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Valent Is a KDE Connect Client for GTK-Based Desktops

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Re: Valent Is a KDE Connect Client for GTK-Based Desktops

#11
post #6

I used KDE Connect in the earlier years and am totally blanking out on what it is or does… I assume it forwards data from a KDE desktops widgets?

You know, reading the article would have answered your question, saving your time, my time from (voluntary) responding, and everyone else who reads this comment and subsequently also responds it. I don't mean to be harsh, but really? There is entire bullet point list on the page, and yes, I didn't include it in my response. Ironic.

> KDE Connect provides various features to integrate your phone and your computer. It allows you to send files to the other device, control its media playback, send remote input, view its notifications and may things more. It is available for (mobile) Linux, Android, FreeBSD, Windows and macOS.[1]

Actually I read your response, then I read the article and still came away confused as to what it does, and I use Linux and KDE as the daily driver for work. So now you’ve wasted my time finding the answer to the question instead of just answering a question likely a lot of people will have. Yes, op could have googled that information themselves. However, the valid criticism of OP is that upon having that question they should have googled the answer and then posted their question with the answer proactively. But “did you even RTFA” is not a helpful meta discussion to have. It’s useful to check the comments first to see whether TFA is even worth reading so having this answered about a more obscure piece of software seems totally valid. And someone did paste the bulleted list of features for Valent itself in this thread too so the rhetoric is just a bit too sanctimonious at chewing out a fellow person without providing value to everyone else reading your comment.

[1] https://apps.kde.org/kdeconnect/

Re: Valent Is a KDE Connect Client for GTK-Based Desktops

#13

From the article: What can this do? Using Valent (and KDE Connect), you can: - receive Android phone notifications on your desktop and reply to messages - sync the clipboard between your Android device and desktop - control music playing on your desktop from your Android phone - share files between your desktop and Android device, and browse your phone from the desktop - send SMS from your desktop - execute predefine…

There’s also an iOS client, though it doesn’t have all features implemented due to limitations in Apple’s APIs. However it’s still the most convenient way to transfer files between an iPhone and a Windows or Linux computer.

Signal "note to self" is another way.

Re: Valent Is a KDE Connect Client for GTK-Based Desktops

#14

Wasted the opportunity to call it Konnect :p

Given the state of Linux application naming, we're lucky it's not called GKCellP, so we'd have to find it via 'apt search kdeconnect' every time because we can't remember the name. (I'm looking at you, GKrellM. You too, Liferea. )

Re: Valent Is a KDE Connect Client for GTK-Based Desktops

#15

I used KDE Connect in the earlier years and am totally blanking out on what it is or does… I assume it forwards data from a KDE desktops widgets?

It's a phone app that allows control of your desktop. you can control music, send files, use the camera from your phone to get pictures on the desktop, etc

Doesn’t tell me anything.

How does it work? What apps are compatible? How is the connection between devices set up? Wire guard? If not, then what? How does it control apps and receive notifications?

At first it sounded to me like an alternative X11 thing

I hate it when projects/products only state what you can do (or at least what they envision), and not explaining the actual workings. Especially when data and access gets more and more important.

Same with I think it was postbox.. nice app, but they didn’t tell you that they need full access to your account, store “securely” on their server.. no thank you.

Re: Valent Is a KDE Connect Client for GTK-Based Desktops

#16
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There’s also an iOS client, though it doesn’t have all features implemented due to limitations in Apple’s APIs. However it’s still the most convenient way to transfer files between an iPhone and a Windows or Linux computer.

Signal "note to self" is another way.

Telegram's "Saved messages" is another.

Re: Valent Is a KDE Connect Client for GTK-Based Desktops

#19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's a phone app that allows control of your desktop. you can control music, send files, use the camera from your phone to get pictures on the desktop, etc

Doesn’t tell me anything. How does it work? What apps are compatible? How is the connection between devices set up? Wire guard? If not, then what? How does it control apps and receive notifications? At first it sounded to me like an alternative X11 thing I hate it when projects/products only state what you can do (or at least what they envision), and not explaining the actual workings. Especially when data and access…

> How does it work?

KDE framework has KIO library which provides network-transparent file access (that's why Konqueror works a file manager and a browser simultaneously). IIRC the author of KDE Connect was tinkering over sending notifications to a phone app and found out you can make much more with it.

> How is the connection between devices set up?

The server part uses 1716/UDP for broadcasting it's presence and 1716-1764/TCP to communicate with clients. The client had to be paired with server (like in Bluetooth), the communication is done via TLS, file browsing works over SFTP.

> How does it control apps and receive notifications?

Everything is done via plugins, both sides choose which ones are enabled and some have their own control schemes (i.e. whitelist of apps to sync notifications from phone).

Re: Valent Is a KDE Connect Client for GTK-Based Desktops

#20
KDE Connect is the one "linux" tool where after showing to my partner what it can do she asked me if I could install on her Windows laptop, her tablet, and her phone. It's been extremely practical when exchanging PDFs of (say) traintickets, remote controlling the volume of whichever laptop we connected to the projector for movie night (which was the "tech demo" that convinced her), and so on.
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