Version: (using KDE 4.0.4) Installed from: SuSE RPMs I turned of desktop effects, then turned off all modules, except for two -- thumbnails in the taskbar and desktop grid on app switch. I was asked to check if everything is OK, everything was, the effects didn't work so I thought, maybe they will start after restart. And now KDE hangs up on start (black screen). Please, test all modules that user turns on, one by one, if anyone crashes so badly, the changes would be rejected. This is worse than crash really, because user has to figure out how to rescue his/her system (*). (*) I will appreciate a little help here as well :-)
*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 154637 ***
Christophe, thanks for the link, indeed those reports are very close together. But let's keep them separate: the other one is stricly about problems with desktop effects, this one is about _testing_ desktop effects. So once again: testing has to be redesigned, to test each effect after another, so user could be 100% sure that it won't crash his system for good. Of course improving special effects, is close, but another story.
One additional idea -- post-testing. It is not INSTEAD of normal testing, but as an extra one. user configured everything she/he wanted, fine, tested, fine, restarted computer. On the next KDE run just after starting, the dialog appears: if you can read this text and you can operate normally type YES and press OK. timeout: 120 seconds. If everything is ok, user will type YES, everyone is happy. If not, after that timeout, KDE should restore previous values, and restart computer again. This way, user will never be left alone with broken KDE.
Your magic patch detecting unexpected problems is welcome.