Bug 103013

Summary: KDE 3.3.2 removes /etc/localtime
Product: [Unmaintained] kcontrol Reporter: Toralf Förster <toralf.foerster>
Component: kcmclockAssignee: Paul Campbell <paul>
Status: RESOLVED WORKSFORME    
Severity: normal CC: greg_g
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Gentoo Packages   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Toralf Förster 2005-04-01 16:34:18 UTC 
Version:            (using KDE KDE 3.3.2)
Installed from:    Gentoo Packages
Compiler:          gcc version 3.3.5  (Gentoo Linux 3.3.5-r1, ssp-3.3.2-3, pie-8.7.7.1) 
OS:                Linux

If I set the time in kde via clicking with the right mouse button at clock, than 'Adjust Date & Time ...', type in the root password, I am at this point:

tfoerste@nhh221 ~ $ ls -l /etc/localtime
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root 33 Apr  1 10:00 /etc/localtime -> /usr/share/zoneinfo/Europe/Berlin

Now I change the time and click apply and got:

nhh221 ~ # ls -l /etc/localtime
ls: /etc/localtime: No such file or directory

This happens if I the language of KDE was set to 'German' (control center -> regional settings). With a language set to US-English the link /etc/localtime is removed immediately after changing the time and is replaced by the file /etc/localtime with a size of 866 byte (binary content).
 

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1.
2.
3.



Expected Results:  
The link /etc/localtime should either be replaced by an ordinary file under all
conditions (language settings) or should stay as it is.
Comment 1 Prof. Jonathan King 2005-06-09 23:33:24 UTC 
I can confirm this bug (under Gentoo)

% esearch -F kdebase
   kde-base/kdebase
      Latest version installed: 3.3.2-r2

An easy way to see it to Left-Click kicker's clock, 
 ->  Adjust time & date -> [Type root passwd]

In the window that pops-up, alter the time, but don't hit "Apply"
yet. 

In a shell execute 

% watch  ls -lgo /etc/localtime

Then click Apply.  On my system, 3-6 seconds later the link
disappears.  Run

%  ln -s -f /usr/share/zoneinfo/EST5EDT /etc/localtime

(that's my timezone), the link reappears in "watch".  Now click
"Apply" again.  This can be repeated indefinitely.
Comment 2 Rudo Thomas 2005-06-11 12:35:49 UTC 
Still exists in kde-3.4.1.
Comment 3 Stjepan Cosic 2006-03-16 12:25:30 UTC 
Exists also in kde-3.4.2 on Slackware 10.2. Steps to reproduce exactly as stated by Prof. Jonathan King. The only difference is that in Slackware 10.2 /etc/localtime is not a symbolic link, but a copy of /usr/share/zoneinfo/.../your_timezone.
Comment 4 Henrik Segesten 2006-03-28 13:59:36 UTC 
I can confirm this bug on KDE 3.5.1 with steps to reproduce as stated by Prof. Jonathan King on Gentoo as well
Comment 5 Toralf Förster 2006-11-17 10:42:35 UTC 
Under 3.5.5 the file /etc/localtime isn't lost anymore.