> > I've read about backtraces, core dumps, and using gdb. > I'm no > > programmer, so what is the best way for me to > troublesoot? > $ gdb > (gdb) file /usr/bin/kmail > (gdb) run > <trigger the crash> > (gdb) bt > <you obtain the backtrace> > > I don't know if this will be enough, but I'm not an expert > debugger :). I gave that a go. gdb reported that kmail exited normally. With some trial and error testing, I copied /usr/bin/kmail and /usr/lib/libkmailprivate.so from my Slackware 12.2 package and then the problem disappeared. At this point I can only guess that something in the kmail composer code does not compile correctly and instead causes the entire app to close rather than just the composer window. Darrell