KDE Customization on a new install

[Danum]

8.3 KDE on MX Linux

Recommended System Requirements to run 32bit KDE4 in Debian Wheezy

CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo or above, AMD K10 (Phenom) or above

RAM: 1GB (memory): (32bit),

HDD (free disk space): 30GB or above

Graphics: 64MB with OpenGL 3.0 or above (64MB is still very very basic, I would recommend a minimum of 250MB to get resonable results)

Audio: 16bit audio, AC'97 or above


8.3.1 Installation
It is worth noting the the current KDE4 release in Debian Stable, KDE SC 4.8.5 was released on July 31, 2012.
While the current stable release from KDE, KDE SC 4.14.3 was released on November 11, 2014, and is the last release there will be for KDE4.
All future releases from KDE will be based on Qt5 and Frameworks 5.

The options for installing KDE4 using MX package Installer are
kde-standard package, A debian selection of common applications
kde-lite package, This is a minimalist plasma desktop install. You have to install all end-user applications later.(this is not recommended for newbies to KDE4)

The options for installing KDE4 using Synaptic are,
kde-full, package, The standard/upstream Debian release
kde-standard, package A debian selection of common aplications
kde-plasma-desktop, package. This is a minimalist plasma desktop install. You have to install all end-user applications later.(this is not recommended for newbies to KDE4)
kde-plasma-netbook, package. This is a minimalist plasma netbook install. You have to install all end-user applications later.(this is not recommended for newbies To KDE4)
(kde-plasma-netbook also makes the Search & Launch Desktop available in a kde-standard/kde-plasma-desktop install)

The following Customization is based on a kde-standard install.

After installing reboot, and a the option to boot into KDE will appear on the log-in screen under Session Type.

8.3.2 Customization
There are additional actions and options in all Debian KDE4 installations that have to be done manually.

Note all the actions here are done with the widgets unlocked, when you have finished be sure to lock widgets,
Right click on the desktop > Lock Widgets. DO NOT run the system with the Widgets Unlocked., it is asking for trouble.

Desktops, from past history on this forum most users will want to switch to the Folder View desktop.
Right click on the default desktop > Configure Default Desktop > Layout from the drop down menu select Folder, Apply.
Another Desktop that can be used in KDE4 is Search & Launch, install kde-plasma-netbook using synaptic.
See Section 5 Software Management, of the manual for using Synaptic.

Kmenu,there are 2 types of Kmenu, the KDE4 default, Application Launcher Style and Classic Menu Style (KDE3), to switch styles,
right click on Kmenu > Switch to Classic Menu Style/Application Launcher Style.


KDE Menu Editor is not included with a Debian default installation of KDE4. You can add it by installing the ’kmenuedit’ package via Synaptic.
A full reload of KDE or reboot will be necessary before it will be available as a right-click option in Kmenu.


The delete action isn’t enabled by default in Dolphin,(the default file manager for KDE4) enable it by opening Dolphin
Configure Dolphin > Services
Check Delete > apply.
(you will also have to do this for the root mode for Dolphin)

There is no root (super-user) mode for Dolphin, add it by first, downloading the root icon from here,
https://www.dropbox.com/s/n5d3xixmwbpyy ... r.png?dl=0
copy the root icon
right click on the desktop, > Run Command > type in, kdesu dolphin
enter your root password, > root > usr > share > icons
paste the icon in the folder. exit dolphin.
right click on Kmenu > Edit applications > expand System > right click > New Item. in the dialog type in, Dolphin as root > OK
In the new dialog finish filling in.so it reads.

Code: Select all

Name,  Dolphin as root
    Description, Dolphin File manager as root
    Command, kdesu dolphin %i -caption %c %u
    Check only show in KDE, select the newly installed icon, and save.

A trash can is not on the desktop by default; one can be added by using add-widgets.

Desktop search (and tagging), for this you need to install virtuoso-minimal using Synaptic,

Network Management
plasma-widget-networkmanagement This package contains the Network Management plasma widget which provides a fully featured GUI for managing networks.
support for wired, wireless, mobile and VPN networks are provided. The widget is exclusively written for KDE Plasma workspaces.
Install using Synaptic, In order to start using the widget, look for "Network Management" in the "Add Widgets" dialog of the Plasma workspace, and add it to the panel.

Installing deb packages in KDE4

install qapt-deb-installer, using synaptic, then all you need do to install a deb in KDE4 is click on the deb you wish to install, supply your root password in the dialog, it then resolves any downloads that
are required, then installs the deb.
(QApt is a collection of tools and a library providing a wrapper around APT. The intention is to ease the use of APT in QT-based programs, read as KDE4)



Graphics rendering for gtk applications in KDE4 including Fonts.


To get gtk-applications look native in Plasma you need to install these packages using Synaptic, and configure KDE4 to use them through System Settings > Application appearance. ≻ GTK ≻ GTK Themes.

kde-config-gtk-style
gtk2-engines-oxygen
gtk3-engines-oxygen

These are the default for KDE4, and it is recommended you use them, while other gtk themes can be installed and used, do not expect gtk-applications or fonts to look native in the Plasma Desktop if you do. because they will not.
More themes made for the plasma desktop can be downloaded from Klook by using the "install new themes" link at the bottom right of the apropiate page in system settings.


Fonts, While others may recommend installing Ubuntu fonts, it is better to install fonts that are developed for KDE4, "ttf-oxygen-font-family" for integrated use with the Plasma workspace.
a 32 bit version can be downloaded from here.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/mml6qb78dr03o ... 6.deb?dl=0
setup KDE4 to use them, System Settings > Application Appearance > Fonts,
Setting up the rendering (look) of fonts in KDE4, is a bit of trial and error, as it will depend on the age, quality, and memory of the graphics card and computer you are using, as each users system will be different. A Classic case of one size does not fit all.
Open System Settings ≻ Application Appearance ≻ Fonts and experiment with the anti-aliasing settings, you can also use Force DPI to set a diferent font size.

Additional wallpapers and applications for KDE4 can be installed using Synaptic, look in the KDE section of Synaptic.

about-system is an app that gives basic details about your system, System Settings > System Administration > About System.
Or Kmenu > System > KinfoCenter > About System
Download the 32 bit deb from here.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/29x62v0f6jbnu ... 6.deb?dl=0

The F12 hotkey for ejecting the CD/DVD should not be used in KDE4 as it conflicts with a default option in KDE4.(add a Google tab or launch Firefox/Iceweasel with Google search.)
To enable ejecting the CD/DVD, System Settings ≻ Shortcuts and Gestures ≻ Edit ≻ New ≻ Global Shortcut ≻ Command/URL ≻ Trigger and assign Alt+c to the command eject -T. With this setting Alt+c will open the CD/DVD tray if it’s closed and close it if it’s open.

Users with Nvidia graphic cards who have installed Nvidia drivers: When making a snapshot of the system edit /usr/lib/snapshot-mx/snapshot-excselude.list and enable the following lines by removing the hash sign so the result looks like this:

Code: Select all

etc/X11/xorg.conf
     etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nvidia.conf

Unless one of those two files is in your snapshot, you’ll be stuck on the CLI following boot-up and you won’t be able to start X from the CLI.

Note. while some users may prefer KDM over the MX default of Lightdm, it is recommended when makeing a snapshot to use Lightdm, as that is what MX-snapshot expects so avoiding conflicts.

Making a iso backup of your system using mx-snapshot

Right click on Kmenu > Edit applications > expand System > right click > New Item. in the dialog type in, System Snapshot > OK
In the new dialog finish filling in.so it reads.

Code: Select all

 Name,  System Snapshot
    Description, Create a live iso of your System
    Command, kdesu snapshot-gui-mx
    Check only show in KDE, select an icon (DVD), and save.

For installing, boot DVD into KDE desktop, login as root in konsole, Type in minstall, and install.

Note,, It is better to do a system snapshot as a backup before you install any Graphics drivers, then there is no editing to do.
Before you make a snapshot clear the Cached Package Files,
Synaptic > Settings > Preferences > Files (tab) > Delete Cached Package Files..
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If you are using Iceweasel from Wheezy Backports or The latest version of Firefox, you can now enable tracking protection.
In the latest release of Firefox, there's a new feature called Tracking Protection.

"Tracking Protection allows you to take control of your privacy online. While Firefox has a Do Not Track feature that tells websites not to monitor your behavior, companies are not required to honor it. Firefox's Tracking Protection feature puts the control back in your hands by actively blocking domains and sites that are known to track users."

In other words--those companies that refuse to honor the Do Not Track features of incognito browsers will finally see their efforts thwarted with Tracking Protection.

Tracking Protection works with a blocklist. The initial blocklist is based on Disconnect and should grow with usage.

Enabling Do Not Track. This feature is more user-friendly and will prevent sites that honour the setting from tracking you. The steps to enable Do Not Track are as follows:


Open Firefox
Click the menu button (three horizontal lines in the upper right corner)
Click Preferences
Click the Privacy button
Click to enable Tell site that I do not want to be tracked (Figure A)
Click Close

But is it enough? Not when sites refuse to abide. Fortunately, Firefox still has you covered. In the newest releases of Firefox (37.0.1), you won't find Tracking Protection in the Preferences because the feature is still very new. You can, however, enable it. Here's how:

Open Firefox
In the address bar, type about:config
Promise you won't muck everything up by clicking I'll be careful, I promise!
Search for privacy.trackingprotection.enabled
Under Value (in the privacy.trackingprotection.enabled row), double-click false to set it true
Restart Firefox

[Jerry3904]

I don't know how much of this will go into the MX Manual, where KDE is just one of a number of alternatives, but might make it a separate linked document.

[lucky9]

Perhaps a Sticky in the KDE sub-forum?

[Gordon Cooper]

This being a place where I can state a view? Vanilla MX does not use KDE. The MX Manual is about MX and should remain so as an information and Help manual for the many (we hope) will adopt MX as their preferred system, one that is efficient while being of small to medium size.

I used Kubuntu for several of its generations before coming here, and yes, it has some benefits. I use Okular, K3b and couple of other applications that I prefer to those available on basic MX. So what? They are a personal preference. This is an MX and Mepis Forum, should some of our members wish to deviate from MX, then they can, but KDE or any other option should be documented outside the MX Manual.
Gordon.

[Gaer Boy]

I agree with Gordon. Having an extensive howto on KDE sort of endorses it as a standard option. I think the best option is a linked document in the style of the Mepis manuals.

I'm not anti-KDE - my must-have packages include DigiKam and KMyMoney.

Phil

[m_pav]

We need to keep in mind that KDE was one of the key points of the formerly active and flourishing Mepis distribution, and we are living in the space originally occupied by primarily KDE users, some of which are still here and using versions of Mepis dating back some 5 years or more.

I don't know how many there are still using the ageing Mepis builds, but we have to keep in mind that if/when they are ready to take the plunge, they'll be more likely to head this way if we make it easy for them.

For the time being, a step through tutorial on how to get an ageing KDE onto and ageing Debian stable base will have some merit, however, I do think we need a side project to bring a KDE respin on board for the KDE lovers out there as MX-15 is birthed. It might never amount to much and the effort might not get the rewards it deserves, but it will share in the magic that has been the basis of what we all use and love about this distro, which is this community, but it also includes the tools.

[richb]

1. A decision was made to put a KDE conversion section in the manual. Do I hear that decision being questioned now?
2. With that decision it is required that an accurate and sufficient guide is provided
3. In my opinion it is only necessary to provide enough information so that a functional KDE with the most popular features can be installed. I used the updated manual section and have met that requirement. Now if I want, I can refine it further to my particular requirements. How much is needed is debatable, however It does not need to be a full KDE manual.

Those who prefer to keep MX pure XFCE can ignore it. Those who want the option to boot into both DE's can and should be able to implement it with confidence. And those who want pure and latest KDE can install and use another distro.

[lucky9]

I'm surprised this is an issue. KDE is popular and several have added it to their MX installation/s. After all it's not a suggestion. Just an option.

[whell]

Linux is about having options. The default xfce desktop is great and I won't be changing that. However, if some folks want MX's stable base with a KDE face, its great that users have that option. Given that MX has Mepis in its family tree, a KDE option seems appropriate.

[Earl57]

Thanks, Danum, for your detailed explanation of what it takes to install KDE and make it more Mepis-like. I didn't realize there was so much to do to make it feel right. Now I can appreciate what Warren went through to give Mepis its unique look and feel.

I have MX14 installed on a dual core machine here and have installed it for a few customers and I really like it but KDE is/has been my favorite DE for many years now. Call me lazy if you want, but I still use M12 as my main workhorse distro, with some choice apps from MX14 installed. But your detailed notes makes me more willing to try to install KDE on my MX14 machine.