Introduction to KDE

[Lechio]

Introduction to KDE

What is KDE? http://www.kde.org :

KDE is a powerful Free Software graphical desktop environment for Linux and Unix workstations.

It combines ease of use, contemporary functionality, and outstanding graphical design with the

technological superiority of the Unix operating system.

KDE is one of the most complete DE's (Desktop Environments) available today for Linux and Unix.

With this Desktop Environment comes every application you may need on a workstation. To the most common tasks

like browsing the web, instant messaging, listening to music, watching videos to more specific productive tasks like writing software, web-design, productive office work, graphical design (...) you will find an application that fits your needs on KDE.

Default KDE desktop :

This is the default look of KDE, it comes with a very intuitive look so a first time user will feel at home,

and if you don't like something in it you can change it, as it allows the user to customize almost everything in it.

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Control Center :

This is the place to go to change settings on your desktop (and system). From looks, basic hardware configuration to system administration you can find those settings here.

Tweaking the look and feel (KDE Control Center) :

This is the "Customizing your *nix Desktop" section, so a default desktop is no good. Let's do a bit of customizing... :)

- Background : everyone knows how to change this, but there's more you can do here:

*Press the "Get new Wallpapers" button and you will get a list with previews of the latest wallpapers from kde-look.org , allowing you to download them with a single click.

*This is a powerful desktop, so you have the option to have multiple desktops and independent wallpapers for each desktop

(very useful to know "where" you are). Up to 20 independent desktops are possible on KDE.

*Since version 3.4 KDE comes with a collection of wallpapers in SVG format. This image format is a wonderful evolution

from the "normal" image files like .png .jpg .gif (...), wallpapers are not "static" images no more, allow fast scaling and a bunch of other options (specifications here: http://www.w3.org/TR/SVG/ ).

*An option to allow you to have a slide show of your favorite images is available.

*Don't like wallpapers? Don't worry, you have the option to have no wallpaper and have gradients displaying (or single colors) on your desktop (gradients can also be applied on top of a picture). Configure the blending style and balance as you like.

- Colors : This allows you to change the color scheme. KDE comes with a fair collection of color schemes, you can get more, or you can always go and make your own, select the widget you wish to change the color and change it, watch the preview image changes, it will guide you a bit. When you are done save it and press apply.

get more color-schemes here: http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=28

- Fonts : change fonts for KDE apps, desktop, menus (...) here.

- GTK Styles and Fonts : This module allows you to choose how GTK apps look (Style and font) under KDE. This is the place to go and change the look of GIMP, Firefox and other GTK apps under KDE.

- Icons : change icon theme here. On the advanced tab you can change the size of the icons and effects applied to them.

Get more icon themes here: http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=22

- Launch feedback : the mouse cursor/task bar notification. The way KDE tells you that an application is starting (if you have a very slow system you'll see those allot).

- Screen Saver : Change screen saver and "lock down time" options for your workstation here.

- Splash screen : the image that first appears when you start KDE.

Get more splash screens here: http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=35

- Style : the look that your apps will have. Change this setting here, press the effects tab and configure the effects that your current style will use. You can have a transparent menu if you choose "Make translucent" on the "Menu effect", configure the opacity and the menu translucency type bellow.

- Theme Manager : complete themes that use predefined color-schemes, wallpapers, styles, window decorations, icon themes (...). It is a really good idea to save your current theme before using this, or you risk yourself to loose all the customizations you may have done.

Get more here : http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=8

- Window Decorations : change your window decorations here. Press the "Buttons" to add/remove more action buttons and change the positions (mac fans can have the buttons displayed on the left side).

Desktop (KDE Control Center) :

- Behavior : allot of settings can be changed here. Menu Bar at Top of Screen: this gives a Mac Style Menu on top of the screen;

* Mouse button actions: What you wish to be displayed when a mouse button is clicked on the desktop (Window List menu, Desktop Menu,

Application Menu or custom menus that you can edit);

*File icons tab: "Show Icon Previews For:" configure the previews for the file types you want on desktop here.

*Device Icons tab: "Show Device Icons" this will show an icon for a device that is mounted or unmounted (USB devices, CD/DVD-ROM's, Hard Disks, SMB shares, Cameras, (...) ) .

- Multiple Desktop : configure the number of desktop you wish here. "Mouse wheel over desktop background switches desktop" is not enabled by default but it is pretty useful.

- Panels : change the settings for yor panel(s) (kicker) here.

*Arrangement tab: The position on screen, length and size of kicker

*Hiding tab: Hiding options for kicker

*Menus tab: This allows you to edit K menu and choose what is displayed on it

*Appearance tab: This allows you to configure the looks of kicker and the effects displayed. The option to have the panel transparent is here. Pressing "Advanced Options" button will allow the configuration of "hide button size", "Applet Handles" and "Tint options" (when transparency is enabled).

- Task bar : task bar options. This allows the configuration of windows grouping on task bar, if applications from all desktops should be shown on task bar, and the actions that are shown when an mouse key is pressed over the task bar.

- Window Behavior: configuration for kwin the KDE window manager. Lots of options related to the way the window manager works may be changed here.

It includes a front end to configure the way that the Window Manager handles Translucency (needs Xorg 2.6.8 correctly configured, a video card capable of hardware acceleration and the respective driver installed.

- Window-Specific Settings : This is used to make advanced configurations to windows from an app (or an entire window class). Useful if you want to have a terminal on desktop (no window decoration, bellow others, skip pager/task bar).

Internet & Network (KDE Control Center) :

- Connection Preferences : change your network connection options here. This allows the configuration of network options like Socket read, Proxy connect, Server connect and Server response times (leave it with default values if you don't have any network problems on KDE). It also allows the configuration of FTP client related options, use of passive mode and partial uploads.

- Desktop Sharing : configure desktop sharing here. This is a module for configuration and management of remote desktop connections to your KDE session. It is a module for krfb - " the KDE Remote Screen Server". Remote connections to a KDE desktop are done by using the well known VNC protocol. This means you can access your KDE desktop from virtually any system. Press the "Create & Manage Invitations" button to create a new invitation (it can also be delivered via email). If you wish to always be able to access yor KDE session remotely mark "Allow uninvited connections" and "Allow uninvited connections to control the desktop", uncheck "Confirm uninvited connection before accepting, create a password (these options are unsafe and it is recommended that you create a strong password). Session tab: Always disable background image, use this option if you have a slow connection to the computer. Network: Assign port automatically: default port for VNC is port 5900, change this if you want to use another port.

- File Sharing : configure local network file sharing here (changes only allowed in Administrator mode).

- Local Network Browsing : configure local network browsing (client mode) here. This allows to change the values of user name and password that is sent to an SMB server and MS Windows encoding.

- Proxy : configure proxy related options here.

- Samba: configure your samba options here (file and printer shares between Microsoft Windows and your system).

- Web Browser: configure Konqueror's web browsing options here. Options like browser identification, cache handle, cookies, history, fonts, plugins (...) of Konqueror can be changed here.

- Wireless Network: configure parameters for your wireless network here.

KDE Components (KDE Control Center) :

This is a place to configure many of KDE's application options and the way it interacts with other applications.

- Component Chooser: this allows you to choose what KDE will use for: browsing the web, instant messaging, email, terminal, and "Embedded text edition" (favorite apps for the respective jobs).

- File Associations: this allows to choose what app will be used for different file formats from video to text, image (...). It also allows you to edit the menu that appears when you right-click a file and choose "open with". Konqueror comes with embedded image viewing enabled by default (aswell as other default file format handling choices), if you don't like it change it here.

- File Manager: change the looks and behavior of Konqueror file browser here. Options like previews of files, background image/color used by Konqueror in file browser mode can be changed here.

- KDE Performance: options related to KDE performance can be changed here. A good option is to choose to have KDE pre-loading an instance of Konqueror when it starts up, as it will very much increase your file browsing experience (when you press home button Konqueror will open up immediately). On "System" tab don't mess with the option there or yor system may become unstable (kbuildsycoca will not run on KDE startup if you choose "Disable system configuration startup check" which may lead to various problems).

- KDE Resources: calendar, notes and contacts options can be changed here.

- Services manager: enable/disable services that run on startup or are called by other apps. See description of services for more info on what they are used for.

- Session manager: configure the options for login/logout. Here options like choosing if KDE should save and restore your session when you login (current apps running at time of last logout) or start with an empty session and shutdown/logout dialogs can be changed.

- Spell checker: configure spell checking here.

- Vim Embedding: configure the graphical front end for VIM (kvim or gvim) here.

This guide is far from complete, as KDE is allot more than what you can find in control

center.

Edited October 20, 2008 by LechioPT

[Kreuger]

Good stuff man! Keep it up.

[markwolfe Veteran]

Nice write-up (Y)

And I think I have an idea on how to centralize any of these that are made, so that we don't have to pin 12 different WM/DE topics.

brb... :shifty:

EDIT: Done. https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=330414 (pinned)

I think that is the best way to keep these organized, and so that they don't lose attention if no one posts to them in several days.

Edited June 10, 2005 by markjensen

[mitch00]

Whats Mark cooking up?? lol

Nice one, but yes, far from complete

[markwolfe Veteran]

Nice one, but yes, far from complete

586042576[/snapback]

Have some stuff to contribute? Post it here!

A full write-up on something as large as KDE would be nearly impossible for one person, so if anyone thinks of a few items that they feel should be added, post it here. LechioPT (the thread starter) can add it into the first post so that this becomes something more than one person can do alone in one sitting. (Y)

[linked]

Not sure if this belongs here or elsewhere, but maybe add in the difference between a WM and a DE? I know that's something that had me boggled for a good, long while.

Along those same lines, it'd be nice to see a list of the benifits/differences in using KDE, versus another DE such as Gnome. I mean, sure KDE is great, but why should a beginning user chose it?

I'd write it up myself, but I'm far from a linux guru, and I'd doubtless get everything all wrong. Thanks for the guide!

[markwolfe Veteran]

Not sure if this belongs here or elsewhere, but maybe add in the difference between a WM and a DE? I know that's something that had me boggled for a good, long while.

Along those same lines, it'd be nice to see a list of the benifits/differences in using KDE, versus another DE such as Gnome. I mean, sure KDE is great, but why should a beginning user chose it?

I'd write it up myself, but I'm far from a linux guru, and I'd doubtless get everything all wrong. Thanks for the guide!

586042656[/snapback]

Part of that can be found here: https://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=259962

I cover some Desktop Environments and briefly explain Window Managers near the middle.

I would rather not have every writer of these have to worry about re-defining or trying to compare against several other options... Can you see any options? Putting something (or a link to previously posted summaries?) in the DEFINITIVE thread? :ermm:

[Lechio]

Tanx for the pin Mark :)

Will be adding some more stuff to the guide as we go along, as doing it

for something like KDE is a bit time consuming. Please feel free to add suggestions/corrections

to it, will be glad to add them.

[jack_canada]

Hi, I just wanna know how do you re-run the eye-candy-o-meter in kde? I set it to the lowest, now I want to change it to something better. Thx.

[Lechio]

Eye-candy-o-meter, the dialog setting that comes at yor first startup of KDE

asking you what effects would you like in KDE right? That would be

"Desktop Settings Wizard".

It's located in kmenu > settings > Desktop Settings Wizard

Or run "kpersonalizer".

[jack_canada]

Eye-candy-o-meter, the dialog setting that comes at yor first startup of KDE

asking you what effects would you like in KDE right? That would be

"Desktop Settings Wizard".

It's located in kmenu > settings > Desktop Settings Wizard

Or run "kpersonalizer".

586049124[/snapback]

Thx :rofl: !

[shrike]

I never liked KDE much. It always seems like they're trying to centralize everything just a bit too much.

But because I've got nothing to do until FC4 is released, I may as well have a little play around.

[Rockett15]

I never liked KDE much. It always seems like they're trying to centralize everything just a bit too much.

But because I've got nothing to do until FC4 is released, I may as well have a little play around.

586049231[/snapback]

I always got that feeling too - there was always too much stuff on the screen. However, I recently tried KDE 3.4 after being totally non-kde for over a year. It's starting to look a lot more polished and useable. Infact I like it a lot - haven't used Gnome since I tried KDE again :pinch: didn't think i'd say that!!

[TheWahbinator]

I never liked KDE much. It always seems like they're trying to centralize everything just a bit too much.

586049231[/snapback]

Why do all of those applications start with K??

KDE should be it's own distro. As a matter of fact, it sort of is.

[j.r.l.]

Kubuntu is just Ubuntu with KDE. KDE runs on top of X... I don't see how they could make their own distro...

[Rockett15]

Yeah KDE without Linux would be useless. Unless they decided to start a KDE Distro. But I can't see that happening :-\

[markwolfe Veteran]

Yeah KDE without Linux would be useless.

586133259[/snapback]

Tell that to the *BSDers who use it. ;)

(also available on AIX and Solaris, to my surprise!)

[j.r.l.]

Yeah KDE without Linux would be useless. Unless they decided to start a KDE Distro. But I can't see that happening :-\

586133259[/snapback]

Tell that to the *BSDers who use it. ;)

(also available on AIX and Solaris, to my surprise!)

586133401[/snapback]

Let's sort this out -> KDE without *nix would be useless. :laugh:

[rezza Veteran]

Let's sort this out -> KDE without *nix would be useless.  :laugh:

586133742[/snapback]

I think somebody is forgetting about KDE-cygwin ;)

[j.r.l.]

I think somebody is forgetting about KDE-cygwin ;)

586133822[/snapback]

KDE is meant to be on *nix, not windows... when KDE starts coding something for Windows/cygwin whatever then we can say that :rolleyes: