perfectly fine without it. (Sure, there may be some loss of functionality, but that's not particularly important to users who don't need that functionality in the first place.) Let's assume, however, that this isn't actually the case, and that Nepomuk is some vitally important service without which KDE cannot function. Then why bother giving the user the option of deactivating it in System Settings? Assuming this to be a deliberate UI choice as opposed to an oversight, the fact that the system tells the user he is welcome to disable Nepomuk but then turns around and scolds him if he actually does so can only be described as passive-aggressive behaviour on the part of the developers.

Think of it more as System Settings having a place where you can turn it on. Some people have problems, possibly with sql, for example, that have to be resolved before it can run, so you need a place to re-start it. As for it not being essential, when a developer tells me it is, I believe him. Be aware too that not only KDE PIM use it - and as new releases come you can expect even more applications and widgets to use it. The whole point is to have a tool that can be used by any application - and cross-platform, at that. It will be used. If you disable it, expect increasing difficulties.

If you are not a user of any PIM application, and do not find the Nepomuk functionality necessary (and are willing to experience a degradation of functionality which probably won't degrade nicely) you can do the following under 4.7:

Right click on Clock applet > Digital clock settings. Calendar tab, uncheck "Show events". Assuming no other Akonadi dependent application is being run - then it will no longer start on startup.

If you use KDE PIM however, you do need Akonadi, and Nepomuk (not Strigi / Desktop Search)