https://wiki.archlinux.org/api.php?action=feedcontributions&user=Flamelab&feedformat=atomArchWiki - User contributions [en]2024-03-28T09:16:28ZUser contributionsMediaWiki 1.41.0https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Nouveau&diff=164550Nouveau2011-10-07T23:46:19Z<p>Flamelab: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Graphics (English)]]<br />
[[Category:X Server (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|Nouveau}}<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|This article details the installation of the Nouveau Open Source 3D acceleration graphics driver for NVIDIA cards. The name of the project refers to the fact that "nouveau" means "new" in French.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|KMS}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Xorg}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|NVIDIA}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
[http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/ Nouveau] is an open source graphic driver for NVIDIA cards.<br />
<br />
Do not forget to check out the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FAQ FAQ] if you have any questions, as there is a lot of valuable information there.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
=== Nouveau (2D) ===<br />
<br />
Before proceeding, have a look at the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix FeatureMatrix] to see what features are supported for a given architecture, and the list of [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames codenames] to determine the card's category.<br />
<br />
You could also consult [[Wikipedia:Comparison of Nvidia Graphics Processing Units|wikipedia]] for an even more detailed list.<br />
<br />
Install the following packages:<br />
# pacman -S xf86-video-nouveau<br />
<br />
<br />
It is highly possible that Nouveau won't be loaded by Xorg automatically. So we create /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nouveau.conf and we add these within it:<br />
<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "Nvidia card"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
to make sure Nouveau is loaded properly. <br />
<br />
=== Nouveau (3D) ===<br />
If you want to enable 3D on Nouveau and use the experimental Gallium3D features (to run Gnome 3 or KWin's effects for instance), install the following additional packages:<br />
# pacman -S nouveau-dri mesa<br />
<br />
Also make sure you have [[Xorg]] properly installed.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|See http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/MesaDrivers before reporting bugs with the 3D drivers.}}<br />
{{Note|Always make sure you '''won't''' have '''nomodeset''' in GRUB's menu.lst/menu.cfg kernel line, since Nouveau needs kernel mode-setting in order to run succesfully.}}<br />
{{Note|Also, check if you haven't disabled Nouveau by using any modprobe blacklisting within /etc/modprobe.d/}}<br />
<br />
==Loading==<br />
<br />
If you kept the proprietary NVIDIA driver installed, nouveau is probably not going to work.<br />
Either '''uninstall the proprietary NVIDIA driver''':<br />
pacman -Rdd nvidia nvidia-utils<br />
<br />
or '''blacklist it''' by adding the following line to {{Filename|/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf}}:<br />
blacklist nvidia<br />
<br />
Then nouveau should load fine automatically on next reboot. To test it now, first make sure the 'nvidia' module is no longer loaded:<br />
# rmmod nvidia<br />
<br />
Then load nouveau:<br />
# modprobe nouveau<br />
<br />
and check that it loaded fine by looking at kernel messages:<br />
$ dmesg<br />
<br />
{{Note|You can use [[NVIDIA#Switching_between_nvidia_and_nouveau_drivers|these scripts]] if you are switching between open and closed drivers often.}}<br />
<br />
==KMS==<br />
<br />
Kernel Mode-Setting ([[KMS]]) is required by the Nouveau driver. As the system boots, the resolution will likely change when KMS initializes the display driver. Simply installing the Nouveau driver should be enough to get the system to recognize and initialize it in "Late Start" mode (see below). Additional reading: [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/KernelModeSetting KernelModeSetting].<br />
<br />
{{Note|Users may prefer the early start method as it does not cause the annoying resolution change part way through the boot process.}}<br />
<br />
===Late start===<br />
With this choice KMS will be enabled when other kernel modules are loaded. You will see the text "Loading modules" and the size of the text may change, possibly with an undesirable flicker.<br />
<br />
Using other framebuffer drivers (such as uvesafb) will conflict with KMS. If this is the case, remove all "vga=" options from your kernel commandline in {{Filename|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}. <br />
<br />
===Early start===<br />
This method will start KMS as early as possible in the boot process, when the [[initramfs]] is loaded. Here is how to do this with the official packages:<br />
<br />
# Add "nouveau" to the {{Codeline|MODULES}} array in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<pre>MODULES="... nouveau ..."</pre><br />
# Re-generate boot image:<pre># mkinitcpio -p <kernel preset, e.g. linux></pre><br />
<br />
If experiencing troubles with nouveau leading to rebuild nouveau-drm several times for testing purposes, do not add nouveau to the initramfs. It is too easy to forget to rebuild the initramfs and it will just make any testing harder. Just use ''late start'' until you are confident the system is stable. There might be additional problems with initramfs if you need a firmware for the nv50 family<br />
<br />
You can also look at the [[Intel]] instructions for an early start: [[Intel#KMS_.28Kernel_Mode_Setting.29|Intel Graphics:KMS (Kernel Mode Setting)]].<br />
<br />
==Alternative installation [latest Mesa]==<br />
<br />
You may install the latest -git packages, through AUR. You can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=8266 mesa-git] which will allow the installation of the latest Mesa.<br />
<br />
You can also try installing a newer kernel version, through packages like {{Package AUR|linux-mainline}} in which the Nouveau DRM code would allow better performance.<br />
<br />
To get the latest nouveau improvements, you should use the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=49439 linux-git] package from the AUR, edit the PKGBUILD and use nouveau's own kernel repository, which is currently located at: git://anongit.freedesktop.org/nouveau/linux-2.6.<br />
<br />
==Tearing free compositing==<br />
<br />
Edit your 20-nouveau.conf, in the Device section add:<br />
<pre><br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "nvidia card"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
Option "GLXVBlank" "true"<br />
EndSection<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
==DualHead==<br />
<br />
Nouveau supports the xrandr extension for modesetting and multiple monitors. See the [[RandR12]] page for tutorials.<br />
<br />
Here is a full sample {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}} above for running 2 monitors in dual head mode. You may prefer to use a graphical tool to configure monitors like gnome-display-properties (System -> Preferences -> Display).<br />
<pre><br />
# the right one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "NEC"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
# the left one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "FUS"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
Option "LeftOf" "NEC"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "nvidia card"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-0" "NEC"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-1" "FUS"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Screen"<br />
Identifier "screen1"<br />
DefaultDepth 24<br />
SubSection "Display"<br />
Depth 24<br />
Virtual 2560 1024<br />
EndSubSection<br />
Device "nvidia card"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "ServerLayout"<br />
Identifier "layout1"<br />
Screen "screen1"<br />
EndSection<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
==Setting console resolution==<br />
<br />
Use the {{Package Official|fbset}} tool to adjust console resolution.<br />
<br />
You can also pass the resolution to nouveau with the video= kernel line option (see [[KMS]]).</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=150513KDE2011-08-02T12:39:14Z<p>Flamelab: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
[[fr:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.7''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.7 here]<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x doesn't need Gamin or Fam packages for monitoring changes on local files and directories [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Monitoring_changes_on_local_files_and_directories see more] }}<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
You can choose phonon-gstreamer instead phonon-vlc.<br />
<br />
==Starting KDE==<br />
<br />
{{Daemon|dbus}}<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
{{Merge|Uniform Look for QT and GTK Applications|Talk:KDE#KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications}}<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''oxygen-gtk''', a GTK port of the default KDE widget theme (Oxygen):<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
Alternatively, you can use '''QtCurve''', a GTK theme that has a Qt equivalent:<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or you can install {{Package AUR|oxygen-molecule}} from the [[AUR]], a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE (not updated anymore).<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S gtk-kde4<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
gtk-kde4 ("System Settings > Lost and Found > GTK style")<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
lxappearance<br />
<br />
You can also install {{Package AUR|chakra-gtk-config}}. After install it can be found in '''System Settings > Application Appearance > GTK Config'''.<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
====== oxygen-gtk ======<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to '''oxygen-gtk''', you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc-2.0}} with the following content:<br />
<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/oxygen-gtk/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "~/.themes/oxygen-gtk/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
style "user"<br />
{ <br />
fg[NORMAL] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[NORMAL] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[NORMAL] = "#181615"<br />
base[NORMAL] = "#ffffff"<br />
fg[ACTIVE] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[ACTIVE] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[ACTIVE] = "#181615"<br />
base[ACTIVE] = "#ffffff"<br />
fg[PRELIGHT] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[PRELIGHT] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[PRELIGHT] = "#ffffff"<br />
base[PRELIGHT] = "#43ace8"<br />
fg[SELECTED] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[SELECTED] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[SELECTED] = "#ffffff"<br />
base[SELECTED] = "#43ace8"<br />
fg[INSENSITIVE] = "#8d8a88"<br />
bg[INSENSITIVE] = "#ccc7c5"<br />
text[INSENSITIVE] = "#a6a5a5"<br />
base[INSENSITIVE] = "#f4f4f4"<br />
GtkTreeView::odd_row_color="#ffffff"<br />
GtkTreeView::even_row_color="#f8f7f6"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user"<br />
style "tooltips"<br />
{ <br />
bg[NORMAL] = "#bedfff"<br />
fg[NORMAL] = "#252321"<br />
}<br />
widget "gtk-tooltips" style "tooltips"<br />
#gtk-theme-name="qt4"<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="gk4ico"<br />
gtk-icon-sizes = "panel-menu=16,16:panel=16,16:gtk-button=22,22:gtk-large-toolbar=22,22"<br />
<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc}}:<br />
ln -s ~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc-2.0 ~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc<br />
<br />
====== QtCurve ======<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to '''QtCurve''', you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right click on the Kicker menu button, press '''Application launcher settings''' and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose an Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Official logos, icons, CD labels and other artwork for Arch Linux are provided in the {{Package Official|archlinux-artwork}} package. After installing you can find such artwork at {{filename|/usr/share/archlinux/}}.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
===== Fonts in KDE look poor =====<br />
<br />
Try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
===== Fonts are huge or seems disproportional =====<br />
<br />
Try to force fonts DPI to '''96''' on '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Fonts.'''<br />
<br />
If it doesn't work try set DPI directly on Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg#Setting_DPI_manually here].<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''criticized''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
One way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
Windows decorations can also be resized by decreasing button size in the decoration thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=48672/ wicd-kde].<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''System Settings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Power Saving===<br />
<br />
KDE has an integrated power saving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the power saving profile of the system and/or the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based power saving ====<br />
Since KDE 4.6, CPU frequency scaling is no longer managed by KDE. Instead it's assumed to be handled automatically by the the hardware and/or kernel. While some distributions use the {{codeline|ondemand}} cpufreq governor by default, Arch does not.<br />
<br />
As a prerequisite to the following, you should carefully read through the [[cpufreq|wiki article on cpufreq]] and ensure that the appropriate kernel modules are loaded. If you are happy with setting your governor once at boot (with the {{filename|cpufreq}} daemon script, for example) then this section is not relevant and can be skipped.<br />
<br />
1. If you have not already done so, install the {{codeline|cpufrequtils}} package (for the {{filename|cpufreq-set}} utility):<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
2. Next, you'll need to grant access to {{filename|cpufreq-set}} for the appropriate users by configuring [[sudo]]. For example, if you are part of the ''wheel'' group, you could use {{codeline|visudo}} to add<br />
%wheel ALL = (ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/cpufreq-set<br />
to your {{filename|sudoers}} file.<br />
<br />
3. From '''System Settings > Power Management > Power Profiles''' select a profile to edit or create a new one. Check the '''Run Script''' option and add an appropriate {{filename|cpufreq-set}} command for the selected power profile. For example, your "Powersave" profile might have:<br />
sudo cpufreq-set -r -g ondemand<br />
Your "Performance" profile might have<br />
sudo cpufreq-set -r -g performance<br />
<br />
{{Note | The ''cpufreq-set'' examples above may be insufficient for setting the governor for all processors/cores.<br />
For some CPU families the {{codeline|-r}} switch may not set the governor for all cores/cpus and instead only set the governor for CPU 0. In this case you will need to write a script to iterate through all your cores. A simple script for a four core system could look like:<br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
for i in {0..3}; do<br />
sudo /usr/bin/cpufreq-set -c${i} -gondemand<br />
done<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{Note | You can check which governors are active with {{codeline|cpufreq-info -o}} or less intuitively by inspecting {{filename|/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor}}.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
===Monitoring changes on local files and directories===<br />
KDE now uses '''inotify''' directly from the kernel with '''kdirwatch''' (included in kdelibs), so Gamin or FAM are no longer needed. You may want to install this {{Package AUR|kdirwatch}} from [[AUR]] which is a GUI frontend for kdirwatch.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Hardware > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
===Useful KCM===<br />
<br />
KCM means KConfig Module. This modules help you to configure you system providing a interface on System Settings.<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for look&feel of your GTK apps.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=45462 chakra-gtk-config]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40980 kcm-gtk]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for the GRUB2 bootloader.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47871 grub2-editor]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=45816 kcm-grub2]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Synaptics driver based touchpads.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=35531 kcm_touchpad]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for main system config file rc.conf.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47842 kcm-rcconf-settings]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Firewalls#ufw UFW]'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=46880 kcm-ufw]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Policy Kit'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=43984 polkit-kde-kcmodules]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Wacom Tablet'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=41960 kcm-wacomtablet]<br />
<br />
More KCM can be found [http://kde-apps.org/index.php?xcontentmode=273 here].<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This chapter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc}} and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
==== Configuring Akonadi to use MySQL Server running on the System ====<br />
<br />
First, you need to set up the database using the following commands (replace password with the correct one):<br />
<br />
CREATE DATABASE akonadi;<br />
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON akonadi.* TO 'akonadiuser' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';<br />
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;<br />
<br />
If {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf}} does not exist then<br />
<br />
cp /usr/share/config/akonadi/mysql-global.conf ~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf<br />
<br />
and uncomment the following line<br />
<br />
sql_mode=strict_trans_tables<br />
<br />
Then edit {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc}}:<br />
<br />
[%General]<br />
Driver=QMYSQL<br />
<br />
[QMYSQL]<br />
Name=akonadi<br />
Host=localhost<br />
ServerPath=/usr/bin/mysqld<br />
StartServer=false<br />
User=akonadiuser<br />
Password=<password><br />
Options=<br />
<br />
[Debug]<br />
Tracer=null<br />
<br />
Restart the Akonadi server with:<br />
<br />
akonadictl restart<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at {{filename|/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc}}. See {{filename|/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook}} for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under {{filename|/root/.kde4}} and not under {{filename|~/.kde4}} (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ({{Package Official|phonon-gstreamer}}), VLC ({{Package Official|phonon-vlc}}), Xine in [unsupported] ({{Package AUR|phonon-xine}}) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ({{Package AUR|phonon-mplayer}}). Most users will want GStreamer or VLC which have the best upstream support. Note that multiple backends can be installed at once and you can switch between them via System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend.<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<blockquote>"Phonon Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases."</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>"This intial preference currently rates GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature difference."</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Using Telepathy==<br />
A new project, known as [http://community.kde.org/Real-Time_Communication_and_Collaboration Real-Time Communication and Collaboration], has been started in KDE.<br />
The goal is to integrate Instant Messaging clients with the desktop systems.<br />
<br />
At the moment things are in progress and miss some features, but a very base communication system is ready.<br />
<br />
To install all Telepathy protocols install the ''telepathy'' group.<br />
To use the Telepathy KDE client, install the ''telepathy-kde'' group.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE4 does not finish loading===<br />
There might be a situation in which the graphic driver might create a conflict when starting KDE4. This situation happens after the login but before finishing loading the desktop, making the user wait indefinitely at the loading screen. Until now the only users confirmed to be affected by this are the ones that use Nvidia drivers and KDE4.<br />
<br />
A solution for Nvidia users is to edit the file at {{filename|/home/user/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc}} and change the option '''Enabled=true''' to '''false''' in the '''[Compositing]''' section. For more information look at this thread: [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=932598].<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your {{filename|/etc/profile}} (or {{filename|~/.profile}} if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
Alternatively, you can symlink the Qt styles directory to the KDE styles one:<br />
# ln -s /usr/lib/kde4/plugins/styles/ /usr/lib/qt/plugins/styles<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create {{filename|~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh}} with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install {{Package AUR|xautomation}} from [[AUR]] and {{Package Official|xbindkeys}} from [community].<br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named {{filename|.xbindkeysrc}} and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in {{filename|/home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart}} named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the {{filename|.xinitrc}},<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength. So, only use Raster engine if you are having problems or your GPU is much slower than you CPU, otherwise is better to use XRender.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your {{filename|~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc}} file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when using the GStreamer Phonon backend=====<br />
That can be solved by installing the GStreamer plugins:<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
<br />
If you still encounter problems, you can try changing the Phonon backend used by installing another such as {{Package Official|phonon-vlc}}:<br />
pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
Then make sure the backend is perfered via:<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend (tab)<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create an udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
KERNEL=="sda2", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
===Konsole doesn't save commands' history===<br />
By default console commands' history is saved only when you type 'exit' in console. When you close Konsole with 'x' in the corner it doesn't happen.<br />
To enable autosaving after every command execution you should add following lines into your .bashrc<br />
shopt -s histappend<br />
[[ "${PROMPT_COMMAND}" ]] && PROMPT_COMMAND="$PROMPT_COMMAND;history -a" || PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a"<br />
<br />
===Kimpanel doesn't work with the IBus backend===<br />
There is a bug ({{bug|19580}}) with current Arch kimpanel packaging. See [[IBus#Kimpanel]] for a workaround.<br />
<br />
===KDE password prompts display three bullets per char===<br />
You can change it under '''System Settings > Account Details'''. At '''Password & User Account''' the options are:<br />
*Show one bullet for each letter<br />
*Show three bullets for each letter<br />
*Show nothing<br />
<br />
===knotify4 process constantly uses CPU time===<br />
It's a bug with Gstreamer phonon back-end. Try changing to VLC phonon on '''System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon > Backend'''. If this isn't in the list, install it:<br />
<br />
#pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
If you don't want change the back-end you can try use an external player to play the sound systems. First install mplayer, vlc or any other sound player.<br />
<br />
Go to '''System Settings > Application and System Notifications > Manage Notifications > Player Settings''' and change to '''Use an external player''' putting the path of your preferred sound player.<br />
<br />
===Nepomukserver process still autostart even with semantic desktop disabled===<br />
Go to ''' System Settings > Startup and Shutdown > Service Manager > Startup Services''' and uncheck the Nepomuk Search Module.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try [[Reflector]].<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=150511KDE2011-08-02T12:38:07Z<p>Flamelab: /* Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
[[fr:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.7''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.7 here]<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x doesn't need Gamin or Fam packages for monitoring changes on local files and directories [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Monitoring_changes_on_local_files_and_directories see more] }}<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
You can choose phonon-gstreamer instead phonon-vlc.<br />
<br />
==Starting KDE==<br />
<br />
{{Daemon|dbus}}<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
{{Merge|Uniform Look for QT and GTK Applications|Talk:KDE#KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications}}<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''oxygen-gtk''', a GTK port of the default KDE widget theme (Oxygen):<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
Alternatively, you can use '''QtCurve''', a GTK theme that has a Qt equivalent:<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or you can install {{Package AUR|oxygen-molecule}} from the [[AUR]], a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE (not updated anymore).<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S gtk-kde4<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
gtk-kde4 ("System Settings > Lost and Found > GTK style")<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
lxappearance<br />
<br />
You can also install {{Package AUR|chakra-gtk-config}}. After install it can be found in '''System Settings > Application Appearance > GTK Config'''.<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
====== oxygen-gtk ======<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to '''oxygen-gtk''', you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc-2.0}} with the following content:<br />
<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/oxygen-gtk/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "~/.themes/oxygen-gtk/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
style "user"<br />
{ <br />
fg[NORMAL] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[NORMAL] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[NORMAL] = "#181615"<br />
base[NORMAL] = "#ffffff"<br />
fg[ACTIVE] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[ACTIVE] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[ACTIVE] = "#181615"<br />
base[ACTIVE] = "#ffffff"<br />
fg[PRELIGHT] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[PRELIGHT] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[PRELIGHT] = "#ffffff"<br />
base[PRELIGHT] = "#43ace8"<br />
fg[SELECTED] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[SELECTED] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[SELECTED] = "#ffffff"<br />
base[SELECTED] = "#43ace8"<br />
fg[INSENSITIVE] = "#8d8a88"<br />
bg[INSENSITIVE] = "#ccc7c5"<br />
text[INSENSITIVE] = "#a6a5a5"<br />
base[INSENSITIVE] = "#f4f4f4"<br />
GtkTreeView::odd_row_color="#ffffff"<br />
GtkTreeView::even_row_color="#f8f7f6"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user"<br />
style "tooltips"<br />
{ <br />
bg[NORMAL] = "#bedfff"<br />
fg[NORMAL] = "#252321"<br />
}<br />
widget "gtk-tooltips" style "tooltips"<br />
#gtk-theme-name="qt4"<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="gk4ico"<br />
gtk-icon-sizes = "panel-menu=16,16:panel=16,16:gtk-button=22,22:gtk-large-toolbar=22,22"<br />
<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc}}:<br />
ln -s ~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc-2.0 ~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc<br />
<br />
====== QtCurve ======<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to '''QtCurve''', you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right click on the Kicker menu button, press '''Application launcher settings''' and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose an Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Official logos, icons, CD labels and other artwork for Arch Linux are provided in the {{Package Official|archlinux-artwork}} package. After installing you can find such artwork at {{filename|/usr/share/archlinux/}}.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
===== Fonts in KDE look poor =====<br />
<br />
Try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
===== Fonts are huge or seems disproportional =====<br />
<br />
Try to force fonts DPI to '''96''' on '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Fonts.'''<br />
<br />
If it doesn't work try set DPI directly on Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg#Setting_DPI_manually here].<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''criticized''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
One way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
Windows decorations can also be resized by decreasing button size in the decoration thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=48672/ wicd-kde].<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''System Settings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Power Saving===<br />
<br />
KDE has an integrated power saving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the power saving profile of the system and/or the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based power saving ====<br />
With KDE 4.6, CPU frequency scaling is no longer managed by KDE. Instead it's assumed to be handled automatically by the the hardware and/or kernel. While some distributions use the {{codeline|ondemand}} cpufreq governor by default, Arch does not.<br />
<br />
As a prerequisite to the following, you should carefully read through the [[cpufreq|wiki article on cpufreq]] and ensure that the appropriate kernel modules are loaded. If you are happy with setting your governor once at boot (with the {{filename|cpufreq}} daemon script, for example) then this section is not relevant and can be skipped.<br />
<br />
1. If you have not already done so, install the {{codeline|cpufrequtils}} package (for the {{filename|cpufreq-set}} utility):<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
2. Next, you'll need to grant access to {{filename|cpufreq-set}} for the appropriate users by configuring [[sudo]]. For example, if you are part of the ''wheel'' group, you could use {{codeline|visudo}} to add<br />
%wheel ALL = (ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/cpufreq-set<br />
to your {{filename|sudoers}} file.<br />
<br />
3. From '''System Settings > Power Management > Power Profiles''' select a profile to edit or create a new one. Check the '''Run Script''' option and add an appropriate {{filename|cpufreq-set}} command for the selected power profile. For example, your "Powersave" profile might have:<br />
sudo cpufreq-set -r -g ondemand<br />
Your "Performance" profile might have<br />
sudo cpufreq-set -r -g performance<br />
<br />
{{Note | The ''cpufreq-set'' examples above may be insufficient for setting the governor for all processors/cores.<br />
For some CPU families the {{codeline|-r}} switch may not set the governor for all cores/cpus and instead only set the governor for CPU 0. In this case you will need to write a script to iterate through all your cores. A simple script for a four core system could look like:<br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
for i in {0..3}; do<br />
sudo /usr/bin/cpufreq-set -c${i} -gondemand<br />
done<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{Note | You can check which governors are active with {{codeline|cpufreq-info -o}} or less intuitively by inspecting {{filename|/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor}}.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
===Monitoring changes on local files and directories===<br />
KDE now uses '''inotify''' directly from the kernel with '''kdirwatch''' (included in kdelibs), so Gamin or FAM are no longer needed. You may want to install this {{Package AUR|kdirwatch}} from [[AUR]] which is a GUI frontend for kdirwatch.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Hardware > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
===Useful KCM===<br />
<br />
KCM means KConfig Module. This modules help you to configure you system providing a interface on System Settings.<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for look&feel of your GTK apps.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=45462 chakra-gtk-config]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40980 kcm-gtk]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for the GRUB2 bootloader.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47871 grub2-editor]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=45816 kcm-grub2]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Synaptics driver based touchpads.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=35531 kcm_touchpad]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for main system config file rc.conf.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47842 kcm-rcconf-settings]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Firewalls#ufw UFW]'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=46880 kcm-ufw]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Policy Kit'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=43984 polkit-kde-kcmodules]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Wacom Tablet'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=41960 kcm-wacomtablet]<br />
<br />
More KCM can be found [http://kde-apps.org/index.php?xcontentmode=273 here].<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This chapter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc}} and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
==== Configuring Akonadi to use MySQL Server running on the System ====<br />
<br />
First, you need to set up the database using the following commands (replace password with the correct one):<br />
<br />
CREATE DATABASE akonadi;<br />
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON akonadi.* TO 'akonadiuser' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';<br />
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;<br />
<br />
If {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf}} does not exist then<br />
<br />
cp /usr/share/config/akonadi/mysql-global.conf ~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf<br />
<br />
and uncomment the following line<br />
<br />
sql_mode=strict_trans_tables<br />
<br />
Then edit {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc}}:<br />
<br />
[%General]<br />
Driver=QMYSQL<br />
<br />
[QMYSQL]<br />
Name=akonadi<br />
Host=localhost<br />
ServerPath=/usr/bin/mysqld<br />
StartServer=false<br />
User=akonadiuser<br />
Password=<password><br />
Options=<br />
<br />
[Debug]<br />
Tracer=null<br />
<br />
Restart the Akonadi server with:<br />
<br />
akonadictl restart<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at {{filename|/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc}}. See {{filename|/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook}} for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under {{filename|/root/.kde4}} and not under {{filename|~/.kde4}} (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ({{Package Official|phonon-gstreamer}}), VLC ({{Package Official|phonon-vlc}}), Xine in [unsupported] ({{Package AUR|phonon-xine}}) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ({{Package AUR|phonon-mplayer}}). Most users will want GStreamer or VLC which have the best upstream support. Note that multiple backends can be installed at once and you can switch between them via System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend.<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<blockquote>"Phonon Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases."</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>"This intial preference currently rates GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature difference."</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Using Telepathy==<br />
A new project, known as [http://community.kde.org/Real-Time_Communication_and_Collaboration Real-Time Communication and Collaboration], has been started in KDE.<br />
The goal is to integrate Instant Messaging clients with the desktop systems.<br />
<br />
At the moment things are in progress and miss some features, but a very base communication system is ready.<br />
<br />
To install all Telepathy protocols install the ''telepathy'' group.<br />
To use the Telepathy KDE client, install the ''telepathy-kde'' group.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE4 does not finish loading===<br />
There might be a situation in which the graphic driver might create a conflict when starting KDE4. This situation happens after the login but before finishing loading the desktop, making the user wait indefinitely at the loading screen. Until now the only users confirmed to be affected by this are the ones that use Nvidia drivers and KDE4.<br />
<br />
A solution for Nvidia users is to edit the file at {{filename|/home/user/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc}} and change the option '''Enabled=true''' to '''false''' in the '''[Compositing]''' section. For more information look at this thread: [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=932598].<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your {{filename|/etc/profile}} (or {{filename|~/.profile}} if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
Alternatively, you can symlink the Qt styles directory to the KDE styles one:<br />
# ln -s /usr/lib/kde4/plugins/styles/ /usr/lib/qt/plugins/styles<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create {{filename|~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh}} with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install {{Package AUR|xautomation}} from [[AUR]] and {{Package Official|xbindkeys}} from [community].<br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named {{filename|.xbindkeysrc}} and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in {{filename|/home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart}} named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the {{filename|.xinitrc}},<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength. So, only use Raster engine if you are having problems or your GPU is much slower than you CPU, otherwise is better to use XRender.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your {{filename|~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc}} file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when using the GStreamer Phonon backend=====<br />
That can be solved by installing the GStreamer plugins:<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
<br />
If you still encounter problems, you can try changing the Phonon backend used by installing another such as {{Package Official|phonon-vlc}}:<br />
pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
Then make sure the backend is perfered via:<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend (tab)<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create an udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
KERNEL=="sda2", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
===Konsole doesn't save commands' history===<br />
By default console commands' history is saved only when you type 'exit' in console. When you close Konsole with 'x' in the corner it doesn't happen.<br />
To enable autosaving after every command execution you should add following lines into your .bashrc<br />
shopt -s histappend<br />
[[ "${PROMPT_COMMAND}" ]] && PROMPT_COMMAND="$PROMPT_COMMAND;history -a" || PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a"<br />
<br />
===Kimpanel doesn't work with the IBus backend===<br />
There is a bug ({{bug|19580}}) with current Arch kimpanel packaging. See [[IBus#Kimpanel]] for a workaround.<br />
<br />
===KDE password prompts display three bullets per char===<br />
You can change it under '''System Settings > Account Details'''. At '''Password & User Account''' the options are:<br />
*Show one bullet for each letter<br />
*Show three bullets for each letter<br />
*Show nothing<br />
<br />
===knotify4 process constantly uses CPU time===<br />
It's a bug with Gstreamer phonon back-end. Try changing to VLC phonon on '''System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon > Backend'''. If this isn't in the list, install it:<br />
<br />
#pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
If you don't want change the back-end you can try use an external player to play the sound systems. First install mplayer, vlc or any other sound player.<br />
<br />
Go to '''System Settings > Application and System Notifications > Manage Notifications > Player Settings''' and change to '''Use an external player''' putting the path of your preferred sound player.<br />
<br />
===Nepomukserver process still autostart even with semantic desktop disabled===<br />
Go to ''' System Settings > Startup and Shutdown > Service Manager > Startup Services''' and uncheck the Nepomuk Search Module.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try [[Reflector]].<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=150510KDE2011-08-02T12:37:36Z<p>Flamelab: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
[[fr:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.7''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.7 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
:''As you already know KDE is (slowly) moving to GIT. With this<br />
transition some KDE module has been splitted into subprojects, and the<br />
remaining modules should be splitted before KDE 4.8.<br />
The result of this is that some package (e.g. kdegraphics-libs) is now<br />
splitted in several packages and each new package conflicts with the<br />
old kdegraphics-libs, so you have to remove it when pacman asks for<br />
its removal during the update.<br />
<br />
Here some info about the splitted modules:<br />
- KDE Workspace: wallpapers are now in a separate package named<br />
kde-wallpapers, this reduced the kdebase-workspace package download<br />
size by 70%.<br />
- KDE Graphics: kdegraphics-libs is now splitted in<br />
kdegraphics-ksaneplugin, kdegraphics-strigi-analyzer,<br />
kdegraphics-svgpart, kdegraphics-thumbnailers, libkdcraw, libkexiv2,<br />
libkipi, libksane. Our official packages which depends on<br />
kdegraphics-libs have been updated to depend on the new libraries; the<br />
upgrade should work without any issue, otherwise please report it to<br />
our bug tracker.<br />
- KDE Edu: kdeedu-libkdeedu and kdeedu-data have been dropped and<br />
libkdeedu will replace them.<br />
- KDE Bindings: every subproject has been splitted in two parts: one<br />
for the qt bindings and one for the KDE bindings. The old packages<br />
have been remove and the new one are: kdebindings-kimono,<br />
kdebindings-kross-java, kdebindings-kross-python,<br />
kdebindings-korundum, kdebindings-perlkde, kdebindings-perlqt,<br />
kdebindings-qtruby, kdebindings-qyoto, kdebindings-smokegen,<br />
kdebindings-smokekde, kdebindings-smokeqt.<br />
- KDE Accessibility: kdeaccessibility-colorschemes and<br />
kdeaccessibility-iconthemes are dropped and replaced.''<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x doesn't need Gamin or Fam packages for monitoring changes on local files and directories [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Monitoring_changes_on_local_files_and_directories see more] }}<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
You can choose phonon-gstreamer instead phonon-vlc.<br />
<br />
==Starting KDE==<br />
<br />
{{Daemon|dbus}}<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
{{Merge|Uniform Look for QT and GTK Applications|Talk:KDE#KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications}}<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''oxygen-gtk''', a GTK port of the default KDE widget theme (Oxygen):<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
Alternatively, you can use '''QtCurve''', a GTK theme that has a Qt equivalent:<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or you can install {{Package AUR|oxygen-molecule}} from the [[AUR]], a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE (not updated anymore).<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S gtk-kde4<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
gtk-kde4 ("System Settings > Lost and Found > GTK style")<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
lxappearance<br />
<br />
You can also install {{Package AUR|chakra-gtk-config}}. After install it can be found in '''System Settings > Application Appearance > GTK Config'''.<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
====== oxygen-gtk ======<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to '''oxygen-gtk''', you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc-2.0}} with the following content:<br />
<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/oxygen-gtk/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "~/.themes/oxygen-gtk/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
style "user"<br />
{ <br />
fg[NORMAL] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[NORMAL] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[NORMAL] = "#181615"<br />
base[NORMAL] = "#ffffff"<br />
fg[ACTIVE] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[ACTIVE] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[ACTIVE] = "#181615"<br />
base[ACTIVE] = "#ffffff"<br />
fg[PRELIGHT] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[PRELIGHT] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[PRELIGHT] = "#ffffff"<br />
base[PRELIGHT] = "#43ace8"<br />
fg[SELECTED] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[SELECTED] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[SELECTED] = "#ffffff"<br />
base[SELECTED] = "#43ace8"<br />
fg[INSENSITIVE] = "#8d8a88"<br />
bg[INSENSITIVE] = "#ccc7c5"<br />
text[INSENSITIVE] = "#a6a5a5"<br />
base[INSENSITIVE] = "#f4f4f4"<br />
GtkTreeView::odd_row_color="#ffffff"<br />
GtkTreeView::even_row_color="#f8f7f6"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user"<br />
style "tooltips"<br />
{ <br />
bg[NORMAL] = "#bedfff"<br />
fg[NORMAL] = "#252321"<br />
}<br />
widget "gtk-tooltips" style "tooltips"<br />
#gtk-theme-name="qt4"<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="gk4ico"<br />
gtk-icon-sizes = "panel-menu=16,16:panel=16,16:gtk-button=22,22:gtk-large-toolbar=22,22"<br />
<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc}}:<br />
ln -s ~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc-2.0 ~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc<br />
<br />
====== QtCurve ======<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to '''QtCurve''', you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right click on the Kicker menu button, press '''Application launcher settings''' and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose an Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Official logos, icons, CD labels and other artwork for Arch Linux are provided in the {{Package Official|archlinux-artwork}} package. After installing you can find such artwork at {{filename|/usr/share/archlinux/}}.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
===== Fonts in KDE look poor =====<br />
<br />
Try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
===== Fonts are huge or seems disproportional =====<br />
<br />
Try to force fonts DPI to '''96''' on '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Fonts.'''<br />
<br />
If it doesn't work try set DPI directly on Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg#Setting_DPI_manually here].<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''criticized''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
One way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
Windows decorations can also be resized by decreasing button size in the decoration thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=48672/ wicd-kde].<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''System Settings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Power Saving===<br />
<br />
KDE has an integrated power saving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the power saving profile of the system and/or the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based power saving ====<br />
With KDE 4.6, CPU frequency scaling is no longer managed by KDE. Instead it's assumed to be handled automatically by the the hardware and/or kernel. While some distributions use the {{codeline|ondemand}} cpufreq governor by default, Arch does not.<br />
<br />
As a prerequisite to the following, you should carefully read through the [[cpufreq|wiki article on cpufreq]] and ensure that the appropriate kernel modules are loaded. If you are happy with setting your governor once at boot (with the {{filename|cpufreq}} daemon script, for example) then this section is not relevant and can be skipped.<br />
<br />
1. If you have not already done so, install the {{codeline|cpufrequtils}} package (for the {{filename|cpufreq-set}} utility):<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
2. Next, you'll need to grant access to {{filename|cpufreq-set}} for the appropriate users by configuring [[sudo]]. For example, if you are part of the ''wheel'' group, you could use {{codeline|visudo}} to add<br />
%wheel ALL = (ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/cpufreq-set<br />
to your {{filename|sudoers}} file.<br />
<br />
3. From '''System Settings > Power Management > Power Profiles''' select a profile to edit or create a new one. Check the '''Run Script''' option and add an appropriate {{filename|cpufreq-set}} command for the selected power profile. For example, your "Powersave" profile might have:<br />
sudo cpufreq-set -r -g ondemand<br />
Your "Performance" profile might have<br />
sudo cpufreq-set -r -g performance<br />
<br />
{{Note | The ''cpufreq-set'' examples above may be insufficient for setting the governor for all processors/cores.<br />
For some CPU families the {{codeline|-r}} switch may not set the governor for all cores/cpus and instead only set the governor for CPU 0. In this case you will need to write a script to iterate through all your cores. A simple script for a four core system could look like:<br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
for i in {0..3}; do<br />
sudo /usr/bin/cpufreq-set -c${i} -gondemand<br />
done<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{Note | You can check which governors are active with {{codeline|cpufreq-info -o}} or less intuitively by inspecting {{filename|/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor}}.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
===Monitoring changes on local files and directories===<br />
KDE now uses '''inotify''' directly from the kernel with '''kdirwatch''' (included in kdelibs), so Gamin or FAM are no longer needed. You may want to install this {{Package AUR|kdirwatch}} from [[AUR]] which is a GUI frontend for kdirwatch.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Hardware > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
===Useful KCM===<br />
<br />
KCM means KConfig Module. This modules help you to configure you system providing a interface on System Settings.<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for look&feel of your GTK apps.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=45462 chakra-gtk-config]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40980 kcm-gtk]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for the GRUB2 bootloader.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47871 grub2-editor]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=45816 kcm-grub2]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Synaptics driver based touchpads.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=35531 kcm_touchpad]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for main system config file rc.conf.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47842 kcm-rcconf-settings]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Firewalls#ufw UFW]'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=46880 kcm-ufw]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Policy Kit'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=43984 polkit-kde-kcmodules]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Wacom Tablet'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=41960 kcm-wacomtablet]<br />
<br />
More KCM can be found [http://kde-apps.org/index.php?xcontentmode=273 here].<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This chapter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc}} and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
==== Configuring Akonadi to use MySQL Server running on the System ====<br />
<br />
First, you need to set up the database using the following commands (replace password with the correct one):<br />
<br />
CREATE DATABASE akonadi;<br />
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON akonadi.* TO 'akonadiuser' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';<br />
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;<br />
<br />
If {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf}} does not exist then<br />
<br />
cp /usr/share/config/akonadi/mysql-global.conf ~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf<br />
<br />
and uncomment the following line<br />
<br />
sql_mode=strict_trans_tables<br />
<br />
Then edit {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc}}:<br />
<br />
[%General]<br />
Driver=QMYSQL<br />
<br />
[QMYSQL]<br />
Name=akonadi<br />
Host=localhost<br />
ServerPath=/usr/bin/mysqld<br />
StartServer=false<br />
User=akonadiuser<br />
Password=<password><br />
Options=<br />
<br />
[Debug]<br />
Tracer=null<br />
<br />
Restart the Akonadi server with:<br />
<br />
akonadictl restart<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at {{filename|/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc}}. See {{filename|/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook}} for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under {{filename|/root/.kde4}} and not under {{filename|~/.kde4}} (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ({{Package Official|phonon-gstreamer}}), VLC ({{Package Official|phonon-vlc}}), Xine in [unsupported] ({{Package AUR|phonon-xine}}) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ({{Package AUR|phonon-mplayer}}). Most users will want GStreamer or VLC which have the best upstream support. Note that multiple backends can be installed at once and you can switch between them via System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend.<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<blockquote>"Phonon Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases."</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>"This intial preference currently rates GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature difference."</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Using Telepathy==<br />
A new project, known as [http://community.kde.org/Real-Time_Communication_and_Collaboration Real-Time Communication and Collaboration], has been started in KDE.<br />
The goal is to integrate Instant Messaging clients with the desktop systems.<br />
<br />
At the moment things are in progress and miss some features, but a very base communication system is ready.<br />
<br />
To install all Telepathy protocols install the ''telepathy'' group.<br />
To use the Telepathy KDE client, install the ''telepathy-kde'' group.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE4 does not finish loading===<br />
There might be a situation in which the graphic driver might create a conflict when starting KDE4. This situation happens after the login but before finishing loading the desktop, making the user wait indefinitely at the loading screen. Until now the only users confirmed to be affected by this are the ones that use Nvidia drivers and KDE4.<br />
<br />
A solution for Nvidia users is to edit the file at {{filename|/home/user/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc}} and change the option '''Enabled=true''' to '''false''' in the '''[Compositing]''' section. For more information look at this thread: [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=932598].<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your {{filename|/etc/profile}} (or {{filename|~/.profile}} if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
Alternatively, you can symlink the Qt styles directory to the KDE styles one:<br />
# ln -s /usr/lib/kde4/plugins/styles/ /usr/lib/qt/plugins/styles<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create {{filename|~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh}} with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install {{Package AUR|xautomation}} from [[AUR]] and {{Package Official|xbindkeys}} from [community].<br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named {{filename|.xbindkeysrc}} and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in {{filename|/home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart}} named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the {{filename|.xinitrc}},<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength. So, only use Raster engine if you are having problems or your GPU is much slower than you CPU, otherwise is better to use XRender.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your {{filename|~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc}} file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when using the GStreamer Phonon backend=====<br />
That can be solved by installing the GStreamer plugins:<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
<br />
If you still encounter problems, you can try changing the Phonon backend used by installing another such as {{Package Official|phonon-vlc}}:<br />
pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
Then make sure the backend is perfered via:<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend (tab)<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create an udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
KERNEL=="sda2", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
===Konsole doesn't save commands' history===<br />
By default console commands' history is saved only when you type 'exit' in console. When you close Konsole with 'x' in the corner it doesn't happen.<br />
To enable autosaving after every command execution you should add following lines into your .bashrc<br />
shopt -s histappend<br />
[[ "${PROMPT_COMMAND}" ]] && PROMPT_COMMAND="$PROMPT_COMMAND;history -a" || PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a"<br />
<br />
===Kimpanel doesn't work with the IBus backend===<br />
There is a bug ({{bug|19580}}) with current Arch kimpanel packaging. See [[IBus#Kimpanel]] for a workaround.<br />
<br />
===KDE password prompts display three bullets per char===<br />
You can change it under '''System Settings > Account Details'''. At '''Password & User Account''' the options are:<br />
*Show one bullet for each letter<br />
*Show three bullets for each letter<br />
*Show nothing<br />
<br />
===knotify4 process constantly uses CPU time===<br />
It's a bug with Gstreamer phonon back-end. Try changing to VLC phonon on '''System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon > Backend'''. If this isn't in the list, install it:<br />
<br />
#pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
If you don't want change the back-end you can try use an external player to play the sound systems. First install mplayer, vlc or any other sound player.<br />
<br />
Go to '''System Settings > Application and System Notifications > Manage Notifications > Player Settings''' and change to '''Use an external player''' putting the path of your preferred sound player.<br />
<br />
===Nepomukserver process still autostart even with semantic desktop disabled===<br />
Go to ''' System Settings > Startup and Shutdown > Service Manager > Startup Services''' and uncheck the Nepomuk Search Module.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try [[Reflector]].<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=150509KDE2011-08-02T12:36:51Z<p>Flamelab: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
[[fr:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.7''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.7 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
:''As you already know KDE is (slowly) moving to GIT. With this<br />
transition some KDE module has been splitted into subprojects, and the<br />
remaining modules should be splitted before KDE 4.8.<br />
The result of this is that some package (e.g. kdegraphics-libs) is now<br />
splitted in several packages and each new package conflicts with the<br />
old kdegraphics-libs, so you have to remove it when pacman asks for<br />
its removal during the update.<br />
<br />
Here some info about the splitted modules:<br />
- KDE Workspace: wallpapers are now in a separate package named<br />
kde-wallpapers, this reduced the kdebase-workspace package download<br />
size by 70%.<br />
- KDE Graphics: kdegraphics-libs is now splitted in<br />
kdegraphics-ksaneplugin, kdegraphics-strigi-analyzer,<br />
kdegraphics-svgpart, kdegraphics-thumbnailers, libkdcraw, libkexiv2,<br />
libkipi, libksane. Our official packages which depends on<br />
kdegraphics-libs have been updated to depend on the new libraries; the<br />
upgrade should work without any issue, otherwise please report it to<br />
our bug tracker.<br />
- KDE Edu: kdeedu-libkdeedu and kdeedu-data have been dropped and<br />
libkdeedu will replace them.<br />
- KDE Bindings: every subproject has been splitted in two parts: one<br />
for the qt bindings and one for the KDE bindings. The old packages<br />
have been remove and the new one are: kdebindings-kimono,<br />
kdebindings-kross-java, kdebindings-kross-python,<br />
kdebindings-korundum, kdebindings-perlkde, kdebindings-perlqt,<br />
kdebindings-qtruby, kdebindings-qyoto, kdebindings-smokegen,<br />
kdebindings-smokekde, kdebindings-smokeqt.<br />
- KDE Accessibility: kdeaccessibility-colorschemes and<br />
kdeaccessibility-iconthemes are dropped and replaced.:''<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x doesn't need Gamin or Fam packages for monitoring changes on local files and directories [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Monitoring_changes_on_local_files_and_directories see more] }}<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
You can choose phonon-gstreamer instead phonon-vlc.<br />
<br />
==Starting KDE==<br />
<br />
{{Daemon|dbus}}<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
{{Merge|Uniform Look for QT and GTK Applications|Talk:KDE#KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications}}<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''oxygen-gtk''', a GTK port of the default KDE widget theme (Oxygen):<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
Alternatively, you can use '''QtCurve''', a GTK theme that has a Qt equivalent:<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or you can install {{Package AUR|oxygen-molecule}} from the [[AUR]], a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE (not updated anymore).<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S gtk-kde4<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
gtk-kde4 ("System Settings > Lost and Found > GTK style")<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
lxappearance<br />
<br />
You can also install {{Package AUR|chakra-gtk-config}}. After install it can be found in '''System Settings > Application Appearance > GTK Config'''.<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
====== oxygen-gtk ======<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to '''oxygen-gtk''', you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc-2.0}} with the following content:<br />
<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/oxygen-gtk/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "~/.themes/oxygen-gtk/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
style "user"<br />
{ <br />
fg[NORMAL] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[NORMAL] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[NORMAL] = "#181615"<br />
base[NORMAL] = "#ffffff"<br />
fg[ACTIVE] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[ACTIVE] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[ACTIVE] = "#181615"<br />
base[ACTIVE] = "#ffffff"<br />
fg[PRELIGHT] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[PRELIGHT] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[PRELIGHT] = "#ffffff"<br />
base[PRELIGHT] = "#43ace8"<br />
fg[SELECTED] = "#1b1918"<br />
bg[SELECTED] = "#d5d1cf"<br />
text[SELECTED] = "#ffffff"<br />
base[SELECTED] = "#43ace8"<br />
fg[INSENSITIVE] = "#8d8a88"<br />
bg[INSENSITIVE] = "#ccc7c5"<br />
text[INSENSITIVE] = "#a6a5a5"<br />
base[INSENSITIVE] = "#f4f4f4"<br />
GtkTreeView::odd_row_color="#ffffff"<br />
GtkTreeView::even_row_color="#f8f7f6"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user"<br />
style "tooltips"<br />
{ <br />
bg[NORMAL] = "#bedfff"<br />
fg[NORMAL] = "#252321"<br />
}<br />
widget "gtk-tooltips" style "tooltips"<br />
#gtk-theme-name="qt4"<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="gk4ico"<br />
gtk-icon-sizes = "panel-menu=16,16:panel=16,16:gtk-button=22,22:gtk-large-toolbar=22,22"<br />
<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc}}:<br />
ln -s ~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc-2.0 ~/.kde4/share/config/gtkrc<br />
<br />
====== QtCurve ======<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to '''QtCurve''', you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right click on the Kicker menu button, press '''Application launcher settings''' and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose an Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Official logos, icons, CD labels and other artwork for Arch Linux are provided in the {{Package Official|archlinux-artwork}} package. After installing you can find such artwork at {{filename|/usr/share/archlinux/}}.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
===== Fonts in KDE look poor =====<br />
<br />
Try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
===== Fonts are huge or seems disproportional =====<br />
<br />
Try to force fonts DPI to '''96''' on '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Fonts.'''<br />
<br />
If it doesn't work try set DPI directly on Xorg configuration [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xorg#Setting_DPI_manually here].<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''criticized''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
One way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
Windows decorations can also be resized by decreasing button size in the decoration thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=48672/ wicd-kde].<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''System Settings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Power Saving===<br />
<br />
KDE has an integrated power saving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the power saving profile of the system and/or the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based power saving ====<br />
With KDE 4.6, CPU frequency scaling is no longer managed by KDE. Instead it's assumed to be handled automatically by the the hardware and/or kernel. While some distributions use the {{codeline|ondemand}} cpufreq governor by default, Arch does not.<br />
<br />
As a prerequisite to the following, you should carefully read through the [[cpufreq|wiki article on cpufreq]] and ensure that the appropriate kernel modules are loaded. If you are happy with setting your governor once at boot (with the {{filename|cpufreq}} daemon script, for example) then this section is not relevant and can be skipped.<br />
<br />
1. If you have not already done so, install the {{codeline|cpufrequtils}} package (for the {{filename|cpufreq-set}} utility):<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
2. Next, you'll need to grant access to {{filename|cpufreq-set}} for the appropriate users by configuring [[sudo]]. For example, if you are part of the ''wheel'' group, you could use {{codeline|visudo}} to add<br />
%wheel ALL = (ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/cpufreq-set<br />
to your {{filename|sudoers}} file.<br />
<br />
3. From '''System Settings > Power Management > Power Profiles''' select a profile to edit or create a new one. Check the '''Run Script''' option and add an appropriate {{filename|cpufreq-set}} command for the selected power profile. For example, your "Powersave" profile might have:<br />
sudo cpufreq-set -r -g ondemand<br />
Your "Performance" profile might have<br />
sudo cpufreq-set -r -g performance<br />
<br />
{{Note | The ''cpufreq-set'' examples above may be insufficient for setting the governor for all processors/cores.<br />
For some CPU families the {{codeline|-r}} switch may not set the governor for all cores/cpus and instead only set the governor for CPU 0. In this case you will need to write a script to iterate through all your cores. A simple script for a four core system could look like:<br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
for i in {0..3}; do<br />
sudo /usr/bin/cpufreq-set -c${i} -gondemand<br />
done<br />
}}<br />
<br />
{{Note | You can check which governors are active with {{codeline|cpufreq-info -o}} or less intuitively by inspecting {{filename|/sys/devices/system/cpu/cpu*/cpufreq/scaling_governor}}.<br />
}}<br />
<br />
===Monitoring changes on local files and directories===<br />
KDE now uses '''inotify''' directly from the kernel with '''kdirwatch''' (included in kdelibs), so Gamin or FAM are no longer needed. You may want to install this {{Package AUR|kdirwatch}} from [[AUR]] which is a GUI frontend for kdirwatch.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Hardware > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
===Useful KCM===<br />
<br />
KCM means KConfig Module. This modules help you to configure you system providing a interface on System Settings.<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for look&feel of your GTK apps.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=45462 chakra-gtk-config]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40980 kcm-gtk]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for the GRUB2 bootloader.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47871 grub2-editor]<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=45816 kcm-grub2]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Synaptics driver based touchpads.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=35531 kcm_touchpad]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for main system config file rc.conf.'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47842 kcm-rcconf-settings]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Firewalls#ufw UFW]'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=46880 kcm-ufw]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Policy Kit'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=43984 polkit-kde-kcmodules]<br />
<br />
'''Configuration for Wacom Tablet'''<br />
*[https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=41960 kcm-wacomtablet]<br />
<br />
More KCM can be found [http://kde-apps.org/index.php?xcontentmode=273 here].<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This chapter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc}} and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
==== Configuring Akonadi to use MySQL Server running on the System ====<br />
<br />
First, you need to set up the database using the following commands (replace password with the correct one):<br />
<br />
CREATE DATABASE akonadi;<br />
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON akonadi.* TO 'akonadiuser' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';<br />
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;<br />
<br />
If {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf}} does not exist then<br />
<br />
cp /usr/share/config/akonadi/mysql-global.conf ~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf<br />
<br />
and uncomment the following line<br />
<br />
sql_mode=strict_trans_tables<br />
<br />
Then edit {{filename|~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc}}:<br />
<br />
[%General]<br />
Driver=QMYSQL<br />
<br />
[QMYSQL]<br />
Name=akonadi<br />
Host=localhost<br />
ServerPath=/usr/bin/mysqld<br />
StartServer=false<br />
User=akonadiuser<br />
Password=<password><br />
Options=<br />
<br />
[Debug]<br />
Tracer=null<br />
<br />
Restart the Akonadi server with:<br />
<br />
akonadictl restart<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at {{filename|/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc}}. See {{filename|/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook}} for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under {{filename|/root/.kde4}} and not under {{filename|~/.kde4}} (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ({{Package Official|phonon-gstreamer}}), VLC ({{Package Official|phonon-vlc}}), Xine in [unsupported] ({{Package AUR|phonon-xine}}) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ({{Package AUR|phonon-mplayer}}). Most users will want GStreamer or VLC which have the best upstream support. Note that multiple backends can be installed at once and you can switch between them via System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend.<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<blockquote>"Phonon Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases."</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>"This intial preference currently rates GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature difference."</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Using Telepathy==<br />
A new project, known as [http://community.kde.org/Real-Time_Communication_and_Collaboration Real-Time Communication and Collaboration], has been started in KDE.<br />
The goal is to integrate Instant Messaging clients with the desktop systems.<br />
<br />
At the moment things are in progress and miss some features, but a very base communication system is ready.<br />
<br />
To install all Telepathy protocols install the ''telepathy'' group.<br />
To use the Telepathy KDE client, install the ''telepathy-kde'' group.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE4 does not finish loading===<br />
There might be a situation in which the graphic driver might create a conflict when starting KDE4. This situation happens after the login but before finishing loading the desktop, making the user wait indefinitely at the loading screen. Until now the only users confirmed to be affected by this are the ones that use Nvidia drivers and KDE4.<br />
<br />
A solution for Nvidia users is to edit the file at {{filename|/home/user/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc}} and change the option '''Enabled=true''' to '''false''' in the '''[Compositing]''' section. For more information look at this thread: [https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=932598].<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your {{filename|/etc/profile}} (or {{filename|~/.profile}} if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
Alternatively, you can symlink the Qt styles directory to the KDE styles one:<br />
# ln -s /usr/lib/kde4/plugins/styles/ /usr/lib/qt/plugins/styles<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create {{filename|~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh}} with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install {{Package AUR|xautomation}} from [[AUR]] and {{Package Official|xbindkeys}} from [community].<br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named {{filename|.xbindkeysrc}} and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in {{filename|/home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart}} named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the {{filename|.xinitrc}},<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength. So, only use Raster engine if you are having problems or your GPU is much slower than you CPU, otherwise is better to use XRender.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your {{filename|~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc}} file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when using the GStreamer Phonon backend=====<br />
That can be solved by installing the GStreamer plugins:<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
<br />
If you still encounter problems, you can try changing the Phonon backend used by installing another such as {{Package Official|phonon-vlc}}:<br />
pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
Then make sure the backend is perfered via:<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend (tab)<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create an udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
KERNEL=="sda2", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
===Konsole doesn't save commands' history===<br />
By default console commands' history is saved only when you type 'exit' in console. When you close Konsole with 'x' in the corner it doesn't happen.<br />
To enable autosaving after every command execution you should add following lines into your .bashrc<br />
shopt -s histappend<br />
[[ "${PROMPT_COMMAND}" ]] && PROMPT_COMMAND="$PROMPT_COMMAND;history -a" || PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a"<br />
<br />
===Kimpanel doesn't work with the IBus backend===<br />
There is a bug ({{bug|19580}}) with current Arch kimpanel packaging. See [[IBus#Kimpanel]] for a workaround.<br />
<br />
===KDE password prompts display three bullets per char===<br />
You can change it under '''System Settings > Account Details'''. At '''Password & User Account''' the options are:<br />
*Show one bullet for each letter<br />
*Show three bullets for each letter<br />
*Show nothing<br />
<br />
===knotify4 process constantly uses CPU time===<br />
It's a bug with Gstreamer phonon back-end. Try changing to VLC phonon on '''System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon > Backend'''. If this isn't in the list, install it:<br />
<br />
#pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
If you don't want change the back-end you can try use an external player to play the sound systems. First install mplayer, vlc or any other sound player.<br />
<br />
Go to '''System Settings > Application and System Notifications > Manage Notifications > Player Settings''' and change to '''Use an external player''' putting the path of your preferred sound player.<br />
<br />
===Nepomukserver process still autostart even with semantic desktop disabled===<br />
Go to ''' System Settings > Startup and Shutdown > Service Manager > Startup Services''' and uncheck the Nepomuk Search Module.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try [[Reflector]].<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME&diff=140757GNOME2011-05-09T22:38:44Z<p>Flamelab: /* Enabling extensions */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{i18n|GNOME 3}}<br />
[[fr:gnome3]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME 3 provides a modern desktop, rewritten from scratch, using the GTK3+ toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
For GNOME 3, the GNOME Project has started from scratch and created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies. In GNOME 3:<br />
* There is a new default modern visual theme and font<br />
* The Activities view which provides an easy way to access all your windows and applications<br />
* Built-in (integrated) messaging desktop services<br />
* A more subtle notifications system and a more discrete panel<br />
* A fast Activities search feature<br />
* A new System Settings application <br />
* ... and more features like: window tiling (Aero Snap like), an improved Nautilus etc. <br />
<br />
[more details on the [http://www.gnome3.org/ GNOME3] website]<br />
<br />
== Introduction ==<br />
<br />
GNOME3 comes with '''two''' interfaces, '''gnome-shell''' (the new, standard layout) and '''fallback''' mode. gnome-session will automatically detect if your computer is capable of running gnome-shell and will start fallback mode if not. <br />
<br />
'''Fallback''' mode is very similar to the GNOME 2.x layout (while using gnome-panel and metacity, instead of gnome-shell and Mutter).<br />
<br />
If you are on fallback mode you can still change the window manager with your preferred one.<br />
<br />
== Upgrade from the current gnome 2.32 ==<br />
<br />
{{Warning|The session might crash during the update and it is recommended that you run the update command in a screen session, from another DE or WM, or from tty}}<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu <br />
<br />
'''Important''': You will end up with a system that has GNOME 3.x '''fallback''' mode. To install the new shell:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-shell<br />
<br />
== Installing to a new system ==<br />
<br />
GNOME 3 is in [extra]. You can install it by running the following command:<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu gnome<br />
<br />
For additional applications<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu gnome-extra<br />
<br />
===Daemons and modules needed by GNOME===<br />
<br />
The GNOME desktop requires one daemon, '''DBUS''' for proper operation. <br />
<br />
To start the DBUS daemon:<br />
# rc start dbus<br />
<br />
Or add these daemons to the '''DAEMONS''' array in {{Filename|/etc/[[rc.conf]]}} so they will start on boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' network crond)<br />
<br />
'''GVFS''' allows the mounting of virtual file systems (e.g. file systems over FTP or SMB) to be used by other applications, including the GNOME file manager Nautilus. This is done with the use of '''FUSE''': a user space virtual file system layer kernel module.<br />
<br />
To load the FUSE kernel module:<br />
# modprobe fuse<br />
<br />
Or add the module to the '''MODULES''' array in {{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}} so they will load at boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
MODULES=('''fuse''' usblp)<br />
<br />
{{Note|FUSE is a kernel module, not a daemon.}}<br />
<br />
===Running GNOME===<br />
<br />
For better desktop integration '''GDM''' is recommended (but other login managers, such as SLiM also work, see Policykit section).<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gdm<br />
<br />
Check out [[Display_Manager]] to learn how to start it correctly.<br />
<br />
If you prefer to start it from the console, add the following line to your {{Filename|~/.xinitrc}} file, making sure it's the last line and the only one that starts with ''exec'' (see [[xinitrc]]):<br />
exec ck-launch-session gnome-session<br />
<br />
Now GNOME will start when you enter the following command:<br />
$ startx<br />
<br />
== Using the shell ==<br />
<br />
See https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/CheatSheet<br />
<br />
== Customization ==<br />
=== Using Gnome-tweak-tool ===<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool<br />
<br />
This tool can customize fonts, themes, minimize & maximize buttons and some other useful settings like what action is taken when the lid is closed.<br />
<br />
A good customization tutorial is http://blog.fpmurphy.com/2011/03/customizing-the-gnome-3-shell.html which explores the power of gsettings.<br />
<br />
===GDM Customization===<br />
<br />
# su - gdm -s /bin/bash<br />
$ dbus-launch<br />
<br />
This command will print DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS and DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID. We need to export them<br />
<br />
$ export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:abstract=/tmp/dbus-Jb433gMQHS,guid=fc14d4bf3d000e38276a5a2200000d38<br />
$ export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID=4283<br />
<br />
Check to see if dconf-service is running and if not, start it like this<br />
<br />
$ /usr/lib/dconf/dconf-service &<br />
<br />
====Wallpaper====<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri "file:///usr/share/backgrounds/gnome/SundownDunes.jpg"<br />
<br />
You will need to point to a file where the gdm user has permission to read, not in your home directory.<br />
<br />
====Turning off the sound====<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.sound event-sounds false<br />
<br />
====Change GDM's keyboard layout====<br />
Since GDM 3 does not care about your gnome keyboard settings, you have to set your layout to Xorg config.<br />
See here: [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Beginners'_Guide#Non-US_keyboard Beginners'_Guide#Non-US_keyboard]<br />
<br />
=== Changing the GTK3 theme using settings.ini ===<br />
<br />
Similar to {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} for GTK2+ it is possible to set the GTK3 (Gnome 3) theme via {{Filename|${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini}}. By default {{Filename|${XDG_CONFIG_HOME} }} is interpreted as {{Filename|~/.config}}.<br />
<br />
Only Adwaita theme exists in this moment for gtk3 and is available in '''gnome-themes-standard''' package.<br />
<br />
Example:<br />
<br />
[Settings]<br />
gtk-theme-name = Adwaita<br />
gtk-fallback-icon-theme = gnome<br />
# next option is applicable only if selected theme supports it<br />
gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme = true<br />
# set font name and dimension<br />
gtk-font-name = Sans 10<br />
<br />
It may be necessary to restart one's DE or WM for the settings to be applied.<br />
<br />
{{Note|More options can be find there: [http://developer.gnome.org/gtk3/3.0/GtkSettings.html#GtkSettings.properties GtkSettings documentation]}}<br />
<br />
=== Resizing the Massive Titlebar ===<br />
# sed -i "/title_vertical_pad/s/value=\"[0-9]\{1,2\}\"/value=\"0\"/g" /usr/share/themes/Adwaita/metacity-1/metacity-theme-3.xml<br />
<br />
Hit {{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}} and type ''restart'' followed by {{Keypress|Enter}} <br />
<br />
This will change the title_vertical_pad from 14 to 0 giving a much sleeker look to windows.<br />
<br />
To restore the original values:<br />
sudo pacman -S gnome-themes-standard<br />
<br />
===Setting an icon theme===<br />
<br />
{{Note | With gnome-tweak-tool version 3.0.3 and later, you can place icon theme you wish to use inside ~/.icons.}}<br />
<br />
Usefully, Gnome 3 is able to use Gnome 2 icon themes, which means you're not stuck with the default set. To do this, simply copy your desired icon theme's directory to ~/.icons. For example:<br />
<br />
$ cp -R /home/user/Desktop/my_new_icon_theme ~/.icons<br />
<br />
The new icon theme 'my_new_icon_theme' will now be selectable using the gnome-tweak-tool (under 'Interface'), otherwise it can be set with no need of gnome-tweak-tool by adding the gtk-icon-theme-name entry inside ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini.<br />
{{file|name=${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini|content=<br />
.....<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name = my_new_icon_theme<br />
.....<br />
}}<br />
<br />
=== Start program automatically after login to GNOME 3 ===<br />
You can specify which programs to start automatically after login using the '''gnome-session-properties''' tool, which is a part of the '''gnome-session''' package.<br />
$ gnome-session-properties<br />
<br />
=== Removing folders from the "Computer" section in Nautilus's Places sidebar ===<br />
<br />
The displayed folders are specified in {{Filename|~/.config/user-dirs.dirs}} and can be altered with any editor. An execution of {{codeline|xdg-user-dirs-update}} will change them again, thus it may be advisable to set the file permissions to read-only.<br />
<br />
=== Setting the default terminal via console ===<br />
<br />
{{codeline|gsettings}}, which replaces {{codeline|gconftool-2}} in Gnome 3, is used to set e. g. the default terminal manually. The setting is relevant for ''nautilus-open-terminal''.<br />
<br />
The commands for [[rxvt-unicode|urxvt]] run as daemon:<br />
<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec urxvtc<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec-arg "'-e'"<br />
<br />
=== Setting Nautilus to Use Location Bar Entry ===<br />
<br />
If you want to enter path locations manually in Nautilus you can press ctrl+l. To make this persistent you can use gsettings.<br />
<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.preferences always-use-location-entry true<br />
<br />
=== Disable accessibility icon in panel ===<br />
First deactivate it as startup-service: [[GNOME_3#Start_program_automatically_after_login_to_GNOME_3]]<br />
<br />
After that create a folder named '''noa11y.icon@panel.ui''' in '''$HOME/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions'''. In this folder create two files. The first one is named '''extension.js''' and has this content:<br />
const Panel = imports.ui.panel;<br />
<br />
function main() {<br />
Panel.STANDARD_TRAY_ICON_SHELL_IMPLEMENTATION['a11y'] = ''''''';<br />
}<br />
The second one is named '''metadata.json''' and has this content:<br />
{<br />
"shell-version": ["3.0.1"],<br />
"uuid": "noa11y.icon@panel.ui",<br />
"name": "na11y",<br />
"description": "Turn off the ally icon in the panel"<br />
}<br />
Now restart the gnome-shell (press '''ALT+F2''', type '''r''' and press '''Enter''') and the icon is away. If this extensions stops working adjust the shell-version number in the metadata-file according to your version.<br />
<br />
=== Disable bluetooth icon in panel ===<br />
First deactivate it as startup-service: [[GNOME_3#Start_program_automatically_after_login_to_GNOME_3]]<br />
<br />
After that create a folder named '''nobluetooth.icon@panel.ui''' in '''$HOME/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions'''. In this folder create two files. The first one is named '''extension.js''' and has this content:<br />
const Panel = imports.ui.panel;<br />
<br />
function main() {<br />
Panel.STANDARD_TRAY_ICON_SHELL_IMPLEMENTATION['bluetooth'] = ''''''';<br />
}<br />
The second one is named '''metadata.json''' and has this content:<br />
{<br />
"shell-version": ["3.0.1"],<br />
"uuid": "nobluetooth.icon@panel.ui",<br />
"name": "nbluetooth",<br />
"description": "Turn off the bluetooth icon in the panel"<br />
}<br />
Now restart the gnome-shell (press '''ALT+F2''', type '''r''' and press '''Enter''') and the icon is away. If this extensions stops working adjust the shell-version number in the metadata-file according to your version.<br />
<br />
=== Middle Mouse Button Emulation ===<br />
<br />
By default, GNOME 3 disables middle mouse button emulation regardless of Xorg settings ('''Emulate3Buttons'''). To enable middle mouse button emulation use:<br />
<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.settings-daemon.peripherals.mouse middle-button-enabled true<br />
<br />
=== Battery icon ===<br />
To have battery tray icon, install gnome-power-manager package:<br />
# pacman -S gnome-power-manager<br />
<br />
== Enabling fallback mode==<br />
<br />
Your session will automatically start in fallback mode if gnome-shell is not present or if your desktop cannot handle graphics acceleration (such as running in a Virtual Machine or on old hardware). If you want to enable it while having gnome-shell installed, open gnome-control-center. Open System Info > Graphics. Change ''Forced Fallback Mode'' to ''ON''.<br />
<br />
== Enabling hidden features ==<br />
<br />
Gnome 3.0 hides a lot of useful options which you can customize with '''dconf-editor''' or '''gconf-editor''' for settings not yet migrated to dconf.<br />
<br />
=== Changing Hotkeys ===<br />
<br />
In '''dconf-editor''', enable org.gnome.desktop.interface "can-change-accels".<br />
<br />
An example of changing the delete hotkey:<br />
Open nautilus, select any file/directory, then click "Edit" from the menubar, and hover over the "Move to Trash" menuitem.<br />
While hovering, push '''delete''', and default accel will be unset. Now push the key that you want to set as accel. <br />
i.e. Pushing again '''delete''', will make the accel change to "del".<br />
<br />
Make sure you have selected a file, else the "Move to Trash" menuitem will be greyed out.<br />
You should disable "can-change-accels" afterwards, to prevent accidental accel changes.<br />
<br />
== How to shutdown through the Status menu ==<br />
<br />
For now, the Shutdown option seems to be hidden if the user presses the Status menu on the upper right. If you want to shutdown your system through the Status menu, click on it and then press the '''Alt''' button. The "'''Suspend'''" option will instantly turn into "Power off...", as long as you are pressing the Alt button, which will allow you to properly shutdown your system.<br />
<br />
You can also install the "Alternative Status Menu" extension (see the section on Enabling Extensions, below). This will put a permanent "Power Off" option in the Status menu below the usual suspend option.<br />
<br />
== Enabling integrated messaging ==<br />
<br />
Empathy, the engine behind the integrated messaging, and all of the system settings based on your messaging accounts will not show up unless the '''telepathy''' group of packages or at least one of the backends ('''telepathy-gabble''', or '''telepathy-haze''', for example) is installed. These are not included in the default Arch GNOME installs and the Empathy interface doesn't give a nice error message, it just fails to work silently. You can install them:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S telepathy<br />
<br />
== Enabling extensions ==<br />
<br />
Gnome Shell can be customised to an extent with extensions that have been written by others. These provide functionality like having a dock that is always present, and being able to change the shell theme. More details on the functionality of currently available extensions is given [http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/gnome-shell-extensions-additional.html here] You can use the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47501 gnome-shell-extensions-git] package in the AUR to install them or [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?sort=&q=gnome-shell-extension&maintainer=&last_update=&flagged=&limit=50 install them individually using the [extra] extensions' snapshots] . Restart Gnome to enable them.<br />
<br />
If installing the extensions causes Gnome to stop working then you must remove the user-theme extension and and the auto-move-windows extension from their installation directory (could be in ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/local/share/gnome-shell/extensions). Removing or adding extensions to these directories will remove or install them form the system. More details on Gnome Shell extensions are available [https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/Extensions here].<br />
<br />
== Troubleshooting ==<br />
<br />
=== My screen isn't locked after resume from suspend/hibernate ===<br />
<br />
Screen lock does only work when you suspend through gnome status menu. If you suspend or hibernate with powerbutton/etc. you screen is not locked after resume. This problem occours because of an config failure in dconf, so just open dconf-editor and change lock-use screensaver to false (unchecked) in org/gnome/power-manager. Your screen will no be locked after resume, regardless whether you used gnome status menu or power button or key combination.<br />
For more information see bugreport: [https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=698135#c8 Screen gets no more locked after suspend#Comment 8]<br />
<br />
=== My GTK2+ apps show segfaults and won't start ===<br />
<br />
That usually happens when '''oxygen-gtk''' is installed. That theme conflicts somehow with GNOME 3's or/and GTK3 settings and when it has been set as a GTK2 theme, the GTK2 apps segfault with errors like:<br />
<br />
<pre> (firefox-bin:14345): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: invalid (NULL) pointer instance<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: g_signal_connect_data: assertion `G_TYPE_CHECK_INSTANCE (instance)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_default_colormap: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_colormap_get_visual: assertion `GDK_IS_COLORMAP (colormap)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_default_colormap: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_root_window: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_root_window: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_window_new: assertion `GDK_IS_WINDOW (parent)' failed<br />
Segmentation fault<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
The current "workaround" is to '''remove''' '''oxygen-gtk''' from the system completely and set another theme for your apps.<br />
<br />
=== I use the ATI Catalyst driver and I encounter glitches and artifacts while using GNOME Shell ===<br />
<br />
For the moment, Catalyst is not proposed to be used while running GNOME Shell. The opensource ATI driver, xf86-video-ati, however, seems to be working properly with the GNOME 3 composited desktop.<br />
<br />
=== I have multiple monitors and the Dock extension appears stuck between them ===<br />
<br />
If you have multiple monitors configured using Nvidia Twinview, the dock extension may get sandwiched in-between the monitors. You can edit the source of this extension to reposition the dock to a position of your choosing.<br />
<br />
Edit '''/usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/dock@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org/extension.js''' and locate this line in the source:<br />
<br />
this.actor.set_position(primary.width-this._item_size-this._spacing-2, (primary.height-height)/2);<br />
<br />
The first parameter is the X position of the dock display, by subtracting 15 pixels as opposed to 2 pixels from this it correctly positioned on my primary monitor, you can play around with any X,Y coordinate pair to position it correctly.<br />
<br />
this.actor.set_position(primary.width-this._item_size-this._spacing-15, (primary.height-height)/2);<br />
<br />
=== There are no event sounds for Empathy and other programs ===<br />
The '''sound-theme-freedesktop''' package must be installed for the default event sounds:<br />
# pacman -S sound-theme-freedesktop<br />
<br />
=== Editing hotkeys via can-change-accels fails ===<br />
It is also possible to manually change the keys via an application's so-called accel map file. Where it is to be found is up to the application: For instance, Thunar's is at {{Filename|~/.config/Thunar/accels.scm}}, whereas Nautilus's is located at {{Filename|~/.gnome2/accels/nautilus}}. The file should contain a list of possible hotkeys, each unchanged line commented out with a leading ";" that has to be removed for a change to become active.<br />
<br />
=== "Failed to load session 'gnome-fallback'" message ===<br />
Check if '''notification-daemon''' is installed.<br />
# pacman -S notification-daemon</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME&diff=139179GNOME2011-05-01T18:21:26Z<p>Flamelab: /* I use the ATI Catalyst driver and I encounter glitches and artifacts while using GNOME Shell */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{i18n|GNOME 3}}<br />
[[fr:gnome3]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME 3 provides a modern desktop, rewritten from scratch, using the GTK3+ toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
For GNOME 3, the GNOME Project has started from scratch and created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies. In GNOME 3:<br />
* There is a new default modern visual theme and font<br />
* The Activities view which provides an easy way to access all your windows and applications<br />
* Built-in (integrated) messaging desktop services<br />
* A more subtle notifications system and a more discrete panel<br />
* A fast Activities search feature<br />
* A new System Settings application <br />
* ... and more features like: window tiling (Aero Snap like), an improved Nautilus etc. <br />
<br />
[more details on the [http://www.gnome3.org/ GNOME3] website]<br />
<br />
== Introduction ==<br />
<br />
GNOME3 comes with '''two''' interfaces, '''gnome-shell''' (the new, standard layout) and '''fallback''' mode. gnome-session will automatically detect if your computer is capable of running gnome-shell and will start fallback mode if not. <br />
<br />
'''Fallback''' mode is very similar to the GNOME 2.x layout (while using gnome-panel and metacity, instead of gnome-shell and Mutter).<br />
<br />
If you are on fallback mode you can still change the window manager with your preferred one.<br />
<br />
== Upgrade from the current gnome 2.32 ==<br />
<br />
{{Warning|The session might crash during the update and it is recommended that you run the update command in a screen session, from another DE or WM, or from tty}}<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu <br />
<br />
'''Important''': You will end up with a system that has GNOME 3.x '''fallback''' mode. To install the new shell:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-shell<br />
<br />
== Installing to a new system ==<br />
<br />
GNOME 3 is in [extra]. You can install it by running the following command:<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu gnome<br />
<br />
For additional applications<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu gnome-extra<br />
<br />
===Daemons and modules needed by GNOME===<br />
<br />
The GNOME desktop requires one daemon, '''DBUS''' for proper operation. <br />
<br />
To start the DBUS daemon:<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Or add these daemons to the '''DAEMONS''' array in {{Filename|/etc/[[rc.conf]]}} so they will start on boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' network crond)<br />
<br />
'''GVFS''' allows the mounting of virtual file systems (e.g. file systems over FTP or SMB) to be used by other applications, including the GNOME file manager Nautilus. This is done with the use of '''FUSE''': a user space virtual file system layer kernel module.<br />
<br />
To load the FUSE kernel module:<br />
# modprobe fuse<br />
<br />
Or add the module to the '''MODULES''' array in {{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}} so they will load at boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
MODULES=('''fuse''' usblp)<br />
<br />
{{Note|FUSE is a kernel module, not a daemon.}}<br />
<br />
===Running GNOME===<br />
<br />
For better desktop integration '''GDM''' is recommended (but other login managers, such as SLiM also work, see Policykit section).<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gdm<br />
<br />
Check out [[Display_Manager]] to learn how to start it correctly.<br />
<br />
If you prefer to start it from the console, add the following line to your {{Filename|~/.xinitrc}} file, making sure it's the last line and the only one that starts with ''exec'' (see [[xinitrc]]):<br />
exec ck-launch-session gnome-session<br />
<br />
Now GNOME will start when you enter the following command:<br />
$ startx<br />
<br />
== Using the shell ==<br />
<br />
See https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/CheatSheet<br />
<br />
== Customization ==<br />
=== Using Gnome-tweak-tool ===<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool<br />
<br />
This tool can customize fonts, themes, minimize & maximize buttons and some other useful settings like what action is taken when the lid is closed.<br />
<br />
A good customization tutorial is http://blog.fpmurphy.com/2011/03/customizing-the-gnome-3-shell.html which explores the power of gsettings.<br />
<br />
===Setting an icon theme===<br />
<br />
{{Note | With gnome-tweak-tool version 3.0.3 and later, you can place icon theme you wish to use inside ~/.icons.}}<br />
<br />
Usefully, Gnome 3 is able to use Gnome 2 icon themes, which means you're not stuck with the default set. To do this, simply copy your desired icon theme's directory to ~/.icons. For example:<br />
<br />
$ cp -R /home/user/Desktop/my_new_icon_theme ~/.icons<br />
<br />
The new icon theme 'my_new_icon_theme' will now be selectable using the gnome-tweak-tool (under 'Interface'), otherwise it can be set with no need of gnome-tweak-tool by adding the gtk-icon-theme-name entry inside ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini.<br />
{{file|name=${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini|content=<br />
.....<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name = my_new_icon_theme<br />
.....<br />
}}<br />
<br />
===GDM===<br />
<br />
# su - gdm -s /bin/bash<br />
$ dbus-launch<br />
<br />
This command will print DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS and DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID. We need to export them<br />
<br />
$ export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:abstract=/tmp/dbus-Jb433gMQHS,guid=fc14d4bf3d000e38276a5a2200000d38<br />
$ export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID=4283<br />
<br />
Check to see if dconf-service is running and if not, start it like this<br />
<br />
$ /usr/lib/dconf/dconf-service &<br />
<br />
====Wallpaper====<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri "file:///usr/share/backgrounds/gnome/SundownDunes.jpg"<br />
<br />
====Turning off the sound====<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.sound event-sounds false<br />
<br />
=== Changing the GTK3 theme using settings.ini ===<br />
<br />
Similar to {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} for GTK2+ it is possible to set the GTK3 (Gnome 3) theme via {{Filename|${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini}}. By default {{Filename|${XDG_CONFIG_HOME} }} is interpreted as {{Filename|~/.config}}.<br />
<br />
Only Adwaita theme exists in this moment for gtk3 and is available in '''gnome-themes-standard''' package.<br />
<br />
Example:<br />
<br />
[Settings]<br />
gtk-theme-name = Adwaita<br />
gtk-fallback-icon-theme = gnome<br />
gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme = true # applicable only if selected theme supports it<br />
gtk-font-name = Sans #set font name and dimension<br />
<br />
It may be necessary to restart one's DE or WM for the settings to be applied.<br />
<br />
{{Note|More options can be find there: [http://developer.gnome.org/gtk3/3.0/GtkSettings.html#GtkSettings.properties GtkSettings documentation]}}<br />
<br />
=== Start program automatically after login to GNOME 3 ===<br />
You can specify which programs to start automatically after login using the '''gnome-session-properties''' tool, which is a part of the '''gnome-session''' package.<br />
$ gnome-session-properties<br />
<br />
=== Removing folders from the "Computer" section in Nautilus's Places sidebar ===<br />
<br />
The displayed folders are specified in {{Filename|~/.config/user-dirs.dirs}} and can be altered with any editor. An execution of {{codeline|xdg-user-dirs-update}} will change them again, thus it may be advisable to set the file permissions to read-only.<br />
<br />
=== Setting the default terminal via console ===<br />
<br />
{{codeline|gsettings}}, which replaces {{codeline|gconftool-2}} in Gnome 3, is used to set e. g. the default terminal manually. The setting is relevant for ''nautilus-open-terminal''.<br />
<br />
The commands for [[rxvt-unicode|urxvt]] run as daemon:<br />
<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec urxvtc<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec-arg "'-e'"<br />
<br />
=== Setting Nautilus to Use Location Bar Entry ===<br />
<br />
If you want to enter path locations manually in Nautilus you can press ctrl+l. To make this persistent you can use gsettings.<br />
<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.preferences always-use-location-entry true<br />
<br />
== Enabling fallback mode==<br />
<br />
Your session will automatically start in fallback mode if gnome-shell is not present. If you want to enable it while having gnome-shell installed, open gnome-control-center. Open System Info > Graphics. Change ''Forced Fallback Mode'' to ''ON''.<br />
<br />
== Enabling hidden features ==<br />
<br />
Gnome 3.0 hides a lot of useful options which you can customize with '''dconf-editor''' or '''gconf-editor''' for settings not yet migrated to dconf.<br />
<br />
=== Changing Hotkeys ===<br />
<br />
In '''dconf-editor''', enable org.gnome.desktop.interface "can-change-accels".<br />
<br />
An example of changing the delete hotkey:<br />
Open nautilus, select any file/directory, then click "Edit" from the menubar, and hover over the "Move to Trash" menuitem.<br />
While hovering, push delete. The accel should change from "ctrl+del" to "del".<br />
<br />
Make sure you have selected a file, else the "Move to Trash" menuitem will be greyed out.<br />
You should disable "can-change-accels" afterwards, to prevent accidental accel changes.<br />
<br />
== How to shutdown through the Status menu ==<br />
<br />
For now, the Shutdown option seems to be hidden if the user presses the Status menu on the upper right. If you want to shutdown your system through the Status menu, click on it and then press the '''Alt''' button. The "'''Suspend'''" option will instantly turn into "Power off...", as long as you are pressing the Alt button, which will allow you to properly shutdown your system.<br />
<br />
You can also install the "Alternative Status Menu" extension (see the section on Enabling Extensions, below). This will put a permanent "Power Off" option in the Status menu below the usual suspend option.<br />
<br />
== Enabling integrated messaging ==<br />
<br />
Empathy, the engine behind the integrated messaging, and all of the system settings based on your messaging accounts will not show up unless the '''telepathy''' group of packages or at least one of the backends ('''telepathy-gabble''', or '''telepathy-haze''', for example) is installed. These are not included in the default Arch GNOME installs and the Empathy interface doesn't give a nice error message, it just fails to work silently. You can install them:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S telepathy<br />
<br />
== Enabling extensions ==<br />
<br />
Gnome Shell can be customised to an extent with extensions that have been written by others. These provide functionality like having a dock that is always present, and being able to change the shell theme. More details on the functionality of currently available extensions is given [http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/gnome-shell-extensions-additional.html here] You can use the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47501 gnome-shell-extensions-git] package in the AUR to install them. Restart Gnome to enable them.<br />
<br />
If installing the extensions causes Gnome to stop working then you must remove the user-theme extension and and the auto-move-windows extension from their installation directory (could be in ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/local/share/gnome-shell/extensions). Removing or adding extensions to these directories will remove or install them form the system. More details on Gnome Shell extensions are available [https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/Extensions here].<br />
<br />
== Troubleshooting ==<br />
=== My GTK2+ apps show segfaults and won't start ===<br />
<br />
That usually happens when '''oxygen-gtk''' is installed. That theme conflicts somehow with GNOME 3's or/and GTK3 settings and when it has been set as a GTK2 theme, the GTK2 apps segfault with errors like:<br />
<br />
<pre> (firefox-bin:14345): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: invalid (NULL) pointer instance<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: g_signal_connect_data: assertion `G_TYPE_CHECK_INSTANCE (instance)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_default_colormap: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_colormap_get_visual: assertion `GDK_IS_COLORMAP (colormap)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_default_colormap: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_root_window: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_root_window: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_window_new: assertion `GDK_IS_WINDOW (parent)' failed<br />
Segmentation fault<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
The current "workaround" is to '''remove''' '''oxygen-gtk''' from the system completely and set another theme for your apps.<br />
<br />
=== I use the ATI Catalyst driver and I encounter glitches and artifacts while using GNOME Shell ===<br />
<br />
For the moment, Catalyst is not proposed to be used while running GNOME Shell. The opensource ATI driver, xf86-video-ati, however, seems to be working properly with the GNOME 3 composited desktop.<br />
<br />
=== I have multiple monitors and the Dock extension appears stuck between them ===<br />
<br />
If you have multiple monitors configured using Nvidia Twinview, the dock extension may get sandwiched in-between the monitors. You can edit the source of this extension to reposition the dock to a position of your choosing.<br />
<br />
Edit '''/usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/dock@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org/extension.js''' and locate this line in the source:<br />
<br />
this.actor.set_position(primary.width-this._item_size-this._spacing-2, (primary.height-height)/2);<br />
<br />
The first parameter is the X position of the dock display, by subtracting 15 pixels as opposed to 2 pixels from this it correctly positioned on my primary monitor, you can play around with any X,Y coordinate pair to position it correctly.<br />
<br />
this.actor.set_position(primary.width-this._item_size-this._spacing-15, (primary.height-height)/2);<br />
<br />
=== There are no event sounds for Empathy and other programs ===<br />
The '''sound-theme-freedesktop''' package must be installed for the default event sounds:<br />
# pacman -S sound-theme-freedesktop<br />
<br />
=== Editing hotkeys via can-change-accels fails ===<br />
It is also possible to manually change the keys via an application's so-called accel map file. Where it is to be found is up to the application: For instance, Thunar's is at {{Filename|~/.config/Thunar/accels.scm}}, whereas Nautilus's is located at {{Filename|~/.gnome2/accels/nautilus}}. The file should contain a list of possible hotkeys, each unchanged line commented out with a leading ";" that has to be removed for a change to become active.<br />
<br />
=== "Failed to load session 'gnome-fallback'" message ===<br />
Check if '''notification-daemon''' is installed.<br />
# pacman -S notification-daemon</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME&diff=139177GNOME2011-05-01T18:20:45Z<p>Flamelab: /* My GTK2+ apps show segfaults and won't start */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{i18n|GNOME 3}}<br />
[[fr:gnome3]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME 3 provides a modern desktop, rewritten from scratch, using the GTK3+ toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
For GNOME 3, the GNOME Project has started from scratch and created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies. In GNOME 3:<br />
* There is a new default modern visual theme and font<br />
* The Activities view which provides an easy way to access all your windows and applications<br />
* Built-in (integrated) messaging desktop services<br />
* A more subtle notifications system and a more discrete panel<br />
* A fast Activities search feature<br />
* A new System Settings application <br />
* ... and more features like: window tiling (Aero Snap like), an improved Nautilus etc. <br />
<br />
[more details on the [http://www.gnome3.org/ GNOME3] website]<br />
<br />
== Introduction ==<br />
<br />
GNOME3 comes with '''two''' interfaces, '''gnome-shell''' (the new, standard layout) and '''fallback''' mode. gnome-session will automatically detect if your computer is capable of running gnome-shell and will start fallback mode if not. <br />
<br />
'''Fallback''' mode is very similar to the GNOME 2.x layout (while using gnome-panel and metacity, instead of gnome-shell and Mutter).<br />
<br />
If you are on fallback mode you can still change the window manager with your preferred one.<br />
<br />
== Upgrade from the current gnome 2.32 ==<br />
<br />
{{Warning|The session might crash during the update and it is recommended that you run the update command in a screen session, from another DE or WM, or from tty}}<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu <br />
<br />
'''Important''': You will end up with a system that has GNOME 3.x '''fallback''' mode. To install the new shell:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-shell<br />
<br />
== Installing to a new system ==<br />
<br />
GNOME 3 is in [extra]. You can install it by running the following command:<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu gnome<br />
<br />
For additional applications<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu gnome-extra<br />
<br />
===Daemons and modules needed by GNOME===<br />
<br />
The GNOME desktop requires one daemon, '''DBUS''' for proper operation. <br />
<br />
To start the DBUS daemon:<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Or add these daemons to the '''DAEMONS''' array in {{Filename|/etc/[[rc.conf]]}} so they will start on boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' network crond)<br />
<br />
'''GVFS''' allows the mounting of virtual file systems (e.g. file systems over FTP or SMB) to be used by other applications, including the GNOME file manager Nautilus. This is done with the use of '''FUSE''': a user space virtual file system layer kernel module.<br />
<br />
To load the FUSE kernel module:<br />
# modprobe fuse<br />
<br />
Or add the module to the '''MODULES''' array in {{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}} so they will load at boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
MODULES=('''fuse''' usblp)<br />
<br />
{{Note|FUSE is a kernel module, not a daemon.}}<br />
<br />
===Running GNOME===<br />
<br />
For better desktop integration '''GDM''' is recommended (but other login managers, such as SLiM also work, see Policykit section).<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gdm<br />
<br />
Check out [[Display_Manager]] to learn how to start it correctly.<br />
<br />
If you prefer to start it from the console, add the following line to your {{Filename|~/.xinitrc}} file, making sure it's the last line and the only one that starts with ''exec'' (see [[xinitrc]]):<br />
exec ck-launch-session gnome-session<br />
<br />
Now GNOME will start when you enter the following command:<br />
$ startx<br />
<br />
== Using the shell ==<br />
<br />
See https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/CheatSheet<br />
<br />
== Customization ==<br />
=== Using Gnome-tweak-tool ===<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool<br />
<br />
This tool can customize fonts, themes, minimize & maximize buttons and some other useful settings like what action is taken when the lid is closed.<br />
<br />
A good customization tutorial is http://blog.fpmurphy.com/2011/03/customizing-the-gnome-3-shell.html which explores the power of gsettings.<br />
<br />
===Setting an icon theme===<br />
<br />
{{Note | With gnome-tweak-tool version 3.0.3 and later, you can place icon theme you wish to use inside ~/.icons.}}<br />
<br />
Usefully, Gnome 3 is able to use Gnome 2 icon themes, which means you're not stuck with the default set. To do this, simply copy your desired icon theme's directory to ~/.icons. For example:<br />
<br />
$ cp -R /home/user/Desktop/my_new_icon_theme ~/.icons<br />
<br />
The new icon theme 'my_new_icon_theme' will now be selectable using the gnome-tweak-tool (under 'Interface'), otherwise it can be set with no need of gnome-tweak-tool by adding the gtk-icon-theme-name entry inside ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini.<br />
{{file|name=${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini|content=<br />
.....<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name = my_new_icon_theme<br />
.....<br />
}}<br />
<br />
===GDM===<br />
<br />
# su - gdm -s /bin/bash<br />
$ dbus-launch<br />
<br />
This command will print DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS and DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID. We need to export them<br />
<br />
$ export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:abstract=/tmp/dbus-Jb433gMQHS,guid=fc14d4bf3d000e38276a5a2200000d38<br />
$ export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID=4283<br />
<br />
Check to see if dconf-service is running and if not, start it like this<br />
<br />
$ /usr/lib/dconf/dconf-service &<br />
<br />
====Wallpaper====<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri "file:///usr/share/backgrounds/gnome/SundownDunes.jpg"<br />
<br />
====Turning off the sound====<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.sound event-sounds false<br />
<br />
=== Changing the GTK3 theme using settings.ini ===<br />
<br />
Similar to {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} for GTK2+ it is possible to set the GTK3 (Gnome 3) theme via {{Filename|${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini}}. By default {{Filename|${XDG_CONFIG_HOME} }} is interpreted as {{Filename|~/.config}}.<br />
<br />
Only Adwaita theme exists in this moment for gtk3 and is available in '''gnome-themes-standard''' package.<br />
<br />
Example:<br />
<br />
[Settings]<br />
gtk-theme-name = Adwaita<br />
gtk-fallback-icon-theme = gnome<br />
gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme = true # applicable only if selected theme supports it<br />
gtk-font-name = Sans #set font name and dimension<br />
<br />
It may be necessary to restart one's DE or WM for the settings to be applied.<br />
<br />
{{Note|More options can be find there: [http://developer.gnome.org/gtk3/3.0/GtkSettings.html#GtkSettings.properties GtkSettings documentation]}}<br />
<br />
=== Start program automatically after login to GNOME 3 ===<br />
You can specify which programs to start automatically after login using the '''gnome-session-properties''' tool, which is a part of the '''gnome-session''' package.<br />
$ gnome-session-properties<br />
<br />
=== Removing folders from the "Computer" section in Nautilus's Places sidebar ===<br />
<br />
The displayed folders are specified in {{Filename|~/.config/user-dirs.dirs}} and can be altered with any editor. An execution of {{codeline|xdg-user-dirs-update}} will change them again, thus it may be advisable to set the file permissions to read-only.<br />
<br />
=== Setting the default terminal via console ===<br />
<br />
{{codeline|gsettings}}, which replaces {{codeline|gconftool-2}} in Gnome 3, is used to set e. g. the default terminal manually. The setting is relevant for ''nautilus-open-terminal''.<br />
<br />
The commands for [[rxvt-unicode|urxvt]] run as daemon:<br />
<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec urxvtc<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec-arg "'-e'"<br />
<br />
=== Setting Nautilus to Use Location Bar Entry ===<br />
<br />
If you want to enter path locations manually in Nautilus you can press ctrl+l. To make this persistent you can use gsettings.<br />
<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.preferences always-use-location-entry true<br />
<br />
== Enabling fallback mode==<br />
<br />
Your session will automatically start in fallback mode if gnome-shell is not present. If you want to enable it while having gnome-shell installed, open gnome-control-center. Open System Info > Graphics. Change ''Forced Fallback Mode'' to ''ON''.<br />
<br />
== Enabling hidden features ==<br />
<br />
Gnome 3.0 hides a lot of useful options which you can customize with '''dconf-editor''' or '''gconf-editor''' for settings not yet migrated to dconf.<br />
<br />
=== Changing Hotkeys ===<br />
<br />
In '''dconf-editor''', enable org.gnome.desktop.interface "can-change-accels".<br />
<br />
An example of changing the delete hotkey:<br />
Open nautilus, select any file/directory, then click "Edit" from the menubar, and hover over the "Move to Trash" menuitem.<br />
While hovering, push delete. The accel should change from "ctrl+del" to "del".<br />
<br />
Make sure you have selected a file, else the "Move to Trash" menuitem will be greyed out.<br />
You should disable "can-change-accels" afterwards, to prevent accidental accel changes.<br />
<br />
== How to shutdown through the Status menu ==<br />
<br />
For now, the Shutdown option seems to be hidden if the user presses the Status menu on the upper right. If you want to shutdown your system through the Status menu, click on it and then press the '''Alt''' button. The "'''Suspend'''" option will instantly turn into "Power off...", as long as you are pressing the Alt button, which will allow you to properly shutdown your system.<br />
<br />
You can also install the "Alternative Status Menu" extension (see the section on Enabling Extensions, below). This will put a permanent "Power Off" option in the Status menu below the usual suspend option.<br />
<br />
== Enabling integrated messaging ==<br />
<br />
Empathy, the engine behind the integrated messaging, and all of the system settings based on your messaging accounts will not show up unless the '''telepathy''' group of packages or at least one of the backends ('''telepathy-gabble''', or '''telepathy-haze''', for example) is installed. These are not included in the default Arch GNOME installs and the Empathy interface doesn't give a nice error message, it just fails to work silently. You can install them:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S telepathy<br />
<br />
== Enabling extensions ==<br />
<br />
Gnome Shell can be customised to an extent with extensions that have been written by others. These provide functionality like having a dock that is always present, and being able to change the shell theme. More details on the functionality of currently available extensions is given [http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/gnome-shell-extensions-additional.html here] You can use the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47501 gnome-shell-extensions-git] package in the AUR to install them. Restart Gnome to enable them.<br />
<br />
If installing the extensions causes Gnome to stop working then you must remove the user-theme extension and and the auto-move-windows extension from their installation directory (could be in ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/local/share/gnome-shell/extensions). Removing or adding extensions to these directories will remove or install them form the system. More details on Gnome Shell extensions are available [https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/Extensions here].<br />
<br />
== Troubleshooting ==<br />
=== My GTK2+ apps show segfaults and won't start ===<br />
<br />
That usually happens when '''oxygen-gtk''' is installed. That theme conflicts somehow with GNOME 3's or/and GTK3 settings and when it has been set as a GTK2 theme, the GTK2 apps segfault with errors like:<br />
<br />
<pre> (firefox-bin:14345): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: invalid (NULL) pointer instance<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: g_signal_connect_data: assertion `G_TYPE_CHECK_INSTANCE (instance)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_default_colormap: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_colormap_get_visual: assertion `GDK_IS_COLORMAP (colormap)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_default_colormap: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_root_window: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_root_window: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_window_new: assertion `GDK_IS_WINDOW (parent)' failed<br />
Segmentation fault<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
The current "workaround" is to '''remove''' '''oxygen-gtk''' from the system completely and set another theme for your apps.<br />
<br />
=== I use the ATI Catalyst driver and I encounter glitches and artifacts while using GNOME Shell ===<br />
<br />
For the moment, Catalyst is not proposed to be used while using GNOME Shell. The opensource ATI driver, xf86-video-ati, however, seems to be working properly with the GNOME 3 composited desktop.<br />
<br />
=== I have multiple monitors and the Dock extension appears stuck between them ===<br />
<br />
If you have multiple monitors configured using Nvidia Twinview, the dock extension may get sandwiched in-between the monitors. You can edit the source of this extension to reposition the dock to a position of your choosing.<br />
<br />
Edit '''/usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/dock@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org/extension.js''' and locate this line in the source:<br />
<br />
this.actor.set_position(primary.width-this._item_size-this._spacing-2, (primary.height-height)/2);<br />
<br />
The first parameter is the X position of the dock display, by subtracting 15 pixels as opposed to 2 pixels from this it correctly positioned on my primary monitor, you can play around with any X,Y coordinate pair to position it correctly.<br />
<br />
this.actor.set_position(primary.width-this._item_size-this._spacing-15, (primary.height-height)/2);<br />
<br />
=== There are no event sounds for Empathy and other programs ===<br />
The '''sound-theme-freedesktop''' package must be installed for the default event sounds:<br />
# pacman -S sound-theme-freedesktop<br />
<br />
=== Editing hotkeys via can-change-accels fails ===<br />
It is also possible to manually change the keys via an application's so-called accel map file. Where it is to be found is up to the application: For instance, Thunar's is at {{Filename|~/.config/Thunar/accels.scm}}, whereas Nautilus's is located at {{Filename|~/.gnome2/accels/nautilus}}. The file should contain a list of possible hotkeys, each unchanged line commented out with a leading ";" that has to be removed for a change to become active.<br />
<br />
=== "Failed to load session 'gnome-fallback'" message ===<br />
Check if '''notification-daemon''' is installed.<br />
# pacman -S notification-daemon</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME&diff=139020GNOME2011-04-30T22:19:28Z<p>Flamelab: In extra now...</p>
<hr />
<div>{{i18n|GNOME 3}}<br />
[[fr:gnome3]]<br />
<br />
[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME 3 provides a modern desktop, rewritten from scratch, using the GTK3+ toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
For GNOME 3, the GNOME Project has started from scratch and created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies. In GNOME 3:<br />
* There is a new default modern visual theme and font<br />
* The Activities view which provides an easy way to access all your windows and applications<br />
* Built-in (integrated) messaging desktop services<br />
* A more subtle notifications system and a more discrete panel<br />
* A fast Activities search feature<br />
* A new System Settings application <br />
* ... and more features like: window tiling (Aero Snap like), an improved Nautilus etc. <br />
<br />
[more details on the [http://www.gnome3.org/ GNOME3] website]<br />
<br />
== Introduction ==<br />
<br />
GNOME3 comes with '''two''' interfaces, '''gnome-shell''' (the new, standard layout) and '''fallback''' mode. gnome-session will automatically detect if your computer is capable of running gnome-shell and will start fallback mode if not. <br />
<br />
'''Fallback''' mode is very similar to the GNOME 2.x layout (while using gnome-panel and metacity, instead of gnome-shell and Mutter).<br />
<br />
If you are on fallback mode you can still change the window manager with your preferred one.<br />
<br />
== Upgrade from the current gnome 2.32 ==<br />
<br />
{{Warning|The session might crash during the update and it is recommended that you run the update command in a screen session, from another DE or WM, or from tty}}<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu <br />
<br />
'''Important''': You will end up with a system that has GNOME 3.x '''fallback''' mode. To install the new shell:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-shell<br />
<br />
== Installing to a new system ==<br />
<br />
GNOME 3 is in [extra]. You can install it by running the following command:<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu gnome<br />
<br />
For additional applications<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu gnome-extra<br />
<br />
===Daemons and modules needed by GNOME===<br />
<br />
The GNOME desktop requires one daemon, '''DBUS''' for proper operation. <br />
<br />
To start the DBUS daemon:<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Or add these daemons to the '''DAEMONS''' array in {{Filename|/etc/[[rc.conf]]}} so they will start on boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' network crond)<br />
<br />
'''GVFS''' allows the mounting of virtual file systems (e.g. file systems over FTP or SMB) to be used by other applications, including the GNOME file manager Nautilus. This is done with the use of '''FUSE''': a user space virtual file system layer kernel module.<br />
<br />
To load the FUSE kernel module:<br />
# modprobe fuse<br />
<br />
Or add the module to the '''MODULES''' array in {{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}} so they will load at boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
MODULES=('''fuse''' usblp)<br />
<br />
{{Note|FUSE is a kernel module, not a daemon.}}<br />
<br />
===Running GNOME===<br />
<br />
For better desktop integration '''GDM''' is recommended (but other login managers, such as SLiM also work, see Policykit section).<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gdm<br />
<br />
Check out [[Display_Manager]] to learn how to start it correctly.<br />
<br />
If you prefer to start it from the console, add the following line to your {{Filename|~/.xinitrc}} file, making sure it's the last line and the only one that starts with ''exec'' (see [[xinitrc]]):<br />
exec ck-launch-session gnome-session<br />
<br />
Now GNOME will start when you enter the following command:<br />
$ startx<br />
<br />
== Using the shell ==<br />
<br />
See https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/CheatSheet<br />
<br />
== Customization ==<br />
=== Using Gnome-tweak-tool ===<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool<br />
<br />
This tool can customize fonts, themes, minimize & maximize buttons and some other useful settings like what action is taken when the lid is closed.<br />
<br />
A good customization tutorial is http://blog.fpmurphy.com/2011/03/customizing-the-gnome-3-shell.html which explores the power of gsettings.<br />
<br />
===Setting an icon theme===<br />
<br />
Usefully, Gnome 3 is able to use Gnome 2 icon themes, which means you're not stuck with the default set. To do this, simply copy your desired icon theme's directory to /usr/share/icons. For example:<br />
<br />
$ cp -R /home/user/Desktop/my_new_icon_theme /usr/share/icons<br />
<br />
The new icon theme 'my_new_icon_theme' will now be selectable using the gnome-tweak-tool (under 'Interface').<br />
<br />
===GDM===<br />
<br />
# su - gdm -s /bin/bash<br />
$ dbus-launch<br />
<br />
This command will print DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS and DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID. We need to export them<br />
<br />
$ export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS=unix:abstract=/tmp/dbus-Jb433gMQHS,guid=fc14d4bf3d000e38276a5a2200000d38<br />
$ export DBUS_SESSION_BUS_PID=4283<br />
<br />
Check to see if dconf-service is running and if not, start it like this<br />
<br />
$ /usr/lib/dconf/dconf-service &<br />
<br />
====Wallpaper====<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.background picture-uri "file:///usr/share/backgrounds/gnome/SundownDunes.jpg"<br />
<br />
====Turning off the sound====<br />
$ GSETTINGS_BACKEND=dconf gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.sound event-sounds false<br />
<br />
=== Changing the GTK3 theme using settings.ini ===<br />
<br />
Similar to {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} for GTK2+ it is possible to set the GTK3 (Gnome 3) theme via {{Filename|${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini}}. By default {{Filename|${XDG_CONFIG_HOME} }} is interpreted as {{Filename|~/.config}}.<br />
<br />
Example:<br />
<br />
[Settings]<br />
gtk-theme-name = Adwaita<br />
gtk-fallback-icon-theme = gnome<br />
gtk-application-prefer-dark-theme = true # applicable only if selected theme supports it<br />
<br />
It may be necessary to restart one's DE or WM for the settings to be applied.<br />
<br />
=== Start program automatically after login to GNOME 3 ===<br />
You can specify which programs to start automatically after login using the '''gnome-session-properties''' tool, which is a part of the '''gnome-session''' package.<br />
$ gnome-session-properties<br />
<br />
=== Removing folders from the "Computer" section in Nautilus's Places sidebar ===<br />
<br />
The displayed folders are specified in {{Filename|~/.config/user-dirs.dirs}} and can be altered with any editor. An execution of {{codeline|xdg-user-dirs-update}} will change them again, thus it may be advisable to set the file permissions to read-only.<br />
<br />
=== Setting the default terminal via console ===<br />
<br />
{{codeline|gsettings}}, which replaces {{codeline|gconftool-2}} in Gnome 3, is used to set e. g. the default terminal manually. The setting is relevant for ''nautilus-open-terminal''.<br />
<br />
The commands for [[rxvt-unicode|urxvt]] run as daemon:<br />
<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec urxvtc<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.default-applications.terminal exec-arg "'-e'"<br />
<br />
=== Setting Nautilus to Use Location Bar Entry ===<br />
<br />
If you want to enter path locations manually in Nautilus you can press ctrl+l. To make this persistent you can use gsettings.<br />
<br />
gsettings set org.gnome.nautilus.preferences always-use-location-entry true<br />
<br />
== Enabling fallback mode==<br />
<br />
Your session will automatically start in fallback mode if gnome-shell is not present. If you want to enable it while having gnome-shell installed, open gnome-control-center. Open System Info > Graphics. Change ''Forced Fallback Mode'' to ''ON''.<br />
<br />
== Enabling hidden features ==<br />
<br />
Gnome 3.0 hides a lot of useful options which you can customize with '''dconf-editor''' or '''gconf-editor''' for settings not yet migrated to dconf.<br />
<br />
=== Changing Hotkeys ===<br />
<br />
In '''dconf-editor''', enable org.gnome.desktop.interface "can-change-accels".<br />
<br />
An example of changing the delete hotkey:<br />
Open nautilus, select any file/directory, then click "Edit" from the menubar, and hover over the "Move to Trash" menuitem.<br />
While hovering, push delete. The accel should change from "ctrl+del" to "del".<br />
<br />
Make sure you have selected a file, else the "Move to Trash" menuitem will be greyed out.<br />
You should disable "can-change-accels" afterwards, to prevent accidental accel changes.<br />
<br />
== How to shutdown through the Status menu ==<br />
<br />
For now, the Shutdown option seems to be hidden if the user presses the Status menu on the upper right. If you want to shutdown your system through the Status menu, click on it and then press the '''Alt''' button. The "'''Suspend'''" option will instantly turn into "Power off...", as long as you are pressing the Alt button, which will allow you to properly shutdown your system.<br />
<br />
You can also install the "Alternative Status Menu" extension (see the section on Enabling Extensions, below). This will put a permanent "Power Off" option in the Status menu below the usual suspend option.<br />
<br />
== Enabling integrated messaging ==<br />
<br />
Empathy, the engine behind the integrated messaging, and all of the system settings based on your messaging accounts will not show up unless the '''telepathy''' group of packages or at least one of the backends ('''telepathy-gabble''', or '''telepathy-haze''', for example) is installed. These are not included in the default Arch GNOME installs and the Empathy interface doesn't give a nice error message, it just fails to work silently. You can install them:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S telepathy<br />
<br />
== Enabling extensions ==<br />
<br />
Gnome Shell can be customised to an extent with extensions that have been written by others. These provide functionality like having a dock that is always present, and being able to change the shell theme. More details on the functionality of currently available extensions is given [http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/gnome-shell-extensions-additional.html here] You can use the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47501 gnome-shell-extensions-git] package in the AUR to install them. Restart Gnome to enable them.<br />
<br />
If installing the extensions causes Gnome to stop working then you must remove the user-theme extension and and the auto-move-windows extension from their installation directory (could be in ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/local/share/gnome-shell/extensions). Removing or adding extensions to these directories will remove or install them form the system. More details on Gnome Shell extensions are available [https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/Extensions here].<br />
<br />
== Troubleshooting ==<br />
=== My GTK2+ apps show segfaults and won't start ===<br />
<br />
That usually happens when '''oxygen-gtk''' is installed. That theme conflicts somehow with GNOME 3's or/and GTK3 settings and when it has been set as a GTK2 theme, the GTK2 apps segfault with errors like:<br />
<br />
<pre> (firefox-bin:14345): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: invalid (NULL) pointer instance<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: g_signal_connect_data: assertion `G_TYPE_CHECK_INSTANCE (instance)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_default_colormap: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_colormap_get_visual: assertion `GDK_IS_COLORMAP (colormap)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_default_colormap: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_root_window: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_root_window: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_window_new: assertion `GDK_IS_WINDOW (parent)' failed<br />
Segmentation fault<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
The current "workaround" is to '''remove''' '''oxygen-gtk''' from the system completely and set another theme for your apps.<br />
<br />
=== I have multiple monitors and the Dock extension appears stuck between them ===<br />
<br />
If you have multiple monitors configured using Nvidia Twinview, the dock extension may get sandwiched in-between the monitors. You can edit the source of this extension to reposition the dock to a position of your choosing.<br />
<br />
Edit '''/usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions/dock@gnome-shell-extensions.gnome.org/extension.js''' and locate this line in the source:<br />
<br />
this.actor.set_position(primary.width-this._item_size-this._spacing-2, (primary.height-height)/2);<br />
<br />
The first parameter is the X position of the dock display, by subtracting 15 pixels as opposed to 2 pixels from this it correctly positioned on my primary monitor, you can play around with any X,Y coordinate pair to position it correctly.<br />
<br />
this.actor.set_position(primary.width-this._item_size-this._spacing-15, (primary.height-height)/2);<br />
<br />
=== There are no event sounds for Empathy and other programs ===<br />
The '''sound-theme-freedesktop''' package must be installed for the default event sounds:<br />
# pacman -S sound-theme-freedesktop<br />
<br />
=== Editing hotkeys via can-change-accels fails ===<br />
It is also possible to manually change the keys via an application's so-called accel map file. Where it is to be found is up to the application: For instance, Thunar's is at {{Filename|~/.config/Thunar/accels.scm}}, whereas Nautilus's is located at {{Filename|~/.gnome2/accels/nautilus}}. The file should contain a list of possible hotkeys, each unchanged line commented out with a leading ";" that has to be removed for a change to become active.</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME_2&diff=137727GNOME 22011-04-19T18:34:53Z<p>Flamelab: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|GNOME}}<br />
[[de:GNOME]]<br />
[[pl:GNOME]]<br />
[[fr:GNOME]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME offers an easy to understand desktop for your GNU/Linux or UNIX computer. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME uses the [[GTK+]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|GNOME Tips}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|GNOME Shell}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Changes}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|GNOME 2.30 Changes}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|GNOME 2.28 Changes}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
'''ATTENTION''': If you are looking for''' GNOME 3''' info, navigate to [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/GNOME_3 this page].<br />
<br />
From [http://www.gnome.org/about/ GNOME: The Free Software Desktop Project]:<br />
<br />
:''The GNOME project provides two things: The GNOME desktop environment, an intuitive and attractive desktop for users, and the GNOME development platform, an extensive framework for building applications that integrate into the rest of the desktop.''<br />
<br />
:''GNOME is '''free''', '''usable''', '''accessible''', '''international''', '''developer-friendly''', '''organized''', '''supported''', and '''a community'''.''<br />
<br />
This article covers the GNOME desktop environment.<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
===Base===<br />
{{Note|Gnome requires ''Xorg server'' to be installed on your system. If you don't have it yet, follow the instructions in [[Xorg|this article]] first.}}<br />
<br />
Install the '''base''' GNOME desktop<br />
{{cli|# pacman -S gnome}}<br />
<br />
This is a meta-package; which is a '''group''' of packages. An option will be given to install all or some of the packages in this group. All the packages can safely be installed and is highly recommended, but here is a list of some that may not be needed.<br />
<br />
*[[epiphany]] is a web browser that comes with GNOME. If you are planning on using a different browser e.g. Firefox then this package is not needed. It is recommended that you at least try Epiphany as it is an excellent browser that unfortunately gets over shadowed by Firefox.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome-backgrounds''' is a collection of desktop backgrounds (wallpapers) that the GNOME community has selected for you to use. If you already know what you will be using for your background e.g. a picture of your sweetheart, then this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome-terminal''' a GUI terminal, if you prefer your own terminal application like xterm or aterm then this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome-screensaver''' is a collection of screen-savers for the GNOME desktop. If you will not be using a screen-saver, i.e. using the GNOME power manager to shut the monitor off when not in use then this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome-themes''' is a collection of desktop themes. If you will be using a specific theme that you will be downloading separately then this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome2-user-docs''' and '''yelp''' are the help documents and help document reader for the GNOME desktop. If you are the kind of person that does not read documentation or you would rather use the large help documents known as Google, then there would be no need to install these packages. This is not recommended. (Ironically, if you are the kind of person that does not read documentation then chances are you won’t be reading this.) <br />
<br />
===Extras===<br />
<br />
Install the rest of the GNOME Desktop (highly recommended, see [[Gnome Tips|GNOME Tips]])by:<br />
{{cli|# pacman -S gnome-extra}}<br />
<br />
Like before, this is a meta-package, and it is recommended to install all packages in this group, but here is a list of some that may not be needed. If you wish to simply install gnome-extra without installing Mono applications like Tomboy, visit the [[Mono]] page on details on how to block it.<br />
<br />
*'''alacarte''' is an editor for the gnome-menu, if you are planning on using the menu it is recommended to use this package, though it can be done manually.<br />
<br />
*'''bug-buddy''' reports bugs, if you do not want to report bugs this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''cheese''' uses your webcam to take photos and videos; if you do not have a webcam then this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''dasher''' is a text entry application that uses the pointer instead of a keyboard. If you and everyone that will be using this desktop can use a keyboard then this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''deskbar-applet''' is an all-in-one search bar for the GNOME desktop. If you do not need a desktop search then this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''ekiga''' is a VOIP/Videoconferencing application. If you have no need for VOIP or use a different application like Skype, then this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''empathy''' is an all-in-one instant messaging client. This replaces Pidgin as the default chat client. Be sure to install all the relevant telepathy providers. View optdepends of ''pacman -Si empathy'' for a list of all providers. <br />
<br />
*'''eog''' views almost all types of images, you may choose to take your own image viewer.<br />
<br />
*'''evince''' is a simple document (e.g. pdf) viewer. If you are planning on using a different viewer e.g. Adobe Reader then this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''[[evolution]]''' is a Personal Information Management PIM (e-mail, calendar, contacts, etc.) application for GNOME. If you are planning on using a different PIM; e.g. Thunderbird, or a web PIM like a Google or yahoo account then you have no need for this package.<br />
<br />
*'''evolution-exchange''' is a plug in for Evolution that allows Evolution to connect to Exchange. If you do not use Exchange or Evolution then you have no need for this package.<br />
<br />
*'''evolution-webcal''' is a web calendar plug in for Evolution. If you do not use Evolution then you have no need for this package.<br />
<br />
*'''fast-user-switch-applet''' is an applet that allows the switching of users without going through a log out, and log in screen, i.e. you can switch users fast. If there is only one user on your computer or you like seeing the log in screen then you have no need for this package.<br />
<br />
*'''file-roller''' is a GUI archive manager which works as winzip/winrar. If you prefer to (un)pack archives through the command-line this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''gcalctool''' , a default calculator application with different views.<br />
<br />
*'''gconf-editor''' , the back-end editor for all GNOME settings.<br />
<br />
*'''[[GDM|gdm]]''' facilitates the starting of GNOME at boot up. If you like your computer to boot into a nice traditional command line and you will start GNOME only when you need it, then this package is not for you.<br />
<br />
*'''gedit''' is a GUI based text editor. If you plan on using a different text editor – as most people's devotion to their favorite text editor is religious you more than likely have an example in mind – then you have no need to install this package. Gedit however is a very good editor that offers useful features while keeping things simple and is especially well suited for beginning programmers who don't want the hassle of vim, emacs, or kdevelop(note these are all good programs also and well worth learning later on). It has many useful plugins such as commenting/uncommenting code, a color picker, and embedded terminal for quickly testing code among other things. Note that to use some of these plugins you will have to separately install the gedit-plugins package.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome-audio''' is a collection of sounds for events in GNOME. If you have your own sounds, do not want sounds or have no sound at all then this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome-games''' and '''gnome-games-extra-data''' is a collection of simple desktop games; e.g. Nibbles, Sudoku, etc. If you feel that childish games are a waste of your time, hard drive space and bandwidth then this package is not for you.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome-mag''' is a screen magnifier for people with visual impairment. You should know if you need to install this.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome-nettool''' and '''gnome-netstatus''' are collections of GUI based networking tools. If you do all your networking stuff from the command line then this package is not for you.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome-power-manager''' keeps track of battery status, and other power tracking tools. Only laptop users should use this package.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome-system-monitor''' , an application that displays computer hardware information, and system resource usage.<br />
<br />
*'''gnome-utils''' is a collection of utilities for GNOME, containing a file logger, log-viewer, search-tool, dictionary, floppy drive support and a application for taking screen-shots. It is recommended to take this package.<br />
<br />
*'''gucharmap''' lets you view Unicode characters.<br />
<br />
*'''gok''' is the GNOME on screen keyboard. If you and every one using this desktop plan on using a standard keyboard for all your keyboard needs then do not install this package.<br />
<br />
*'''hamster-applet''' is a time-tracking applet for the GNOME panel. If you have no need for a time-tracking applet, then do not install this package. You can visit its [http://projecthamster.wordpress.com/ website] for more info.<br />
<br />
*'''libgail-gnome''' is a GNOME accessibility implementation library used by the screen reader Orca. If there is no-one using this desktop that has a visual impairment then this package is not needed.<br />
<br />
*'''mousetweaks''' is accessibility software for users that have limited control of a mouse (e.g. can manipulate only one button). If you and every one that will be using this desktop have full control of the mouse then there is no need to install this package.<br />
<br />
*'''orca''' is a screen reader for the GNOME desktop to help users with a visual impairment.<br />
<br />
*'''seahorse''' and '''seahorse-plugins''' are packages for de/encrypting information. Do not take this package unless you know what you are going to use it for.<br />
<br />
*'''sound-juicer''' is a CD ripping application for GNOME. If you are planning on using a different application for ripping CD e.g. Banshee or do not have a CD drive then you have no need to install this package.<br />
<br />
*'''tomboy''' is a simple desktop note-taking application. If you want to avoid installing the large Mono libraries and use the Tomboy replica '''gnote''' (written in C++), or simply prefer the use of pen and paper, you do not need this package.<br />
<br />
*'''totem''' is the official movie player of the GNOME desktop. If you plan on using a different movie player e.g. VLC then you have no need for this package.<br />
<br />
*'''vinagre''' is a VNC client for the GNOME desktop. If you have no need for a VNC client then you have no need for this package.<br />
<br />
*'''vino''' is a remote desktop server for the GNOME desktop. You can use it to share your GNOME session desktop with other users. If you have no need for a remote desktop server then you have no need for this package.<br />
<br />
*'''zenity''' a tool that allows you to display GTK dialog boxes in command-line and shell scripts.<br />
<br />
You may have noticed the GNOME admin tools (''System &rarr; Administration'') are not included in the extra package. You will need the {{Codeline|gnome-system-tools}} package which is installed in a discrete step:<br />
<br />
{{cli|# pacman -S gnome-system-tools}}<br />
<br />
As mentioned above, this and other helpful info can be found on the [[GNOME Tips]] wiki page which you should read through.<br />
<br />
{{Note|Using {{Codeline|gnome-system-tools}} on older GNOME versions may require you to insert your user to the group {{Codeline|stb-admin}}, otherwise you may encounter the ''"The configuration could not be loaded. You are not allowed to access the system configuration."'' error message. This should not be necessary any more, as version 2.28 of {{Codeline|gnome-system-tools}} does not need the {{Codeline|stb-admin}} group; in fact, upgrading from a previous version will remove this group.}}<br />
<br />
For normal users to use system tools, package {{Codeline|gksu}} is needed:<br />
<br />
{{cli|# pacman -S gksu}}<br />
<br />
To configure gksu to use [[Sudo]] rather than [[Su]], use this command:<br />
<br />
{{cli|$ sudo gconftool-2 -s /apps/gksu/sudo-mode -t bool true}}<br />
<br />
Make sure you have already configured [[Sudo]] properly.<br />
<br />
Install gamin if you want changes to files or directories to be immediately detected:<br />
<br />
{{cli|# pacman -S gamin}}<br />
<br />
You may already have the obsolete FAM installed, which gamin replaces, so go ahead and remove it if prompted.<br />
<br />
==Daemons and modules needed by GNOME==<br />
The GNOME desktop requires one daemon, '''DBUS''' for proper operation. <br />
<br />
To start the DBUS daemon:<br />
{{cli|# /etc/rc.d/dbus start}}<br />
<br />
Or add these daemons to the '''DAEMONS''' array in {{Filename|/etc/[[rc.conf]]}} so they will start on boot up, e.g.:<br />
#<br />
# /etc/rc.conf - Main Configuration for Arch Linux<br />
#<br />
.<br />
.<br />
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
# DAEMONS<br />
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
#<br />
# Daemons to start at boot-up (in this order)<br />
# - prefix a daemon with a ! to disable it<br />
# - prefix a daemon with a @ to start it up in the background<br />
#<br />
.<br />
.<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' network crond)<br />
<br />
'''GVFS''' allows the mounting of virtual file systems (e.g. file systems over FTP or SMB) to be used by other applications, including the GNOME file manager Nautilus. This is done with the use of '''FUSE''': a user space virtual file system layer kernel module.<br />
<br />
To load the FUSE kernel module:<br />
{{cli|# modprobe fuse}}<br />
<br />
Or add the module to the '''MODULES''' array in {{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}} so they will load at boot up, e.g.:<br />
#<br />
# /etc/rc.conf - Main Configuration for Arch Linux<br />
#<br />
.<br />
.<br />
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
# HARDWARE<br />
# -----------------------------------------------------------------------<br />
#<br />
# MOD_AUTOLOAD: Allow autoloading of modules at boot and when needed<br />
# MOD_BLACKLIST: Prevent udev from loading these modules<br />
# MODULES: Modules to load at boot-up. Prefix with a ! to blacklist.<br />
#<br />
# NOTE: Use of 'MOD_BLACKLIST' is deprecated. Please use ! in the MODULES array.<br />
#<br />
MOD_AUTOLOAD="yes"<br />
#MOD_BLACKLIST=() #deprecated<br />
MODULES=('''fuse''' usblp)<br />
.<br />
.<br />
{{Note|FUSE is a kernel module, not a daemon.}}<br />
<br />
==Running GNOME==<br />
The package consolekit is required for the ck-launch-session command. Install with:<br />
{{cli|# pacman -S consolekit}}<br />
<br />
Add the following line to your {{Filename|~/.xinitrc}} file, making sure it's the last line and the only one that starts with ''exec'' (see [[xinitrc]]):<br />
exec ck-launch-session gnome-session<br />
<br />
Now GNOME will start when you enter the following command:<br />
{{cli|$ startx}}<br />
<br />
== Privilege Granting Under Gnome ==<br />
=== Shutdown/Restart Privileges ===<br />
<br />
If one user is logged in to Gnome and another user logs in (switched users) the 2nd user cannot shutdown or restart the box. The following window pops-up, "System policy prevents stopping the system when other users are logged in." The user is now challenged for the superuser password.<br />
<br />
Discussion Thread: http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=641993<br />
<br />
The fix for this is to:<br />
<br />
# nano /var/lib/polkit-1/localauthority/50-local.d/shutdown.pkla<br />
[system shutdown privs]<br />
Identity=unix-group:users<br />
Action=org.freedesktop.consolekit.system.stop-multiple-users<br />
ResultAny=no<br />
ResultInactive=no<br />
ResultActive=yes<br />
<br />
# nano /var/lib/polkit-1/localauthority/50-local.d/restart.pkla<br />
[system restart privs]<br />
Identity=unix-group:users<br />
Action=org.freedesktop.consolekit.system.restart-multiple-users<br />
ResultAny=no<br />
ResultInactive=no<br />
ResultActive=yes<br />
<br />
Finally, restart hal and any of your users in the 'users' group will have the ability to shutdown or restart your system without the root password and whether others are logged into the box or not.<br />
<br />
For more on this, see the manpage for pklocalauthority.<br />
<br />
===CPU Scaling Privileges===<br />
See the [[Cpufreq#Privilege Granting Under Gnome|cpufrequtils article]].<br />
<br />
==GDM (GNOME Display Manager)==<br />
If you want a graphical login, you will need to install [http://www.gnome.org/projects/gdm/ GDM] (which is also part of gnome-extra). To do so, type the following at a command prompt:<br />
{{cli|# pacman -S gdm}}<br />
<br />
To make the graphical login the default method of logging into the system, edit your {{Filename|/etc/inittab}} file (recommended). Alternatively you can add gdm to your list of daemons in {{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}. These procedures are detailed on the [[Display Manager]] page.<br />
<br />
See [[GDM]] for additional information.<br />
<br />
==Eye Candy==<br />
By default, GNOME does not come with many themes and icons. You may wish to install some more attractive artwork for GNOME:<br />
<br />
A nice gtk (gui widget) theme engine (includes themes) is the murrine engine. Install with:<br />
{{cli|# pacman -S gtk-engine-murrine}}<br />
<br />
And if you want more themes you can grab [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=19421 murrine-themes-collection] from the AUR.<br />
<br />
Once it has been installed, select it with System -> Preferences -> Appearance -> Theme tab.<br />
<br />
The Arch Linux repositories also have a few more nice themes and engines. Install the following to see for yourself:<br />
<br />
{{cli|# pacman -S gtk-engines gtk-aurora-engine gtk-rezlooks-engine}}<br />
<br />
You can find many more themes, icons, and wallpapers at [http://www.gnome-look.org GNOME-Look].<br />
<br />
But how do i get those really cool desktop effects I've been seeing on youtube? See [[Compiz]]. :)<br />
<br />
==MintMenu (Advanced [Alternate] Gnome Menu)==<br />
Install the package from AUR [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=26266&detail=1 mintmenu] using an [[AUR helper]] of your choice. Package name:<br />
<br />
mintmenu<br />
<br />
Mintmenu uses gconf to store its settings, including the menu icon to display. If your current value is /usr/lib/linuxmint/mintMenu/mintMenu.png, this may be due to previous version of this package, that stored this value in {{filename|/apps/mintMenu/applet_icon}}. On a fresh install the {{filename|/apps/mintMenu/applet_icon}} value defaults to {{filename|/usr/share/archlinux/icons/archlinux-icon-tango-16.svg}}.<br />
The value can be changed with gconf-editor, gconftool-2 or from the Preferences (Right click on menu -> Preferences -> "Main Button" -> "Button icon:".<br />
<br />
==XDG User Directories==<br />
Many Linux distributions such as Ubuntu or Linux Mint set up your default user directories such as your downloads directory, music directory, documents directory, and so on. This also gives these directories special identifying icons. To set XDG user directories up, run this command:<br />
{{cli|# pacman -S xdg-user-dirs}}<br />
<br />
The default user directory settings are stored in {{filename|/etc/xdg/user-dirs.defaults}}. You can edit it to change the default settings for where you want users to have their directories with this:<br />
{{Tip|You do not have to edit this file if you only want to set up XDG User Directories for one user or you accept the default settings.}} <br />
{{cli|# nano /etc/xdg/user-dirs.defaults}}<br />
<br />
Run this as a normal user to set up your directories:<br />
{{cli|$ xdg-user-dirs-update}}<br />
<br />
This command creates the directories needed and sets them up so GNOME knows that is where those types of files should go by default. The folders also have special icons depending on what folder your configuration file tells GNOME they are.<br />
<br />
To edit your user directories configuration file later, know that it is located in {{filename|~/.config/user-dirs.dirs}}. You can edit it by running the following command or by using your favorite text editor:<br />
{{cli|$ nano ~/.config/user-dirs.dirs}}<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
===General solution===<br />
Try with a fresh configuration by moving you old configurations out of the way:<br />
{{cli|$ for d in .gnome* .gconf*; do mv "$d" "$d.old"; done}}<br />
<br />
===Your computer crashes and GNOME will not startup anymore.===<br />
A possible solution is to renew the "session" directory in ~/.gnome2. <br />
<br />
{{cli|$ mv ~/.gnome2/session ~/.gnome2/session.old}}<br />
<br />
===GNOME lags===<br />
See [[FAQ#Q.29 Why is Arch so slow? Programs open slowly or do not run at all!|the FAQ page]] for a possible solution.<br />
<br />
If gnome login is slow, you could try to disable any floppy drives in bios. This will prevent the "floppy" module from being loaded, and may reduce gnome login time.<br />
<br />
===Screen gets dark while GNOME loading===<br />
If screen gets dark while GNOME loading, you may correct this problem as following.<br />
<br />
Open a terminal and run:<br />
{{cli|$ gconf-editor}}<br />
<br />
Find:<br />
/ &rarr; apps &rarr; gnome-power-manager &rarr; backlight<br />
and change the value of<br />
brightness_ac<br />
from 100 to 0 by clicking on it. After restart the system, the problem should not be occur.<br />
<br />
{{Tip | If the problem comes back again, change the brightness_ac value back to 100, which may solve this problem.}}<br />
<br />
===No shutdown in GNOME menu===<br />
You most likely do not have a shutdown button when you use '''SLiM''' as the login manager as it seems to work just fine with the other login managers supplied in arch core/extra. You need to open the users .xinitrc file (nano ~/.xinitrc) and make sure the exec line has '''ck-launch-session''' in it like this:<br />
exec ck-launch-session gnome-session<br />
<br />
That will fix your shutdown issue in GNOME when using the SLiM login manager.<br />
<br />
===File names with bad characters in FAT partitions===<br />
By setting this options in gnome-mount, your Linux systems will read and write file names with the same characters as the Windows systems (very useful for USB sticks):<br />
{{cli|<nowiki>$ gconftool-2 -s /system/storage/default_options/vfat/mount_options --list-type=string -t list [shortname=lower,uid=,utf8]</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
There is already a [https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=487547 bug report for that].<br />
<br />
===gnome-terminal doesn't support UTF-8 characters for me===<br />
Append these two lines to <code>/etc/environment</code> file:<br />
<br />
LANG="en_US.UTF-8"<br />
LC_ALL="en_US.UTF-8"<br />
<br />
Reboot your system, and gnome-terminal will work correctly.<br />
<br />
==External links==<br />
* [http://www.gnome.org/ The Official Website]<br />
* [http://www.gnome.org/learn/ The Official Documentation]<br />
* Themes, icons, and backgrounds:<br />
** [http://art.gnome.org/ Gnome Art]<br />
** [http://www.gnome-look.org/ Gnome Look]<br />
* GTK/GNOME programs:<br />
** [http://www.gnomefiles.org/ Gnome Files]<br />
** [http://www.gnome.org/projects/ Gnome Project Listing]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Nouveau&diff=137726Nouveau2011-04-19T18:30:36Z<p>Flamelab: /* Loading */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category: Graphics (English)]]<br />
[[Category: X Server (English)]]<br />
[[Category: HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|Nouveau}}<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|This article details the installation of the Nouveau Open Source 3D acceleration graphics driver for NVIDIA cards. The name of the project refers to the fact that "nouveau" means "new" in French.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|KMS}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Xorg}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|NVIDIA}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
[http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/ Nouveau] is an open source graphic driver for NVIDIA cards.<br />
Do not forget to check out the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FAQ FAQ] if you have any questions, as there is a lot of valuable information there.<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Before proceeding, have a look at the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix FeatureMatrix] to see what features are supported for a given architecture, and the list of [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames codenames] to determine the card's category.<br />
<br />
You could also consult [[Wikipedia:Comparison_of_Nvidia_Graphics_Processing_Units|wikipedia]] for a even more detailed list.<br />
<br />
Install the following packages:<br />
# pacman -S xf86-video-nouveau libgl libdrm mesa nouveau-dri<br />
<br />
Also make sure you have Xorg properly installed.<br />
<br />
Don't forget [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Nouveau#Configuration this installation part] after installing the Nouveau packages.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|3D acceleration is still not officially supported, so don't report any bugs unless you are looking to contribute patches.}}<br />
<br />
==Loading==<br />
<br />
If you kept the proprietary nvidia driver installed, nouveau is probably not going to work.<br />
Either '''uninstall the proprietary Nvidia driver''' <br />
<br />
pacman -Rdd nvidia nvidia-utils<br />
<br />
or '''blacklist it''' by adding the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf<br />
<br />
blacklist nvidia<br />
<br />
Then nouveau should load fine automatically on next reboot. To test it now, first make sure nvidia is no longer loaded<br />
# rmmod nvidia<br />
Then load nouveau<br />
# modprobe nouveau<br />
And check that it loaded fine by looking at kernel messages<br />
$ dmesg<br />
<br />
'''Note:''' You can use [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA#Switching_between_nvidia_and_nouveau_drivers those scripts] if you are switching between open and closed drivers often.<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
Create the file {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nouveau.conf}}, and input the following contents:<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "Nvidia"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
This is '''required''' to ensure that nouveau driver is loaded. Xorg''' does not yet automatically load the xf86-video-nouveau driver'''.<br />
<br />
==KMS==<br />
Kernel Mode-Setting ([[KMS]]) is required by the Nouveau driver. See the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/KernelModeSetting KernelModeSetting] page for more information.<br />
<br />
===Late start===<br />
With this choice, KMS will be enabled when the boot process says, "Loading modules." This may cause an undesirable screen flicker as the mode changes.<br />
<br />
Remove all "vga=" options from your kernel commandline in {{Filename|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}. Using other framebuffer drivers (such as uvesafb) will conflict with KMS.<br />
<br />
===Early start===<br />
{{Warning|If you have troubles with nouveau, and are led to rebuild nouveau-drm several times for testing purpose, do not add nouveau to the initramfs. It is too easy to forget to rebuild the initramfs and it will just make any testing harder. Just use ''late start''. There might be additional problems with initramfs if you need a firmware for the nv50 family}}<br />
<br />
This method will start KMS as early as possible in the boot process, when the [[initramfs]] is loaded. Here is how to do this with the official packages:<br />
<br />
1) Add "nouveau" to the ''MODULES'' array in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
MODULES="'''nouveau''' ..."<br />
<br />
2) Add "/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf" to the FILES section in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
FILES="/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf"<br />
<br />
3) Re-generate your initcpio:<br />
# mkinitcpio -p <''your kernel preset (kernel26, etc.)''><br />
<br />
<small>You can also look at the [[Intel]] instructions for an early start: [[Intel#KMS_.28Kernel_Mode_Setting.29|Intel Graphics:KMS (Kernel Mode Setting)]]</small><br />
<br />
==Alternative installation [latest Mesa]==<br />
<br />
You may install the latest -git packages, through AUR. You can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=8266 mesa-git] which will allow the installation of the latest Mesa.<br />
<br />
You can also try installing a newer kernel version, through packages like [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=39965 kernel26-mainline] in which the Nouveau DRM code would allow better performance.<br />
<br />
==DualHead==<br />
Nouveau supports the xrandr extension for modesetting and multiple monitors. See the [[RandR12]] page for tutorials.<br />
<br />
Here is a full sample {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}} above for running 2 monitors in dual head mode. You may prefer to use a graphical tool to configure monitors like gnome-display-properties (System -> Preferences -> Display).<br />
<pre><br />
# the right one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "NEC"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
# the left one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "FUS"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
Option "LeftOf" "NEC"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "nvidia card"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-0" "NEC"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-1" "FUS"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Screen"<br />
Identifier "screen1"<br />
DefaultDepth 24<br />
SubSection "Display"<br />
Depth 24<br />
Virtual 2560 1024<br />
EndSubSection<br />
Device "nvidia card"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "ServerLayout"<br />
Identifier "layout1"<br />
Screen "screen1"<br />
EndSection<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
==Setting console resolution==<br />
Use the {{Package Official|fbset}} tool to adjust console resolution.<br />
<br />
You can also pass the resolution to nouveau with the video= kernel line option (see [[KMS]]).</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Nouveau&diff=137725Nouveau2011-04-19T18:30:13Z<p>Flamelab: /* Loading */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category: Graphics (English)]]<br />
[[Category: X Server (English)]]<br />
[[Category: HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|Nouveau}}<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|This article details the installation of the Nouveau Open Source 3D acceleration graphics driver for NVIDIA cards. The name of the project refers to the fact that "nouveau" means "new" in French.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|KMS}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Xorg}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|NVIDIA}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
[http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/ Nouveau] is an open source graphic driver for NVIDIA cards.<br />
Do not forget to check out the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FAQ FAQ] if you have any questions, as there is a lot of valuable information there.<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Before proceeding, have a look at the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix FeatureMatrix] to see what features are supported for a given architecture, and the list of [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames codenames] to determine the card's category.<br />
<br />
You could also consult [[Wikipedia:Comparison_of_Nvidia_Graphics_Processing_Units|wikipedia]] for a even more detailed list.<br />
<br />
Install the following packages:<br />
# pacman -S xf86-video-nouveau libgl libdrm mesa nouveau-dri<br />
<br />
Also make sure you have Xorg properly installed.<br />
<br />
Don't forget [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Nouveau#Configuration this installation part] after installing the Nouveau packages.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|3D acceleration is still not officially supported, so don't report any bugs unless you are looking to contribute patches.}}<br />
<br />
==Loading==<br />
<br />
If you kept the proprietary nvidia driver installed, nouveau is probably not going to work.<br />
Either '''uninstall the proprietary Nvidia driver''' <br />
<br />
pacman -Rdd nvidia nvidia-utils<br />
<br />
or '''blacklist it''' by adding the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf<br />
<br />
blacklist nvidia<br />
<br />
Then nouveau should load fine automatically on next reboot. To test it now, first make sure nvidia is no longer loaded<br />
# rmmod nvidia<br />
Then load nouveau<br />
# modprobe nouveau<br />
And check that it loaded fine by looking at kernel messages<br />
$ dmesg<br />
<br />
{{NoteYou can use [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA#Switching_between_nvidia_and_nouveau_drivers those scripts] if you are switching between open and closed drivers often.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
Create the file {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nouveau.conf}}, and input the following contents:<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "Nvidia"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
This is '''required''' to ensure that nouveau driver is loaded. Xorg''' does not yet automatically load the xf86-video-nouveau driver'''.<br />
<br />
==KMS==<br />
Kernel Mode-Setting ([[KMS]]) is required by the Nouveau driver. See the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/KernelModeSetting KernelModeSetting] page for more information.<br />
<br />
===Late start===<br />
With this choice, KMS will be enabled when the boot process says, "Loading modules." This may cause an undesirable screen flicker as the mode changes.<br />
<br />
Remove all "vga=" options from your kernel commandline in {{Filename|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}. Using other framebuffer drivers (such as uvesafb) will conflict with KMS.<br />
<br />
===Early start===<br />
{{Warning|If you have troubles with nouveau, and are led to rebuild nouveau-drm several times for testing purpose, do not add nouveau to the initramfs. It is too easy to forget to rebuild the initramfs and it will just make any testing harder. Just use ''late start''. There might be additional problems with initramfs if you need a firmware for the nv50 family}}<br />
<br />
This method will start KMS as early as possible in the boot process, when the [[initramfs]] is loaded. Here is how to do this with the official packages:<br />
<br />
1) Add "nouveau" to the ''MODULES'' array in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
MODULES="'''nouveau''' ..."<br />
<br />
2) Add "/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf" to the FILES section in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
FILES="/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf"<br />
<br />
3) Re-generate your initcpio:<br />
# mkinitcpio -p <''your kernel preset (kernel26, etc.)''><br />
<br />
<small>You can also look at the [[Intel]] instructions for an early start: [[Intel#KMS_.28Kernel_Mode_Setting.29|Intel Graphics:KMS (Kernel Mode Setting)]]</small><br />
<br />
==Alternative installation [latest Mesa]==<br />
<br />
You may install the latest -git packages, through AUR. You can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=8266 mesa-git] which will allow the installation of the latest Mesa.<br />
<br />
You can also try installing a newer kernel version, through packages like [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=39965 kernel26-mainline] in which the Nouveau DRM code would allow better performance.<br />
<br />
==DualHead==<br />
Nouveau supports the xrandr extension for modesetting and multiple monitors. See the [[RandR12]] page for tutorials.<br />
<br />
Here is a full sample {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}} above for running 2 monitors in dual head mode. You may prefer to use a graphical tool to configure monitors like gnome-display-properties (System -> Preferences -> Display).<br />
<pre><br />
# the right one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "NEC"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
# the left one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "FUS"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
Option "LeftOf" "NEC"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "nvidia card"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-0" "NEC"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-1" "FUS"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Screen"<br />
Identifier "screen1"<br />
DefaultDepth 24<br />
SubSection "Display"<br />
Depth 24<br />
Virtual 2560 1024<br />
EndSubSection<br />
Device "nvidia card"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "ServerLayout"<br />
Identifier "layout1"<br />
Screen "screen1"<br />
EndSection<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
==Setting console resolution==<br />
Use the {{Package Official|fbset}} tool to adjust console resolution.<br />
<br />
You can also pass the resolution to nouveau with the video= kernel line option (see [[KMS]]).</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Nouveau&diff=137724Nouveau2011-04-19T18:28:33Z<p>Flamelab: /* Installation */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category: Graphics (English)]]<br />
[[Category: X Server (English)]]<br />
[[Category: HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|Nouveau}}<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|This article details the installation of the Nouveau Open Source 3D acceleration graphics driver for NVIDIA cards. The name of the project refers to the fact that "nouveau" means "new" in French.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|KMS}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Xorg}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|NVIDIA}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
[http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/ Nouveau] is an open source graphic driver for NVIDIA cards.<br />
Do not forget to check out the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FAQ FAQ] if you have any questions, as there is a lot of valuable information there.<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Before proceeding, have a look at the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix FeatureMatrix] to see what features are supported for a given architecture, and the list of [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames codenames] to determine the card's category.<br />
<br />
You could also consult [[Wikipedia:Comparison_of_Nvidia_Graphics_Processing_Units|wikipedia]] for a even more detailed list.<br />
<br />
Install the following packages:<br />
# pacman -S xf86-video-nouveau libgl libdrm mesa nouveau-dri<br />
<br />
Also make sure you have Xorg properly installed.<br />
<br />
Don't forget [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Nouveau#Configuration this installation part] after installing the Nouveau packages.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|3D acceleration is still not officially supported, so don't report any bugs unless you are looking to contribute patches.}}<br />
<br />
==Loading==<br />
<br />
If you kept the proprietary nvidia driver installed, nouveau is probably not going to work.<br />
Either '''uninstall the proprietary Nvidia driver''' <br />
<br />
pacman -Rdd nvidia nvidia-utils<br />
<br />
or blacklist it by adding the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf<br />
<br />
blacklist nvidia<br />
<br />
Then nouveau should load fine automatically on next reboot. To test it now, first make sure nvidia is no longer loaded<br />
# rmmod nvidia<br />
Then load nouveau<br />
# modprobe nouveau<br />
And check that it loaded fine by looking at kernel messages<br />
$ dmesg<br />
<br />
You can use [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA#Switching_between_nvidia_and_nouveau_drivers those scripts] if you are switching between open and closed drivers often.<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
Create the file {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nouveau.conf}}, and input the following contents:<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "Nvidia"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
This is '''required''' to ensure that nouveau driver is loaded. Xorg''' does not yet automatically load the xf86-video-nouveau driver'''.<br />
<br />
==KMS==<br />
Kernel Mode-Setting ([[KMS]]) is required by the Nouveau driver. See the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/KernelModeSetting KernelModeSetting] page for more information.<br />
<br />
===Late start===<br />
With this choice, KMS will be enabled when the boot process says, "Loading modules." This may cause an undesirable screen flicker as the mode changes.<br />
<br />
Remove all "vga=" options from your kernel commandline in {{Filename|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}. Using other framebuffer drivers (such as uvesafb) will conflict with KMS.<br />
<br />
===Early start===<br />
{{Warning|If you have troubles with nouveau, and are led to rebuild nouveau-drm several times for testing purpose, do not add nouveau to the initramfs. It is too easy to forget to rebuild the initramfs and it will just make any testing harder. Just use ''late start''. There might be additional problems with initramfs if you need a firmware for the nv50 family}}<br />
<br />
This method will start KMS as early as possible in the boot process, when the [[initramfs]] is loaded. Here is how to do this with the official packages:<br />
<br />
1) Add "nouveau" to the ''MODULES'' array in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
MODULES="'''nouveau''' ..."<br />
<br />
2) Add "/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf" to the FILES section in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
FILES="/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf"<br />
<br />
3) Re-generate your initcpio:<br />
# mkinitcpio -p <''your kernel preset (kernel26, etc.)''><br />
<br />
<small>You can also look at the [[Intel]] instructions for an early start: [[Intel#KMS_.28Kernel_Mode_Setting.29|Intel Graphics:KMS (Kernel Mode Setting)]]</small><br />
<br />
==Alternative installation [latest Mesa]==<br />
<br />
You may install the latest -git packages, through AUR. You can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=8266 mesa-git] which will allow the installation of the latest Mesa.<br />
<br />
You can also try installing a newer kernel version, through packages like [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=39965 kernel26-mainline] in which the Nouveau DRM code would allow better performance.<br />
<br />
==DualHead==<br />
Nouveau supports the xrandr extension for modesetting and multiple monitors. See the [[RandR12]] page for tutorials.<br />
<br />
Here is a full sample {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}} above for running 2 monitors in dual head mode. You may prefer to use a graphical tool to configure monitors like gnome-display-properties (System -> Preferences -> Display).<br />
<pre><br />
# the right one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "NEC"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
# the left one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "FUS"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
Option "LeftOf" "NEC"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "nvidia card"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-0" "NEC"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-1" "FUS"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Screen"<br />
Identifier "screen1"<br />
DefaultDepth 24<br />
SubSection "Display"<br />
Depth 24<br />
Virtual 2560 1024<br />
EndSubSection<br />
Device "nvidia card"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "ServerLayout"<br />
Identifier "layout1"<br />
Screen "screen1"<br />
EndSection<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
==Setting console resolution==<br />
Use the {{Package Official|fbset}} tool to adjust console resolution.<br />
<br />
You can also pass the resolution to nouveau with the video= kernel line option (see [[KMS]]).</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Nouveau&diff=137723Nouveau2011-04-19T18:28:21Z<p>Flamelab: /* Loading */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category: Graphics (English)]]<br />
[[Category: X Server (English)]]<br />
[[Category: HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|Nouveau}}<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|This article details the installation of the Nouveau Open Source 3D acceleration graphics driver for NVIDIA cards. The name of the project refers to the fact that "nouveau" means "new" in French.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|KMS}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Xorg}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|NVIDIA}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
[http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/ Nouveau] is an open source graphic driver for NVIDIA cards.<br />
Do not forget to check out the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FAQ FAQ] if you have any questions, as there is a lot of valuable information there.<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Before proceeding, have a look at the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix FeatureMatrix] to see what features are supported for a given architecture, and the list of [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames codenames] to determine the card's category.<br />
<br />
You could also consult [[Wikipedia:Comparison_of_Nvidia_Graphics_Processing_Units|wikipedia]] for a even more detailed list.<br />
<br />
Install the following packages:<br />
# pacman -S xf86-video-nouveau libdrm mesa nouveau-dri<br />
<br />
Also make sure you have Xorg properly installed.<br />
<br />
Don't forget [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Nouveau#Configuration this installation part] after installing the Nouveau packages.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|3D acceleration is still not officially supported, so don't report any bugs unless you are looking to contribute patches.}}<br />
<br />
==Loading==<br />
<br />
If you kept the proprietary nvidia driver installed, nouveau is probably not going to work.<br />
Either '''uninstall the proprietary Nvidia driver''' <br />
<br />
pacman -Rdd nvidia nvidia-utils<br />
<br />
or blacklist it by adding the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf<br />
<br />
blacklist nvidia<br />
<br />
Then nouveau should load fine automatically on next reboot. To test it now, first make sure nvidia is no longer loaded<br />
# rmmod nvidia<br />
Then load nouveau<br />
# modprobe nouveau<br />
And check that it loaded fine by looking at kernel messages<br />
$ dmesg<br />
<br />
You can use [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA#Switching_between_nvidia_and_nouveau_drivers those scripts] if you are switching between open and closed drivers often.<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
Create the file {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nouveau.conf}}, and input the following contents:<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "Nvidia"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
This is '''required''' to ensure that nouveau driver is loaded. Xorg''' does not yet automatically load the xf86-video-nouveau driver'''.<br />
<br />
==KMS==<br />
Kernel Mode-Setting ([[KMS]]) is required by the Nouveau driver. See the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/KernelModeSetting KernelModeSetting] page for more information.<br />
<br />
===Late start===<br />
With this choice, KMS will be enabled when the boot process says, "Loading modules." This may cause an undesirable screen flicker as the mode changes.<br />
<br />
Remove all "vga=" options from your kernel commandline in {{Filename|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}. Using other framebuffer drivers (such as uvesafb) will conflict with KMS.<br />
<br />
===Early start===<br />
{{Warning|If you have troubles with nouveau, and are led to rebuild nouveau-drm several times for testing purpose, do not add nouveau to the initramfs. It is too easy to forget to rebuild the initramfs and it will just make any testing harder. Just use ''late start''. There might be additional problems with initramfs if you need a firmware for the nv50 family}}<br />
<br />
This method will start KMS as early as possible in the boot process, when the [[initramfs]] is loaded. Here is how to do this with the official packages:<br />
<br />
1) Add "nouveau" to the ''MODULES'' array in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
MODULES="'''nouveau''' ..."<br />
<br />
2) Add "/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf" to the FILES section in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
FILES="/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf"<br />
<br />
3) Re-generate your initcpio:<br />
# mkinitcpio -p <''your kernel preset (kernel26, etc.)''><br />
<br />
<small>You can also look at the [[Intel]] instructions for an early start: [[Intel#KMS_.28Kernel_Mode_Setting.29|Intel Graphics:KMS (Kernel Mode Setting)]]</small><br />
<br />
==Alternative installation [latest Mesa]==<br />
<br />
You may install the latest -git packages, through AUR. You can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=8266 mesa-git] which will allow the installation of the latest Mesa.<br />
<br />
You can also try installing a newer kernel version, through packages like [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=39965 kernel26-mainline] in which the Nouveau DRM code would allow better performance.<br />
<br />
==DualHead==<br />
Nouveau supports the xrandr extension for modesetting and multiple monitors. See the [[RandR12]] page for tutorials.<br />
<br />
Here is a full sample {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}} above for running 2 monitors in dual head mode. You may prefer to use a graphical tool to configure monitors like gnome-display-properties (System -> Preferences -> Display).<br />
<pre><br />
# the right one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "NEC"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
# the left one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "FUS"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
Option "LeftOf" "NEC"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "nvidia card"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-0" "NEC"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-1" "FUS"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Screen"<br />
Identifier "screen1"<br />
DefaultDepth 24<br />
SubSection "Display"<br />
Depth 24<br />
Virtual 2560 1024<br />
EndSubSection<br />
Device "nvidia card"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "ServerLayout"<br />
Identifier "layout1"<br />
Screen "screen1"<br />
EndSection<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
==Setting console resolution==<br />
Use the {{Package Official|fbset}} tool to adjust console resolution.<br />
<br />
You can also pass the resolution to nouveau with the video= kernel line option (see [[KMS]]).</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Nouveau&diff=137722Nouveau2011-04-19T18:27:17Z<p>Flamelab: /* Installation */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category: Graphics (English)]]<br />
[[Category: X Server (English)]]<br />
[[Category: HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|Nouveau}}<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|This article details the installation of the Nouveau Open Source 3D acceleration graphics driver for NVIDIA cards. The name of the project refers to the fact that "nouveau" means "new" in French.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|KMS}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Xorg}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|NVIDIA}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
[http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/ Nouveau] is an open source graphic driver for NVIDIA cards.<br />
Do not forget to check out the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FAQ FAQ] if you have any questions, as there is a lot of valuable information there.<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Before proceeding, have a look at the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix FeatureMatrix] to see what features are supported for a given architecture, and the list of [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames codenames] to determine the card's category.<br />
<br />
You could also consult [[Wikipedia:Comparison_of_Nvidia_Graphics_Processing_Units|wikipedia]] for a even more detailed list.<br />
<br />
Install the following packages:<br />
# pacman -S xf86-video-nouveau libdrm mesa nouveau-dri<br />
<br />
Also make sure you have Xorg properly installed.<br />
<br />
Don't forget [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Nouveau#Configuration this installation part] after installing the Nouveau packages.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|3D acceleration is still not officially supported, so don't report any bugs unless you are looking to contribute patches.}}<br />
<br />
==Loading==<br />
<br />
If you kept the proprietary nvidia driver installed, nouveau is probably not going to work.<br />
Either uninstall nvidia or blacklist it by adding the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf<br />
blacklist nvidia<br />
<br />
Then nouveau should load fine automatically on next reboot. To test it now, first make sure nvidia is no longer loaded<br />
# rmmod nvidia<br />
Then load nouveau<br />
# modprobe nouveau<br />
And check that it loaded fine by looking at kernel messages<br />
$ dmesg<br />
<br />
You can use [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA#Switching_between_nvidia_and_nouveau_drivers those scripts] if you are switching between open and closed drivers often.<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
Create the file {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nouveau.conf}}, and input the following contents:<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "Nvidia"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
This is '''required''' to ensure that nouveau driver is loaded. Xorg''' does not yet automatically load the xf86-video-nouveau driver'''.<br />
<br />
==KMS==<br />
Kernel Mode-Setting ([[KMS]]) is required by the Nouveau driver. See the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/KernelModeSetting KernelModeSetting] page for more information.<br />
<br />
===Late start===<br />
With this choice, KMS will be enabled when the boot process says, "Loading modules." This may cause an undesirable screen flicker as the mode changes.<br />
<br />
Remove all "vga=" options from your kernel commandline in {{Filename|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}. Using other framebuffer drivers (such as uvesafb) will conflict with KMS.<br />
<br />
===Early start===<br />
{{Warning|If you have troubles with nouveau, and are led to rebuild nouveau-drm several times for testing purpose, do not add nouveau to the initramfs. It is too easy to forget to rebuild the initramfs and it will just make any testing harder. Just use ''late start''. There might be additional problems with initramfs if you need a firmware for the nv50 family}}<br />
<br />
This method will start KMS as early as possible in the boot process, when the [[initramfs]] is loaded. Here is how to do this with the official packages:<br />
<br />
1) Add "nouveau" to the ''MODULES'' array in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
MODULES="'''nouveau''' ..."<br />
<br />
2) Add "/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf" to the FILES section in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
FILES="/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf"<br />
<br />
3) Re-generate your initcpio:<br />
# mkinitcpio -p <''your kernel preset (kernel26, etc.)''><br />
<br />
<small>You can also look at the [[Intel]] instructions for an early start: [[Intel#KMS_.28Kernel_Mode_Setting.29|Intel Graphics:KMS (Kernel Mode Setting)]]</small><br />
<br />
==Alternative installation [latest Mesa]==<br />
<br />
You may install the latest -git packages, through AUR. You can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=8266 mesa-git] which will allow the installation of the latest Mesa.<br />
<br />
You can also try installing a newer kernel version, through packages like [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=39965 kernel26-mainline] in which the Nouveau DRM code would allow better performance.<br />
<br />
==DualHead==<br />
Nouveau supports the xrandr extension for modesetting and multiple monitors. See the [[RandR12]] page for tutorials.<br />
<br />
Here is a full sample {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}} above for running 2 monitors in dual head mode. You may prefer to use a graphical tool to configure monitors like gnome-display-properties (System -> Preferences -> Display).<br />
<pre><br />
# the right one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "NEC"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
# the left one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "FUS"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
Option "LeftOf" "NEC"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "nvidia card"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-0" "NEC"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-1" "FUS"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Screen"<br />
Identifier "screen1"<br />
DefaultDepth 24<br />
SubSection "Display"<br />
Depth 24<br />
Virtual 2560 1024<br />
EndSubSection<br />
Device "nvidia card"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "ServerLayout"<br />
Identifier "layout1"<br />
Screen "screen1"<br />
EndSection<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
==Setting console resolution==<br />
Use the {{Package Official|fbset}} tool to adjust console resolution.<br />
<br />
You can also pass the resolution to nouveau with the video= kernel line option (see [[KMS]]).</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Nouveau&diff=137721Nouveau2011-04-19T18:26:07Z<p>Flamelab: /* Alternative installation */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category: Graphics (English)]]<br />
[[Category: X Server (English)]]<br />
[[Category: HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|Nouveau}}<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|This article details the installation of the Nouveau Open Source 3D acceleration graphics driver for NVIDIA cards. The name of the project refers to the fact that "nouveau" means "new" in French.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|KMS}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Xorg}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|NVIDIA}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
[http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/ Nouveau] is an open source graphic driver for NVIDIA cards.<br />
Do not forget to check out the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FAQ FAQ] if you have any questions, as there is a lot of valuable information there.<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Before proceeding, have a look at the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix FeatureMatrix] to see what features are supported for a given architecture, and the list of [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames codenames] to determine the card's category.<br />
<br />
You could also consult [[Wikipedia:Comparison_of_Nvidia_Graphics_Processing_Units|wikipedia]] for a even more detailed list.<br />
<br />
Install the following packages:<br />
# pacman -S xf86-video-nouveau libdrm mesa nouveau-dri<br />
<br />
Also make sure you have Xorg properly installed.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|3D acceleration is still not officially supported, so don't report any bugs unless you are looking to contribute patches.}}<br />
<br />
==Loading==<br />
<br />
If you kept the proprietary nvidia driver installed, nouveau is probably not going to work.<br />
Either uninstall nvidia or blacklist it by adding the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf<br />
blacklist nvidia<br />
<br />
Then nouveau should load fine automatically on next reboot. To test it now, first make sure nvidia is no longer loaded<br />
# rmmod nvidia<br />
Then load nouveau<br />
# modprobe nouveau<br />
And check that it loaded fine by looking at kernel messages<br />
$ dmesg<br />
<br />
You can use [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA#Switching_between_nvidia_and_nouveau_drivers those scripts] if you are switching between open and closed drivers often.<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
Create the file {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nouveau.conf}}, and input the following contents:<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "Nvidia"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
This is '''required''' to ensure that nouveau driver is loaded. Xorg''' does not yet automatically load the xf86-video-nouveau driver'''.<br />
<br />
==KMS==<br />
Kernel Mode-Setting ([[KMS]]) is required by the Nouveau driver. See the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/KernelModeSetting KernelModeSetting] page for more information.<br />
<br />
===Late start===<br />
With this choice, KMS will be enabled when the boot process says, "Loading modules." This may cause an undesirable screen flicker as the mode changes.<br />
<br />
Remove all "vga=" options from your kernel commandline in {{Filename|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}. Using other framebuffer drivers (such as uvesafb) will conflict with KMS.<br />
<br />
===Early start===<br />
{{Warning|If you have troubles with nouveau, and are led to rebuild nouveau-drm several times for testing purpose, do not add nouveau to the initramfs. It is too easy to forget to rebuild the initramfs and it will just make any testing harder. Just use ''late start''. There might be additional problems with initramfs if you need a firmware for the nv50 family}}<br />
<br />
This method will start KMS as early as possible in the boot process, when the [[initramfs]] is loaded. Here is how to do this with the official packages:<br />
<br />
1) Add "nouveau" to the ''MODULES'' array in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
MODULES="'''nouveau''' ..."<br />
<br />
2) Add "/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf" to the FILES section in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
FILES="/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf"<br />
<br />
3) Re-generate your initcpio:<br />
# mkinitcpio -p <''your kernel preset (kernel26, etc.)''><br />
<br />
<small>You can also look at the [[Intel]] instructions for an early start: [[Intel#KMS_.28Kernel_Mode_Setting.29|Intel Graphics:KMS (Kernel Mode Setting)]]</small><br />
<br />
==Alternative installation [latest Mesa]==<br />
<br />
You may install the latest -git packages, through AUR. You can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=8266 mesa-git] which will allow the installation of the latest Mesa.<br />
<br />
You can also try installing a newer kernel version, through packages like [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=39965 kernel26-mainline] in which the Nouveau DRM code would allow better performance.<br />
<br />
==DualHead==<br />
Nouveau supports the xrandr extension for modesetting and multiple monitors. See the [[RandR12]] page for tutorials.<br />
<br />
Here is a full sample {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}} above for running 2 monitors in dual head mode. You may prefer to use a graphical tool to configure monitors like gnome-display-properties (System -> Preferences -> Display).<br />
<pre><br />
# the right one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "NEC"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
# the left one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "FUS"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
Option "LeftOf" "NEC"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "nvidia card"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-0" "NEC"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-1" "FUS"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Screen"<br />
Identifier "screen1"<br />
DefaultDepth 24<br />
SubSection "Display"<br />
Depth 24<br />
Virtual 2560 1024<br />
EndSubSection<br />
Device "nvidia card"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "ServerLayout"<br />
Identifier "layout1"<br />
Screen "screen1"<br />
EndSection<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
==Setting console resolution==<br />
Use the {{Package Official|fbset}} tool to adjust console resolution.<br />
<br />
You can also pass the resolution to nouveau with the video= kernel line option (see [[KMS]]).</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Nouveau&diff=137720Nouveau2011-04-19T18:22:57Z<p>Flamelab: /* Configuration */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category: Graphics (English)]]<br />
[[Category: X Server (English)]]<br />
[[Category: HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|Nouveau}}<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|This article details the installation of the Nouveau Open Source 3D acceleration graphics driver for NVIDIA cards. The name of the project refers to the fact that "nouveau" means "new" in French.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|KMS}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Xorg}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|NVIDIA}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
[http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/ Nouveau] is an open source graphic driver for NVIDIA cards.<br />
Do not forget to check out the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FAQ FAQ] if you have any questions, as there is a lot of valuable information there.<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Before proceeding, have a look at the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix FeatureMatrix] to see what features are supported for a given architecture, and the list of [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames codenames] to determine the card's category.<br />
<br />
You could also consult [[Wikipedia:Comparison_of_Nvidia_Graphics_Processing_Units|wikipedia]] for a even more detailed list.<br />
<br />
Install the following packages:<br />
# pacman -S xf86-video-nouveau libdrm mesa nouveau-dri<br />
<br />
Also make sure you have Xorg properly installed.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|3D acceleration is still not officially supported, so don't report any bugs unless you are looking to contribute patches.}}<br />
<br />
==Loading==<br />
<br />
If you kept the proprietary nvidia driver installed, nouveau is probably not going to work.<br />
Either uninstall nvidia or blacklist it by adding the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf<br />
blacklist nvidia<br />
<br />
Then nouveau should load fine automatically on next reboot. To test it now, first make sure nvidia is no longer loaded<br />
# rmmod nvidia<br />
Then load nouveau<br />
# modprobe nouveau<br />
And check that it loaded fine by looking at kernel messages<br />
$ dmesg<br />
<br />
You can use [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA#Switching_between_nvidia_and_nouveau_drivers those scripts] if you are switching between open and closed drivers often.<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
Create the file {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nouveau.conf}}, and input the following contents:<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "Nvidia"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
This is '''required''' to ensure that nouveau driver is loaded. Xorg''' does not yet automatically load the xf86-video-nouveau driver'''.<br />
<br />
==KMS==<br />
Kernel Mode-Setting ([[KMS]]) is required by the Nouveau driver. See the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/KernelModeSetting KernelModeSetting] page for more information.<br />
<br />
===Late start===<br />
With this choice, KMS will be enabled when the boot process says, "Loading modules." This may cause an undesirable screen flicker as the mode changes.<br />
<br />
Remove all "vga=" options from your kernel commandline in {{Filename|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}. Using other framebuffer drivers (such as uvesafb) will conflict with KMS.<br />
<br />
===Early start===<br />
{{Warning|If you have troubles with nouveau, and are led to rebuild nouveau-drm several times for testing purpose, do not add nouveau to the initramfs. It is too easy to forget to rebuild the initramfs and it will just make any testing harder. Just use ''late start''. There might be additional problems with initramfs if you need a firmware for the nv50 family}}<br />
<br />
This method will start KMS as early as possible in the boot process, when the [[initramfs]] is loaded. Here is how to do this with the official packages:<br />
<br />
1) Add "nouveau" to the ''MODULES'' array in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
MODULES="'''nouveau''' ..."<br />
<br />
2) Add "/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf" to the FILES section in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
FILES="/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf"<br />
<br />
3) Re-generate your initcpio:<br />
# mkinitcpio -p <''your kernel preset (kernel26, etc.)''><br />
<br />
<small>You can also look at the [[Intel]] instructions for an early start: [[Intel#KMS_.28Kernel_Mode_Setting.29|Intel Graphics:KMS (Kernel Mode Setting)]]</small><br />
<br />
==Alternative installation==<br />
If the official Arch Linux packages do not work, you can try a more current video driver from the [[AUR]]: {{Package AUR|xf86-video-nouveau-git}}. A more up-to-date DRM module can be built by using the {{Package Official|nouveau-drm}} PKGBUILD from [[Arch Build System|ABS]]. Simply update {{Codeline|_snapdate}} to the current date, and modify the {{Codeline|sources}} array to read:<br />
source=(# ftp://ftp.archlinux.org/other/$pkgname/master-${_snapdate}.tar.gz<br />
http://people.freedesktop.org/~pq/nouveau-drm/master.tar.gz<br />
# get the Makefile from http://cgit.freedesktop.org/nouveau/linux-2.6/plain/nouveau/Makefile?h=master-compat<br />
Makefile)<br />
<br />
You can use {{Package AUR|kernel26-nouveau-git}} to compile the nouveau project's kernel tree, which already includes the necessary modules. This is the method recommended by upstream.<br />
<br />
==DualHead==<br />
Nouveau supports the xrandr extension for modesetting and multiple monitors. See the [[RandR12]] page for tutorials.<br />
<br />
Here is a full sample {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}} above for running 2 monitors in dual head mode. You may prefer to use a graphical tool to configure monitors like gnome-display-properties (System -> Preferences -> Display).<br />
<pre><br />
# the right one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "NEC"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
# the left one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "FUS"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
Option "LeftOf" "NEC"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "nvidia card"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-0" "NEC"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-1" "FUS"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Screen"<br />
Identifier "screen1"<br />
DefaultDepth 24<br />
SubSection "Display"<br />
Depth 24<br />
Virtual 2560 1024<br />
EndSubSection<br />
Device "nvidia card"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "ServerLayout"<br />
Identifier "layout1"<br />
Screen "screen1"<br />
EndSection<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
==Setting console resolution==<br />
Use the {{Package Official|fbset}} tool to adjust console resolution.<br />
<br />
You can also pass the resolution to nouveau with the video= kernel line option (see [[KMS]]).</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=Nouveau&diff=137719Nouveau2011-04-19T18:22:17Z<p>Flamelab: /* Installation */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category: Graphics (English)]]<br />
[[Category: X Server (English)]]<br />
[[Category: HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|Nouveau}}<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|This article details the installation of the Nouveau Open Source 3D acceleration graphics driver for NVIDIA cards. The name of the project refers to the fact that "nouveau" means "new" in French.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|KMS}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Xorg}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|NVIDIA}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
[http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/ Nouveau] is an open source graphic driver for NVIDIA cards.<br />
Do not forget to check out the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FAQ FAQ] if you have any questions, as there is a lot of valuable information there.<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
Before proceeding, have a look at the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/FeatureMatrix FeatureMatrix] to see what features are supported for a given architecture, and the list of [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/CodeNames codenames] to determine the card's category.<br />
<br />
You could also consult [[Wikipedia:Comparison_of_Nvidia_Graphics_Processing_Units|wikipedia]] for a even more detailed list.<br />
<br />
Install the following packages:<br />
# pacman -S xf86-video-nouveau libdrm mesa nouveau-dri<br />
<br />
Also make sure you have Xorg properly installed.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|3D acceleration is still not officially supported, so don't report any bugs unless you are looking to contribute patches.}}<br />
<br />
==Loading==<br />
<br />
If you kept the proprietary nvidia driver installed, nouveau is probably not going to work.<br />
Either uninstall nvidia or blacklist it by adding the following line to /etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf<br />
blacklist nvidia<br />
<br />
Then nouveau should load fine automatically on next reboot. To test it now, first make sure nvidia is no longer loaded<br />
# rmmod nvidia<br />
Then load nouveau<br />
# modprobe nouveau<br />
And check that it loaded fine by looking at kernel messages<br />
$ dmesg<br />
<br />
You can use [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/NVIDIA#Switching_between_nvidia_and_nouveau_drivers those scripts] if you are switching between open and closed drivers often.<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
Create the file {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/20-nouveau.conf}}, and input the following contents:<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "n"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
EndSection<br />
This is required to ensure that nouveau driver is loaded. Xorg does not yet automatically load the xf86-video-nouveau driver.<br />
<br />
==KMS==<br />
Kernel Mode-Setting ([[KMS]]) is required by the Nouveau driver. See the [http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/KernelModeSetting KernelModeSetting] page for more information.<br />
<br />
===Late start===<br />
With this choice, KMS will be enabled when the boot process says, "Loading modules." This may cause an undesirable screen flicker as the mode changes.<br />
<br />
Remove all "vga=" options from your kernel commandline in {{Filename|/boot/grub/menu.lst}}. Using other framebuffer drivers (such as uvesafb) will conflict with KMS.<br />
<br />
===Early start===<br />
{{Warning|If you have troubles with nouveau, and are led to rebuild nouveau-drm several times for testing purpose, do not add nouveau to the initramfs. It is too easy to forget to rebuild the initramfs and it will just make any testing harder. Just use ''late start''. There might be additional problems with initramfs if you need a firmware for the nv50 family}}<br />
<br />
This method will start KMS as early as possible in the boot process, when the [[initramfs]] is loaded. Here is how to do this with the official packages:<br />
<br />
1) Add "nouveau" to the ''MODULES'' array in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
MODULES="'''nouveau''' ..."<br />
<br />
2) Add "/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf" to the FILES section in {{Filename|/etc/mkinitcpio.conf}}:<br />
FILES="/etc/modprobe.d/modprobe.conf"<br />
<br />
3) Re-generate your initcpio:<br />
# mkinitcpio -p <''your kernel preset (kernel26, etc.)''><br />
<br />
<small>You can also look at the [[Intel]] instructions for an early start: [[Intel#KMS_.28Kernel_Mode_Setting.29|Intel Graphics:KMS (Kernel Mode Setting)]]</small><br />
<br />
==Alternative installation==<br />
If the official Arch Linux packages do not work, you can try a more current video driver from the [[AUR]]: {{Package AUR|xf86-video-nouveau-git}}. A more up-to-date DRM module can be built by using the {{Package Official|nouveau-drm}} PKGBUILD from [[Arch Build System|ABS]]. Simply update {{Codeline|_snapdate}} to the current date, and modify the {{Codeline|sources}} array to read:<br />
source=(# ftp://ftp.archlinux.org/other/$pkgname/master-${_snapdate}.tar.gz<br />
http://people.freedesktop.org/~pq/nouveau-drm/master.tar.gz<br />
# get the Makefile from http://cgit.freedesktop.org/nouveau/linux-2.6/plain/nouveau/Makefile?h=master-compat<br />
Makefile)<br />
<br />
You can use {{Package AUR|kernel26-nouveau-git}} to compile the nouveau project's kernel tree, which already includes the necessary modules. This is the method recommended by upstream.<br />
<br />
==DualHead==<br />
Nouveau supports the xrandr extension for modesetting and multiple monitors. See the [[RandR12]] page for tutorials.<br />
<br />
Here is a full sample {{Filename|/etc/X11/xorg.conf}} above for running 2 monitors in dual head mode. You may prefer to use a graphical tool to configure monitors like gnome-display-properties (System -> Preferences -> Display).<br />
<pre><br />
# the right one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "NEC"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
# the left one<br />
Section "Monitor"<br />
Identifier "FUS"<br />
Option "PreferredMode" "1280x1024_60.00"<br />
Option "LeftOf" "NEC"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Device"<br />
Identifier "nvidia card"<br />
Driver "nouveau"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-0" "NEC"<br />
Option "Monitor-DVI-I-1" "FUS"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "Screen"<br />
Identifier "screen1"<br />
DefaultDepth 24<br />
SubSection "Display"<br />
Depth 24<br />
Virtual 2560 1024<br />
EndSubSection<br />
Device "nvidia card"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
Section "ServerLayout"<br />
Identifier "layout1"<br />
Screen "screen1"<br />
EndSection<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
==Setting console resolution==<br />
Use the {{Package Official|fbset}} tool to adjust console resolution.<br />
<br />
You can also pass the resolution to nouveau with the video= kernel line option (see [[KMS]]).</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME&diff=136494GNOME2011-04-09T21:11:04Z<p>Flamelab: </p>
<hr />
<div>{{i18n|GNOME 3}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME 3 provides a modern desktop, rewritten from scratch, using the GTK3+.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
For GNOME 3, the GNOME Project has started from scratch and created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies. In GNOME 3:<br />
* There is a new default modern visual theme and font<br />
* The Activities view which provides an easy way to access all your windows and applications<br />
* Built-in (integrated) messaging desktop services<br />
* A more subtle notifications' system and a more discreet panel<br />
* A fast Activities' search feature<br />
* A new System Settings application <br />
* ... and more features like: window tiling (Aero Snap like), an improved Nautilus etc. <br />
<br />
[more details on the [http://www.gnome3.org/ GNOME3] website]<br />
<br />
== Introduction ==<br />
<br />
GNOME3 comes with '''two''' interfaces, '''gnome-shell''' (the new, standard layout) and '''fallback''' mode. gnome-session will automatically detect if your computer is capable to run gnome-shell and it would start the fallback mode if not. <br />
<br />
'''Fallback''' mode is very much alike the GNOME 2.x layout (while using gnome-panel and metacity, instead of gnome-shell and Mutter).<br />
<br />
If you are on fallback mode you can still change the window manager with your preferred one.<br />
<br />
== Upgrade from the current gnome 2.32 ==<br />
<br />
Enable '''testing''' repo. <br />
<br />
Edit /etc/pacman.conf and '''un'''comment testing.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|It's very important for the new repo to be on the '''top''', otherwise pacman will '''not''' upgrade GNOME}}<br />
<br />
#testing uncommented<br />
[testing]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
<br />
{{Warning|The session might crash during update and is recommended running the update command in a screen session, from another DE or WM or from tty}}<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu <br />
<br />
'''Important''': You will end up with a system that has GNOME 3.x '''fallback''' mode. To install the new shell:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-shell<br />
<br />
== Installing to a new system ==<br />
<br />
Enable testing in the same way as above.<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu testing/gnome<br />
<br />
For additional applications<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu testing/gnome-extra<br />
<br />
===Daemons and modules needed by GNOME===<br />
<br />
The GNOME desktop requires one daemon, '''DBUS''' for proper operation. <br />
<br />
To start the DBUS daemon:<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Or add these daemons to the '''DAEMONS''' array in {{Filename|/etc/[[rc.conf]]}} so they will start on boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' network crond)<br />
<br />
'''GVFS''' allows the mounting of virtual file systems (e.g. file systems over FTP or SMB) to be used by other applications, including the GNOME file manager Nautilus. This is done with the use of '''FUSE''': a user space virtual file system layer kernel module.<br />
<br />
To load the FUSE kernel module:<br />
# modprobe fuse<br />
<br />
Or add the module to the '''MODULES''' array in {{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}} so they will load at boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
MODULES=('''fuse''' usblp)<br />
<br />
{{Note|FUSE is a kernel module, not a daemon.}}<br />
<br />
===Running GNOME===<br />
<br />
For a better desktop integration is recommended '''GDM'''.<br />
# pacman -S gdm<br />
<br />
Check out [[Display_Manager]] to learn how to start it correctly.<br />
<br />
If you prefer to start it from console, add the following line to your {{Filename|~/.xinitrc}} file, making sure it's the last line and the only one that starts with ''exec'' (see [[xinitrc]]):<br />
exec ck-launch-session gnome-session<br />
<br />
Now GNOME will start when you enter the following command:<br />
$ startx<br />
<br />
== Using the shell ==<br />
<br />
See https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/CheatSheet<br />
<br />
== Customization ==<br />
=== Using Gnome-tweak-tool ===<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool<br />
<br />
This tool can customize fonts, themes and some other useful settings like action when lid is closed.<br />
<br />
=== Changing the GTK3 theme using settings.ini ===<br />
<br />
You can change the GTK3 (Gnome 3 ) theme through the '''${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini''' (it's like the ~/.gtkrc-2.0 for GTK2+).<br />
<br />
For example, you may insert:<br />
<br />
[Settings]<br />
gtk-theme-name = Adwaita<br />
gtk-fallback-icon-theme = gnome<br />
<br />
in there. The defined theme will then be used when logging in another DE or WM.<br />
<br />
== Enabling fallback mode==<br />
<br />
Your session would start automatically to fallback mode if gnome-shell is not present. If you want to enable it while having gnome-shell installed, open gnome-control-center. Open System Info > Graphics. Change ''Forced Fallback Mode'' to ''ON''.<br />
<br />
== Enabling hidden features ==<br />
<br />
Gnome 3.0 hides a lot of useful options and you have to use '''dconf-editor''' to customize them. <br />
<br />
== How to shutdown through the Status menu ==<br />
<br />
For now, the Shutdown option seems to be hidden if the user presses the Status menu on the upper right. If you want to shutdown your system through the Status menu, click on it and then press the '''Alt''' button. The "'''Suspend'''" option will instantly turn into "Power off...", as long as you press the Alt button, which will allow you to properly shutdown your system.<br />
<br />
== Enabling integrated messaging ==<br />
<br />
Empathy, the engine behind the integrated messaging, and all of the system settings based on your messaging accounts will not show up unless the '''telepathy''' group of packages or at least one of the backends ('''telepathy-gabble''', or '''telepathy-haze''', for example) is installed. These are not included in the default Arch GNOME installs and the Empathy interface doesn't give a nice error message, it just fails to work silently. You can install them:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S telepathy<br />
<br />
== Enabling extensions ==<br />
<br />
Gnome Shell can be customised to an extent with extensions that have been written by others. These provide functionality like having a dock that is always present, and being able to change the shell theme. More details on the functionality of currently available extensions is given [http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/gnome-shell-extensions-additional.html here] You can use the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47501 gnome-shell-extensions-git] package in the AUR to install them. Restart Gnome to enable them.<br />
<br />
If installing the extensions causes Gnome to stop working then you must remove the user-theme extension and and the auto-move-windows extension from their installation directory (could be in ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/local/share/gnome-shell/extensions). Removing or adding extensions to these directories will remove or install them form the system. More details on Gnome Shell extensions are available [https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/Extensions here].<br />
<br />
== Troubleshooting ==<br />
=== My GTK2+ apps show segfaults and won't start ===<br />
<br />
That usually happens when '''oxygen-gtk''' is installed. That theme conflicts somehow with GNOME 3's or/and GTK3 settings and when it has been set as a GTK2 theme, the GTK2 apps segfault with errors like:<br />
<br />
<pre> (firefox-bin:14345): GLib-GObject-WARNING **: invalid (NULL) pointer instance<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): GLib-GObject-CRITICAL **: g_signal_connect_data: assertion `G_TYPE_CHECK_INSTANCE (instance)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_default_colormap: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_colormap_get_visual: assertion `GDK_IS_COLORMAP (colormap)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_default_colormap: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_root_window: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_screen_get_root_window: assertion `GDK_IS_SCREEN (screen)' failed<br />
<br />
(firefox-bin:14345): Gdk-CRITICAL **: IA__gdk_window_new: assertion `GDK_IS_WINDOW (parent)' failed<br />
Segmentation fault<br />
</pre><br />
<br />
The current "workaround" is to '''remove''' '''oxygen-gtk''' from the system completelly and set another theme for your apps.</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME&diff=136326GNOME2011-04-08T23:33:39Z<p>Flamelab: /* Upgrade from the current gnome 2.32 */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{i18n|GNOME 3}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME 3 provides a modern desktop, rewritten from scratch, using the GTK3+.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
For GNOME 3, the GNOME Project has started from scratch and created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies. In GNOME 3:<br />
* There is a new default modern visual theme and font<br />
* The Activities view which provides an easy way to access all your windows and applications<br />
* Built-in (integrated) messaging desktop services<br />
* A more subtle notifications' system and a more discreet panel<br />
* A fast Activities' search feature<br />
* A new System Settings application <br />
* ... and more features like: window tiling (Aero Snap like), an improved Nautilus etc. <br />
<br />
[more details on the [http://www.gnome3.org/ GNOME3] website]<br />
<br />
== Introduction ==<br />
<br />
GNOME3 comes with '''two''' interfaces, '''gnome-shell''' (the new, standard layout) and '''fallback''' mode. gnome-session will automatically detect if your computer is capable to run gnome-shell and it would start the fallback mode if not. <br />
<br />
'''Fallback''' mode is very much alike the GNOME 2.x layout (while using gnome-panel and metacity, instead of gnome-shell and Mutter).<br />
<br />
If you are on fallback mode you can still change the window manager with your preferred one.<br />
<br />
== Upgrade from the current gnome 2.32 ==<br />
<br />
Enable '''testing''' repo. <br />
<br />
Edit /etc/pacman.conf and '''un'''comment testing.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|It's very important for the new repo to be on the '''top''', otherwise pacman will '''not''' upgrade GNOME}}<br />
<br />
#testing uncommented<br />
[testing]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
<br />
{{Warning|The session might crash during update and is recommended running the update command in a screen session, from another DE or WM or from tty}}<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu <br />
<br />
'''Important''': You will end up with a system that has GNOME 3.x '''fallback''' mode. To install the new shell:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-shell<br />
<br />
== Installing to a new system ==<br />
<br />
Enable testing in the same way as above.<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu testing/gnome<br />
<br />
For additional applications<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu testing/gnome-extra<br />
<br />
===Daemons and modules needed by GNOME===<br />
<br />
The GNOME desktop requires one daemon, '''DBUS''' for proper operation. <br />
<br />
To start the DBUS daemon:<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Or add these daemons to the '''DAEMONS''' array in {{Filename|/etc/[[rc.conf]]}} so they will start on boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' network crond)<br />
<br />
'''GVFS''' allows the mounting of virtual file systems (e.g. file systems over FTP or SMB) to be used by other applications, including the GNOME file manager Nautilus. This is done with the use of '''FUSE''': a user space virtual file system layer kernel module.<br />
<br />
To load the FUSE kernel module:<br />
# modprobe fuse<br />
<br />
Or add the module to the '''MODULES''' array in {{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}} so they will load at boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
MODULES=('''fuse''' usblp)<br />
<br />
{{Note|FUSE is a kernel module, not a daemon.}}<br />
<br />
===Running GNOME===<br />
<br />
For a better desktop integration is recommended '''GDM'''.<br />
# pacman -S gdm<br />
<br />
Check out [[Display_Manager]] to learn how to start it correctly.<br />
<br />
If you prefer to start it from console, add the following line to your {{Filename|~/.xinitrc}} file, making sure it's the last line and the only one that starts with ''exec'' (see [[xinitrc]]):<br />
exec ck-launch-session gnome-session<br />
<br />
Now GNOME will start when you enter the following command:<br />
$ startx<br />
<br />
== Using the shell ==<br />
<br />
See https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/CheatSheet<br />
<br />
== Customization ==<br />
=== Using Gnome-tweak-tool ===<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool<br />
<br />
This tool can customize fonts, themes and some other useful settings like action when lid is closed.<br />
<br />
=== Changing the GTK3 theme using settings.ini ===<br />
<br />
You can change the GTK3 (Gnome 3 ) theme through the '''${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini''' (it's like the ~/.gtkrc-2.0 for GTK2+).<br />
<br />
For example, you may insert:<br />
<br />
[Settings]<br />
gtk-theme-name = Adwaita<br />
gtk-fallback-icon-theme = gnome<br />
<br />
in there. The defined theme will then be used when logging in another DE or WM.<br />
<br />
== Enabling fallback mode==<br />
<br />
Your session would start automatically to fallback mode if gnome-shell is not present. If you want to enable it while having gnome-shell installed, open gnome-control-center. Open System Info > Graphics. Change ''Forced Fallback Mode'' to ''ON''.<br />
<br />
== Enabling hidden features ==<br />
<br />
Gnome 3.0 hides a lot of useful options and you have to use '''dconf-editor''' to customize them. <br />
<br />
== How to shutdown through the Status menu ==<br />
<br />
For now, the Shutdown option seems to be hidden if the user presses the Status menu on the upper right. If you want to shutdown your system through the Status menu, click on it and then press the '''Alt''' button. The "'''Suspend'''" option will instantly turn into "Power off...", as long as you press the Alt button, which will allow you to properly shutdown your system.<br />
<br />
== Enabling integrated messaging ==<br />
<br />
Empathy, the engine behind the integrated messaging, and all of the system settings based on your messaging accounts will not show up unless the '''telepathy''' group of packages or at least one of the backends ('''telepathy-gabble''', or '''telepathy-haze''', for example) is installed. These are not included in the default Arch GNOME installs and the Empathy interface doesn't give a nice error message, it just fails to work silently. You can install them:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S telepathy<br />
<br />
== Enabling extensions ==<br />
<br />
Gnome Shell can be customised to an extent with extensions that have been written by others. These provide functionality like having a dock that is always present, and being able to change the shell theme. More details on the functionality of currently available extensions is given [http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/gnome-shell-extensions-additional.html here] You can use the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47501 gnome-shell-extensions-git] package in the AUR to install them. Restart Gnome to enable them.<br />
<br />
If installing the extensions causes Gnome to stop working then you must remove the user-theme extension and and the auto-move-windows extension from their installation directory (could be in ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/local/share/gnome-shell/extensions). Removing or adding extensions to these directories will remove or install them form the system. More details on Gnome Shell extensions are available [https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/Extensions here].</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME&diff=136325GNOME2011-04-08T23:32:38Z<p>Flamelab: /* Introduction */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{i18n|GNOME 3}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME 3 provides a modern desktop, rewritten from scratch, using the GTK3+.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
For GNOME 3, the GNOME Project has started from scratch and created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies. In GNOME 3:<br />
* There is a new default modern visual theme and font<br />
* The Activities view which provides an easy way to access all your windows and applications<br />
* Built-in (integrated) messaging desktop services<br />
* A more subtle notifications' system and a more discreet panel<br />
* A fast Activities' search feature<br />
* A new System Settings application <br />
* ... and more features like: window tiling (Aero Snap like), an improved Nautilus etc. <br />
<br />
[more details on the [http://www.gnome3.org/ GNOME3] website]<br />
<br />
== Introduction ==<br />
<br />
GNOME3 comes with '''two''' interfaces, '''gnome-shell''' (the new, standard layout) and '''fallback''' mode. gnome-session will automatically detect if your computer is capable to run gnome-shell and it would start the fallback mode if not. <br />
<br />
'''Fallback''' mode is very much alike the GNOME 2.x layout (while using gnome-panel and metacity, instead of gnome-shell and Mutter).<br />
<br />
If you are on fallback mode you can still change the window manager with your preferred one.<br />
<br />
== Upgrade from the current gnome 2.32 ==<br />
<br />
Enable testing repo. Edit /etc/pacman.conf and uncomment testing.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|It's very important for the new repo to be on the '''top''', otherwise pacman will not upgrade GNOME}}<br />
<br />
#testing uncommented<br />
[testing]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
<br />
{{Warning|The session might crash during update and is recommended running the update command in a screen session or from tty}}<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu <br />
<br />
You will end up with a system that has gnome 3.0 fallback mode. To install the new shell:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-shell<br />
<br />
== Installing to a new system ==<br />
<br />
Enable testing in the same way as above.<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu testing/gnome<br />
<br />
For additional applications<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu testing/gnome-extra<br />
<br />
===Daemons and modules needed by GNOME===<br />
<br />
The GNOME desktop requires one daemon, '''DBUS''' for proper operation. <br />
<br />
To start the DBUS daemon:<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Or add these daemons to the '''DAEMONS''' array in {{Filename|/etc/[[rc.conf]]}} so they will start on boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' network crond)<br />
<br />
'''GVFS''' allows the mounting of virtual file systems (e.g. file systems over FTP or SMB) to be used by other applications, including the GNOME file manager Nautilus. This is done with the use of '''FUSE''': a user space virtual file system layer kernel module.<br />
<br />
To load the FUSE kernel module:<br />
# modprobe fuse<br />
<br />
Or add the module to the '''MODULES''' array in {{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}} so they will load at boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
MODULES=('''fuse''' usblp)<br />
<br />
{{Note|FUSE is a kernel module, not a daemon.}}<br />
<br />
===Running GNOME===<br />
<br />
For a better desktop integration is recommended '''GDM'''.<br />
# pacman -S gdm<br />
<br />
Check out [[Display_Manager]] to learn how to start it correctly.<br />
<br />
If you prefer to start it from console, add the following line to your {{Filename|~/.xinitrc}} file, making sure it's the last line and the only one that starts with ''exec'' (see [[xinitrc]]):<br />
exec ck-launch-session gnome-session<br />
<br />
Now GNOME will start when you enter the following command:<br />
$ startx<br />
<br />
== Using the shell ==<br />
<br />
See https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/CheatSheet<br />
<br />
== Customization ==<br />
=== Using Gnome-tweak-tool ===<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool<br />
<br />
This tool can customize fonts, themes and some other useful settings like action when lid is closed.<br />
<br />
=== Changing the GTK3 theme using settings.ini ===<br />
<br />
You can change the GTK3 (Gnome 3 ) theme through the '''${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini''' (it's like the ~/.gtkrc-2.0 for GTK2+).<br />
<br />
For example, you may insert:<br />
<br />
[Settings]<br />
gtk-theme-name = Adwaita<br />
gtk-fallback-icon-theme = gnome<br />
<br />
in there. The defined theme will then be used when logging in another DE or WM.<br />
<br />
== Enabling fallback mode==<br />
<br />
Your session would start automatically to fallback mode if gnome-shell is not present. If you want to enable it while having gnome-shell installed, open gnome-control-center. Open System Info > Graphics. Change ''Forced Fallback Mode'' to ''ON''.<br />
<br />
== Enabling hidden features ==<br />
<br />
Gnome 3.0 hides a lot of useful options and you have to use '''dconf-editor''' to customize them. <br />
<br />
== How to shutdown through the Status menu ==<br />
<br />
For now, the Shutdown option seems to be hidden if the user presses the Status menu on the upper right. If you want to shutdown your system through the Status menu, click on it and then press the '''Alt''' button. The "'''Suspend'''" option will instantly turn into "Power off...", as long as you press the Alt button, which will allow you to properly shutdown your system.<br />
<br />
== Enabling integrated messaging ==<br />
<br />
Empathy, the engine behind the integrated messaging, and all of the system settings based on your messaging accounts will not show up unless the '''telepathy''' group of packages or at least one of the backends ('''telepathy-gabble''', or '''telepathy-haze''', for example) is installed. These are not included in the default Arch GNOME installs and the Empathy interface doesn't give a nice error message, it just fails to work silently. You can install them:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S telepathy<br />
<br />
== Enabling extensions ==<br />
<br />
Gnome Shell can be customised to an extent with extensions that have been written by others. These provide functionality like having a dock that is always present, and being able to change the shell theme. More details on the functionality of currently available extensions is given [http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/gnome-shell-extensions-additional.html here] You can use the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47501 gnome-shell-extensions-git] package in the AUR to install them. Restart Gnome to enable them.<br />
<br />
If installing the extensions causes Gnome to stop working then you must remove the user-theme extension and and the auto-move-windows extension from their installation directory (could be in ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/local/share/gnome-shell/extensions). Removing or adding extensions to these directories will remove or install them form the system. More details on Gnome Shell extensions are available [https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/Extensions here].</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME&diff=136242GNOME2011-04-08T16:31:14Z<p>Flamelab: /* Customization */</p>
<hr />
<div>{{i18n|GNOME 3}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME 3 provides a modern desktop, rewritten from scratch, using the GTK3+.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
For GNOME 3, the GNOME Project has started from scratch and created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies. In GNOME 3:<br />
* There is a new default modern visual theme and font<br />
* The Activities view which provides an easy way to access all your windows and applications<br />
* Built-in (integrated) messaging desktop services<br />
* A more subtle notifications' system and a more discreet panel<br />
* A fast Activities' search feature<br />
* A new System Settings application <br />
* ... and more features like: window tiling (Aero Snap like), an improved Nautilus etc. <br />
<br />
[more details on the [http://www.gnome3.org/ GNOME3] website]<br />
<br />
== Introduction ==<br />
<br />
GNOME3 comes with two interfaces, gnome-shell(standard) and fallback mode. gnome-session will automatically detect if your computer is capable to run gnome-shell and it would start the fallback mode if not.<br />
<br />
Fallback mode is the old GNOME2 layout and is using gnome-panel(gtk3 port) + metacity<br />
<br />
Using fallback mode you can still change the window manager with your preferred one.<br />
<br />
== Upgrade from the current gnome 2.32 ==<br />
<br />
Enable testing repo. Edit /etc/pacman.conf and uncomment testing.<br />
<br />
{{Warning|It's very important for the new repo to be on the '''top''', otherwise pacman will not upgrade GNOME}}<br />
<br />
#testing uncommented<br />
[testing]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
<br />
{{Warning|The session might crash during update and is recommended running the update command in a screen session or from tty}}<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu <br />
<br />
You will end up with a system that has gnome 3.0 fallback mode. To install the new shell:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-shell<br />
<br />
== Installing to a new system ==<br />
<br />
Enable testing in the same way as above.<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu testing/gnome<br />
<br />
For additional applications<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu testing/gnome-extra<br />
<br />
===Daemons and modules needed by GNOME===<br />
<br />
The GNOME desktop requires one daemon, '''DBUS''' for proper operation. <br />
<br />
To start the DBUS daemon:<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Or add these daemons to the '''DAEMONS''' array in {{Filename|/etc/[[rc.conf]]}} so they will start on boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' network crond)<br />
<br />
'''GVFS''' allows the mounting of virtual file systems (e.g. file systems over FTP or SMB) to be used by other applications, including the GNOME file manager Nautilus. This is done with the use of '''FUSE''': a user space virtual file system layer kernel module.<br />
<br />
To load the FUSE kernel module:<br />
# modprobe fuse<br />
<br />
Or add the module to the '''MODULES''' array in {{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}} so they will load at boot up, e.g.:<br />
<br />
MODULES=('''fuse''' usblp)<br />
<br />
{{Note|FUSE is a kernel module, not a daemon.}}<br />
<br />
===Running GNOME===<br />
<br />
For a better desktop integration is recommended '''GDM'''.<br />
# pacman -S gdm<br />
<br />
Check out [[Display_Manager]] to learn how to start it correctly.<br />
<br />
If you prefer to start it from console, add the following line to your {{Filename|~/.xinitrc}} file, making sure it's the last line and the only one that starts with ''exec'' (see [[xinitrc]]):<br />
exec ck-launch-session gnome-session<br />
<br />
Now GNOME will start when you enter the following command:<br />
$ startx<br />
<br />
== Using the shell ==<br />
<br />
See https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/CheatSheet<br />
<br />
== Customization ==<br />
=== Using Gnome-tweak-tool ===<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gnome-tweak-tool<br />
<br />
This tool can customize fonts, themes and some other useful settings like action when lid is closed.<br />
<br />
=== Changing the GTK3 theme using settings.ini ===<br />
<br />
You can change the GTK3 (Gnome 3 ) theme through the '''${XDG_CONFIG_HOME}/gtk-3.0/settings.ini''' (it's like the ~/.gtkrc-2.0 for GTK2+).<br />
<br />
For example, you may insert:<br />
<br />
[Settings]<br />
gtk-theme-name = Adwaita<br />
gtk-fallback-icon-theme = gnome<br />
<br />
in there. The defined theme will then be used when logging in another DE or WM.<br />
<br />
== Enabling fallback mode==<br />
<br />
Your session would start automatically to fallback mode if gnome-shell is not present. If you want to enable it while having gnome-shell installed, open gnome-control-center. Open System Info > Graphics. Change ''Forced Fallback Mode'' to ''ON''.<br />
<br />
== Enabling hidden features ==<br />
<br />
Gnome 3.0 hides a lot of useful options and you have to use '''dconf-editor''' to customize them. <br />
<br />
== How to shutdown through the Status menu ==<br />
<br />
For now, the Shutdown option seems to be hidden if the user presses the Status menu on the upper right. If you want to shutdown your system through the Status menu, click on it and then press the '''Alt''' button. The "'''Suspend'''" option will instantly turn into "Power off...", as long as you press the Alt button, which will allow you to properly shutdown your system.<br />
<br />
== Enabling integrated messaging ==<br />
<br />
Empathy, the engine behind the integrated messaging, and all of the system settings based on your messaging accounts will not show up unless the '''telepathy''' group of packages or at least one of the backends ('''telepathy-gabble''', or '''telepathy-haze''', for example) is installed. These are not included in the default Arch GNOME installs and the Empathy interface doesn't give a nice error message, it just fails to work silently. You can install them:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S telepathy<br />
<br />
== Enabling extensions ==<br />
<br />
Gnome Shell can be customised to an extent with extensions that have been written by others. These provide functionality like having a dock that is always present, and being able to change the shell theme. More details on the functionality of currently available extensions is given [http://www.webupd8.org/2011/04/gnome-shell-extensions-additional.html here] You can use the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=47501 gnome-shell-extensions-git] package in the AUR to install them. Restart Gnome to enable them.<br />
<br />
If installing the extensions causes Gnome to stop working then you must remove the user-theme extension and and the auto-move-windows extension from their installation directory (could be in ~/.local/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/share/gnome-shell/extensions or /usr/local/share/gnome-shell/extensions). Removing or adding extensions to these directories will remove or install them form the system. More details on Gnome Shell extensions are available [https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/Extensions here].</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=135280KDE2011-03-29T11:21:15Z<p>Flamelab: /* Monitoring changes on local files and directories */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
[[fr:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available, so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x doesn't need Gamin or Fam packages for monitoring changes on local files and directories [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Monitoring_changes_on_local_files_and_directories see more] }}<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right click on the Kicker menu button, press '''Application launcher settings''' and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Official Arch Linux artwork icons are in [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/archlinux-artwork/ archlinux-artwork] package, available after installing at <br />
/usr/share/archlinux/icons<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''criticized''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde].<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
===Monitoring changes on local files and directories===<br />
KDE uses '''inotify''' directly from kernel using '''kdirwatch''' (included in kdelibs), so Gamin or FAM aren't needed. You may want to install this package([https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=31274 kdirwatch] from AUR) which is a GUI frontend for kdirwatch.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This chapter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
==== Configuring Akonadi to use MySQL Server running on the System ====<br />
<br />
First, you need to set up the database using the following commands (replace password with the correct one):<br />
<br />
CREATE DATABASE akonadi;<br />
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON akonadi.* TO 'akonadiuser' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';<br />
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;<br />
<br />
If '''~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf''' does not exist then<br />
<br />
cp /usr/share/config/akonadi/mysql-global.conf ~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf<br />
<br />
and uncomment the following line<br />
<br />
sql_mode=strict_trans_tables<br />
<br />
Then edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''':<br />
<br />
[%General]<br />
Driver=QMYSQL<br />
<br />
[QMYSQL]<br />
Name=akonadi<br />
Host=localhost<br />
ServerPath=/usr/bin/mysqld<br />
StartServer=false<br />
User=akonadiuser<br />
Password=<password><br />
Options=<br />
<br />
[Debug]<br />
Tracer=null<br />
<br />
Restart the Akonadi server with:<br />
<br />
akonadictl restart<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when using the GStreamer Phonon backend=====<br />
That can be solved by installing the GStreamer plugins:<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
If you still encounter problems, you can try changing the backend used by Phonon by installing phonon-vlc:<br />
pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
A Xine backend is also available (phonon-xine), and it is usable when used with [[PulseAudio]], however it is no longer maintained upstream and is considered deprecated.<br />
<br />
The backend order of preference can be changed in:<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend (tab)<br />
(The order may be changed automatically after installing phonon-vlc/phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
===Konsole doesn't save commands' history===<br />
By default console commands' history is saved only when you type 'exit' in console. When you close Konsole with 'x' in the corner it doesn't happen.<br />
To enable autosaving after every command execution you should add following lines into your .bashrc<br />
shopt -s histappend<br />
[[ "${PROMPT_COMMAND}" ]] && PROMPT_COMMAND="$PROMPT_COMMAND;history -a" || PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try [[Reflector]].<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=135279KDE2011-03-29T11:18:59Z<p>Flamelab: /* Full install */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
[[fr:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available, so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x doesn't need Gamin or Fam packages for monitoring changes on local files and directories [https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Monitoring_changes_on_local_files_and_directories see more] }}<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right click on the Kicker menu button, press '''Application launcher settings''' and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Official Arch Linux artwork icons are in [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/archlinux-artwork/ archlinux-artwork] package, available after installing at <br />
/usr/share/archlinux/icons<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''criticized''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde].<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
===Monitoring changes on local files and directories===<br />
KDE uses inotify directly from kernel using kdirwatch(inside in kdelibs), so Gamin or FAM aren't needed, if you want see if kdirwatch is working probably you are interested install gui for kdirwatch ([https://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=31274 kdirwatch] from aur)<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This chapter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
==== Configuring Akonadi to use MySQL Server running on the System ====<br />
<br />
First, you need to set up the database using the following commands (replace password with the correct one):<br />
<br />
CREATE DATABASE akonadi;<br />
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON akonadi.* TO 'akonadiuser' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';<br />
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;<br />
<br />
If '''~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf''' does not exist then<br />
<br />
cp /usr/share/config/akonadi/mysql-global.conf ~/.config/akonadi/mysql-local.conf<br />
<br />
and uncomment the following line<br />
<br />
sql_mode=strict_trans_tables<br />
<br />
Then edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''':<br />
<br />
[%General]<br />
Driver=QMYSQL<br />
<br />
[QMYSQL]<br />
Name=akonadi<br />
Host=localhost<br />
ServerPath=/usr/bin/mysqld<br />
StartServer=false<br />
User=akonadiuser<br />
Password=<password><br />
Options=<br />
<br />
[Debug]<br />
Tracer=null<br />
<br />
Restart the Akonadi server with:<br />
<br />
akonadictl restart<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when using the GStreamer Phonon backend=====<br />
That can be solved by installing the GStreamer plugins:<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
If you still encounter problems, you can try changing the backend used by Phonon by installing phonon-vlc:<br />
pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
A Xine backend is also available (phonon-xine), and it is usable when used with [[PulseAudio]], however it is no longer maintained upstream and is considered deprecated.<br />
<br />
The backend order of preference can be changed in:<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend (tab)<br />
(The order may be changed automatically after installing phonon-vlc/phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
===Konsole doesn't save commands' history===<br />
By default console commands' history is saved only when you type 'exit' in console. When you close Konsole with 'x' in the corner it doesn't happen.<br />
To enable autosaving after every command execution you should add following lines into your .bashrc<br />
shopt -s histappend<br />
[[ "${PROMPT_COMMAND}" ]] && PROMPT_COMMAND="$PROMPT_COMMAND;history -a" || PROMPT_COMMAND="history -a"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try [[Reflector]].<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME&diff=133720GNOME2011-03-15T06:49:34Z<p>Flamelab: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME 3 provides a modern desktop, rewritten from scratch, using the GTK3+.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
For GNOME 3, the GNOME Project has started from scratch and created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies. In GNOME 3:<br />
* There is a new default modern visual theme and font<br />
* The Activities view which provides an easy way to access all your windows and applications<br />
* Built-in (integrated) messaging desktop services<br />
* A more subtle notifications' system and a more discreet panel<br />
* A fast Activities' search feature<br />
* A new System Settings application <br />
* ... and more features like: window tiling (Aero Snap like), an improved Nautilus etc. <br />
<br />
[more details on the [http://www.gnome3.org/ GNOME3] website]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Enabling hidden features ==<br />
<br />
Gnome 3.0 hides a lot of useful options and you have to use '''dconf-editor''' to customize them. <br />
Firstly be sure that '''at-spi2-{core,atk}''' are '''not''' installed because dconf-editor will crash if accessibility is enabled (needs more information about how do disable this without removing the packages) https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=640089<br />
<br />
=== Change font===<br />
'''org.gnome.desktop.interface'''<br />
<br />
font-name: FontName size<br />
use-custom-font: checked<br />
<br />
=== Font Rendering===<br />
'''org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.xsettings'''<br />
<br />
antialiasing: rgba<br />
dpi: 96<br />
hinting: slight<br />
<br />
=== Lid close action ===<br />
'''org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power'''<br />
<br />
active: checked<br />
lid-close-{ac,battery}-action: nothing|blank|suspend|hibernate|shutdown, default: suspend<br />
<br />
== How to shutdown through the Status menu ==<br />
<br />
For now, the Shutdown option seems to be hidden if the user presses the Status menu on the upper right. If you want to shutdown your system through the Status menu, click on it and then press the '''Alt''' button. The "'''Suspend'''" option will instantly turn into "Power off...", as long as you press the Alt button, which will allow you to properly shutdown your system.</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133457KDE2011-03-11T04:03:40Z<p>Flamelab: /* Plasma */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available, so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when using the GStreamer Phonon backend=====<br />
That can be solved by installing the GStreamer plugins:<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
If you still encounter problems, you can try changing the backend used by Phonon by installing phonon-vlc:<br />
pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
A Xine backend is also available (phonon-xine), and it is usable when used with [[PulseAudio]], however it is no longer maintained upstream and is considered deprecated.<br />
<br />
The backend order of preference can be changed in:<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend (tab)<br />
(The order may be changed automatically after installing phonon-vlc/phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133456KDE2011-03-11T04:03:11Z<p>Flamelab: /* Fonts */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available, so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when using the GStreamer Phonon backend=====<br />
That can be solved by installing the GStreamer plugins:<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
If you still encounter problems, you can try changing the backend used by Phonon by installing phonon-vlc:<br />
pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
A Xine backend is also available (phonon-xine), and it is usable when used with [[PulseAudio]], however it is no longer maintained upstream and is considered deprecated.<br />
<br />
The backend order of preference can be changed in:<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend (tab)<br />
(The order may be changed automatically after installing phonon-vlc/phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=133455KDE2011-03-11T04:02:40Z<p>Flamelab: /* Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available, so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions disabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style -> Fine Tuning -> (Main toolbar text / Secondary toolbar text)<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
<br />
For netbooks there is a special workspace, called Plasma Netbook, that makes better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Behavior -> Workspace -> Workspace Type<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Workspace Appearance -> Window Decorations -> Configure Decoration... -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
Also you can use [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40666/ wicd-client-kde]. To remove the GTK front-end, you can replace it with [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40430/ wicd-nogtk] from AUR after installing the KDE front-end. Once you've built the package, install it and answer "yes" when asked to replace wicd.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings -> Sharing -> Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings -> Input Devices -> Keyboard -> Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to kill the X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~/.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings -> Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> Desktop Search -> Desktop Query -> Customize index folders…<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like GStreamer ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-gstreamer phonon-gstreamer]), VLC ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc]), Xine ([http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine]) or even MPlayer in [unsupported] ([http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?K=phonon-mplayer phonon-mplayer]).<br />
<br />
According to [http://www.archlinux.org/news/kde-sc-46-to-extra/ announce of KDE 4.6 in Arch] and [http://mail.kde.org/pipermail/phonon-backends/2011-February/000500.html mail in Phonon dev list]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote>Xine is not maintained and thus will not see releases.</blockquote><br />
<blockquote>This intial preference currently rates<br />
GStreamer highest, followed by VLC as there is some feature<br />
difference.</blockquote><br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KDE and Qt programs look bad when in a different window manager===<br />
If you're using KDE or Qt programs but not in a full KDE session (specifically, you didn't run "startkde"), then as of KDE 4.6.1 you will need to tell Qt how to find KDE's styles (Oxygen, QtCurve etc.)<br />
<br />
You just need to set the environment variable QT_PLUGIN_PATH. E.g. put<br />
<br />
export QT_PLUGIN_PATH=$HOME/.kde4/lib/kde4/plugins/:/usr/lib/kde4/plugins/<br />
<br />
into your /etc/profile (or ~/.profile if you don't have root access). qtconfig should then be able to find your kde styles and everything should look nice again!<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings -> Desktop Effects<br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when using the GStreamer Phonon backend=====<br />
That can be solved by installing the GStreamer plugins:<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
If you still encounter problems, you can try changing the backend used by Phonon by installing phonon-vlc:<br />
pacman -S phonon-vlc<br />
A Xine backend is also available (phonon-xine), and it is usable when used with [[PulseAudio]], however it is no longer maintained upstream and is considered deprecated.<br />
<br />
The backend order of preference can be changed in:<br />
System Settings -> Multimedia -> Phonon -> Backend (tab)<br />
(The order may be changed automatically after installing phonon-vlc/phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
===Hiding partitions===<br />
If you wish to prevent your internal partitions from appearing in your file manager, you can create a udev rule, for example {{filename|/etc/udev/rules.d/10-local.rules}}:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda[0-9]", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
The same thing for a certain partition:<br />
<br />
KERNEL=="sda1", ENV{UDISKS_PRESENTATION_HIDE}="1"<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread]. The current rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3 is based on the Trinity project code (KDE 3.5.12). See Trinity on Arch Linux below.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. Links for binary packages built from the Trinity SVN code as well as the PKGBUILDs are available. For details on this effort, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
Trinity Stable (KDE 3.5.12) packages are also available as an update to kdemod3. The following repository holds binary packages from the Trinity (3.5.12) code base:<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - i686<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/i686/<br />
<br />
# Trinity 3.5.12 - x86_64<br />
[kdemod3]<br />
Server = http://rapinjam.com/beta/lefa/kdemod3/x86_64/<br />
<br />
* After adding the repository, issue '''&lsquo;pacman -Syu&rsquo;'''. If that fails to trigger the update (or if you don't have kdemod3 installed), then use '''&lsquo;pacman -Sy kdemod3-complete&rsquo;'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME&diff=132962GNOME2011-03-06T02:09:42Z<p>Flamelab: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME 3 provides a modern desktop, rewritten from scratch, using the GTK3+.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
For GNOME 3, the GNOME Project has started from scratch and created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies. In GNOME 3:<br />
* There is a new default modern visual theme and font<br />
* The Activities view which provides an easy way to access all your windows and applications<br />
* Built-in (integrated) messaging desktop services<br />
* A more subtle notifications' system and a more discreet panel<br />
* A fast Activities' search feature<br />
* A new System Settings application <br />
* ... and more features like: window tiling (Aero Snap like), an improved Nautilus etc. <br />
<br />
[more details on the [http://www.gnome3.org/ GNOME3] website]<br />
<br />
<br />
== Enabling hidden features ==<br />
<br />
Gnome 3.0 hides a lot of useful options and you have to use '''dconf-editor''' to customize them. <br />
Firstly be sure that '''at-spi2-{core,atk}''' are '''not''' installed because dconf-editor will crash if accessibility is enabled (needs more information about how do disable this without removing the packages) https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=640089<br />
<br />
=== Change font===<br />
'''org.gnome.desktop.interface'''<br />
<br />
font-name: FontName size<br />
use-custom-font: checked<br />
<br />
=== Font Rendering===<br />
'''org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.xsettings'''<br />
<br />
antialiasing: rgba<br />
dpi: 96<br />
hinting: slight<br />
<br />
==="Lid is close" action===<br />
''' org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power'''<br />
<br />
active: checked<br />
lid-close-ac-action: none or blank. The default action is to suspend</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=GNOME&diff=132961GNOME2011-03-06T02:08:37Z<p>Flamelab: </p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|GNOME 3 provides a modern desktop, rewritten from scratch, using the GTK3+.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
For GNOME 3, the GNOME Project has started from scratch and created a completely new, modern desktop designed for today's users and technologies. In GNOME 3:<br />
* There is a new default modern visual theme and font<br />
* The Activities view which provides an easy way to access all your windows and applications<br />
* Built-in (integrated) messaging desktop services<br />
* A more subtle notifications' system and a more discreet panel<br />
* A fast Activities' search feature<br />
* A new System Settings application <br />
* ... and more features like: window tiling (Aero Snap like), an improved Nautilus etc.<br />
<br />
<br />
== Enabling hidden features ==<br />
<br />
Gnome 3.0 hides a lot of useful options and you have to use '''dconf-editor''' to customize them. <br />
Firstly be sure that '''at-spi2-{core,atk}''' are '''not''' installed because dconf-editor will crash if accessibility is enabled (needs more information about how do disable this without removing the packages) https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=640089<br />
<br />
=== Change font===<br />
'''org.gnome.desktop.interface'''<br />
<br />
font-name: FontName size<br />
use-custom-font: checked<br />
<br />
=== Font Rendering===<br />
'''org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.xsettings'''<br />
<br />
antialiasing: rgba<br />
dpi: 96<br />
hinting: slight<br />
<br />
==="Lid is close" action===<br />
''' org.gnome.settings-daemon.plugins.power'''<br />
<br />
active: checked<br />
lid-close-ac-action: none or blank. The default action is to suspend</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=131689KDE2011-02-21T13:30:29Z<p>Flamelab: /* Akonadi */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop. There are two kinds, plasmoid scripts and plasmoid binaries.<br />
<br />
Plasmoid binaries must be installed using PKGBUILDS from [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR]. Or write your own PKGBUILD.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party plasmoid scripts with just one click.<br />
<br />
Most plasmoids are not created officially by KDE developers. You can also try installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
==== Disabling Akonadi ====<br />
<br />
If you don't want Akonadi to be ran in your system (for your own reasons), edit '''~.config/akonadi/akonadiserverrc''' and turn <br />
<br />
StartServer=true<br />
<br />
to <br />
<br />
StartServer=false<br />
<br />
And then relogin into your account.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3, based on the Trinity project code.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. The packages build from the Trinity SVN code. For details, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=131517KDE2011-02-20T00:48:42Z<p>Flamelab: /* Personalization */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
Most of them are not created officially by KDE developers.<br />
<br />
You can also trying installing Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even SuperKaramba widgets. <br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via "Hot New Stuff", what you just used to download widgets) can't build plasmoid which need to be build (C++ based plasmoids). In that case, try to find an existing PKGBUILD or create your own in order to build them.}}<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. <br />
<br />
After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). <br />
<br />
There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). <br />
<br />
Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. <br />
<br />
The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''.<br />
<br />
If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. <br />
<br />
For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. <br />
<br />
This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3, based on the Trinity project code.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. The packages build from the Trinity SVN code. For details, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=131516KDE2011-02-20T00:41:34Z<p>Flamelab: /* Chakra Project KDEmod */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3, based on the Trinity project code.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. The packages build from the Trinity SVN code. For details, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
If you have installed KDEmod (for KDE4), please remove it and install KDE SC from the official Archlinux repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=131515KDE2011-02-20T00:40:27Z<p>Flamelab: /* KDE Legacy */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
Along with the official KDE4, the KDE3 code "lives" under the fork project called "Trinity". <br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.x, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3, based on the Trinity project code.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. The packages build from the Trinity SVN code. For details, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=131514KDE2011-02-20T00:37:28Z<p>Flamelab: /* Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDE 3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. The "Trinity KDE" is maintained by the Trinity project commmunity. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use KDE 3 on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
===Trinity on Arch Linux===<br />
Trinity SVN is currently KDE 3.5.13. An unofficial effort to provide a working set of PKGBUILDs for Trinity for Arch Linux is in the beginning stages and produces a working KDE 3.5.13 desktop for Arch Linux. The packages build from the Trinity SVN code. For details, see the Trinity Arch wiki:<br />
*'''[https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Trinity Trinity on Arch]'''<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=130313KDE2011-02-09T05:47:01Z<p>Flamelab: /* Other KDE projects */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
=== Chakra Project KDEmod ===<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project KDEmod (for KDE4) is no longer active and the current Chakra Project's KDE is no longer compatible with Archlinux packages and repos.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=130312KDE2011-02-09T05:45:28Z<p>Flamelab: /* How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the cpufreq commands.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=130311KDE2011-02-09T05:44:37Z<p>Flamelab: /* Powersaving */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
cpufreq-set -g performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.6 introduced a new power management framework and "solid-powermanagement", that could be previously used, '''is no longer a valid comman'''d. It appears there is no longer a KDE method to set the CPU frequency governor. However, "cpufreq-set -g ondemand" has the same affect. You can enter that in the script text box as above. If that fails, and you are happy with using the ondemand governor all the time, you can have this command executed at startup by placing it in "/etc/rc.local".}}<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
As of KDE SC 4.6.0, there is an option in systemsettings -> Desktop Effect -> Advanced -> "Suspend desktop effects for fullscreen windows"<br />
Uncheck it would tell kwin to disable unredirect fullscren. (icarus-c)<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=129648KDE2011-02-02T07:32:04Z<p>Flamelab: Why phonon-vlc ?</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained and it needs PulseAudio to work; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=129601KDE2011-02-01T22:01:23Z<p>Flamelab: /* Arch Linux notes */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes (KDE SC 4.6) ===<br />
<br />
* This release offers '''UPower''', '''UDev''' and '''UDisks''' support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system, unless it is needed by other packages.<br />
<br />
* KDE PIM 4.6 is yet '''not''' available (it will be possibly released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
* Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained and it needs PulseAudio to work; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
* In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
* The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=129442KDE2011-01-31T04:37:49Z<p>Flamelab: /* Powersaving */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes===<br />
<br />
This release offers UPower, UDev and UDisks support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system.<br />
<br />
KDE PIM 4.6 is yet not available (will be released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained and it needs PulseAudio to work; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Power Profiles" menu.<br />
<br />
You can now create a new profile or edit the previous ones. <br />
<br />
If you would like to have cpufrequtils as the software that will manage the CPU's powersaving behavior, type the following command in the "Script" text box:<br />
<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "Script" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq performance<br />
<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=129441KDE2011-01-31T04:32:20Z<p>Flamelab: /* The Raster engine workaround */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes===<br />
<br />
This release offers UPower, UDev and UDisks support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system.<br />
<br />
KDE PIM 4.6 is yet not available (will be released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained and it needs PulseAudio to work; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", and make sure that "Enable system power saving" is enabled in the "CPU and System" tab.<br />
<br />
After that, type the following command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq performance<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. <br />
<br />
You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". <br />
<br />
The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export '''QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster''', or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=129440KDE2011-01-31T04:31:28Z<p>Flamelab: /* Suspend to Disk/Ram not working */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes===<br />
<br />
This release offers UPower, UDev and UDisks support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system.<br />
<br />
KDE PIM 4.6 is yet not available (will be released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained and it needs PulseAudio to work; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", and make sure that "Enable system power saving" is enabled in the "CPU and System" tab.<br />
<br />
After that, type the following command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq performance<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done '''automatically with KDM'''.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster, or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=129439KDE2011-01-31T04:30:53Z<p>Flamelab: /* How to use in konqueror */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes===<br />
<br />
This release offers UPower, UDev and UDisks support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system.<br />
<br />
KDE PIM 4.6 is yet not available (will be released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained and it needs PulseAudio to work; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-vlc<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your desktop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from Mac OS X widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most useful on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", and make sure that "Enable system power saving" is enabled in the "CPU and System" tab.<br />
<br />
After that, type the following command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq performance<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email addresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized access point for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preferably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorization''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developed by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in Konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then, after executing Konqueror, press '''Settings > Configure Konqueror'''. <br />
<br />
On the "General" submenu, select the "WebKit" as the "Default web browser engine".<br />
<br />
You can, of course, choose KHTML again, if you don't like WebKit as the rendering engine.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done automatically with kdm.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster, or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=129129KDE2011-01-27T02:45:10Z<p>Flamelab: /* Overview */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer, Xine or VLC<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes===<br />
<br />
This release offers UPower, UDev and UDisks support that can be used instead of the deprecated HAL. For that, the hal package is no more a requirement of kdebase-workspace and can be removed from your system.<br />
<br />
KDE PIM 4.6 is yet not available (will be released with the next minor release), so we will continue with the 4.4 series.<br />
<br />
Also, with the last Phonon update, the DEVs declared the Xine backend no longer maintained and it needs PulseAudio to work; you really should think to switch to the GStreamer or the VLC backend.<br />
<br />
In case of any error, try using a new user account or (re)moving KDE's configuration which can be found at ~/.kde4 /tmp/kde- /var/tmp/kdecache-. Akonadi saves its data at ~/.config/akonadi and ~/.local/share/akonadi.<br />
<br />
The removed packages are: kdegames-ksame, kdesdk-kbugbuster, kdeutils-okteta The new packages are: kdeaccessibility-kaccessible, kdegames-klickety, kdesdk-okteta, kdeutils-filelight, kdeplasma-addons-concontainments, kdeplasma-addons-runners-events<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde phonon-xine<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta phonon-xine<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-xine<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your deskop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from MacOSX widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most usefull on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", and make sure that "Enable system power saving" is enabled in the "CPU and System" tab.<br />
<br />
After that, type the following command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq performance<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email adresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized accesspoint for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preverably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorisation''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developped by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then execute the following command<br />
<br />
keditfiletype text/html<br />
<br />
<br />
In the window that opens go to the "Embedding" tab. Move the entry "WebKit" up to the top of the list and then hit the "OK" button and restart Konqueror.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done automatically with kdm.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster, or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=129128KDE2011-01-27T02:44:08Z<p>Flamelab: Updates for KDE SC 4.6</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|Plasma}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.6''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer or Xine<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.6 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes===<br />
<br />
* KDEpim has seen no new release, please continue to use version 4.4.x until (or if) KDEpim 4.6 is released.<br />
* Due to incompatibility with ruby 1.9, ruby kdebindings are not provided on the official repos.<br />
* Webkit support in konqueror is provided by kwebkitpart<br />
* KDM is now started by the kdm user<br />
* Upstream removed five translations: csb, mai, mk, si and tg<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde phonon-xine<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta phonon-xine<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the [[KDE Packages]] article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
[[Gamin]], an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-xine<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus to your DAEMONS array, to invoke it on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start it without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your deskop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from MacOSX widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
or '''oxygen-gtk'''<br />
pacman -S oxygen-gtk<br />
or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Cashew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most usefull on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
=== Printing ===<br />
<br />
{{Tip|Use the [[Cups]] web interface for faster configuration.}}<br />
<br />
The printers are configured in this way can be found in applications KDE. <br />
<br />
You can also choose the printer configuration through '''Systemsettings -> Printer Configuration'''. To use this method, you must first install the packages: <br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdeadmin-system-config-printer-kde cups<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE Desktop Activities are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", and make sure that "Enable system power saving" is enabled in the "CPU and System" tab.<br />
<br />
After that, type the following command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq performance<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to increase the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email adresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized accesspoint for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preverably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorisation''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-xine phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developped by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then execute the following command<br />
<br />
keditfiletype text/html<br />
<br />
<br />
In the window that opens go to the "Embedding" tab. Move the entry "WebKit" up to the top of the list and then hit the "OK" button and restart Konqueror.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeysrc|content= <nowiki><br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
<br />
{{file|name=xbindkeys.desktop|content= <nowiki><br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
</nowiki>}}<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdemultimedia-ffmpegthumbs<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done automatically with kdm.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster, or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====No KDE system notifcations sounds with phonon-xine=====<br />
If you get no sounds with any system notifcation in general and you are using phonon-xine then you need to install the speex package, an optional dependence of xine-lib.<br />
pacman -S speex<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable (snapshot)===<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
From the release of KDE 4.0, the developers dropped support for KDE 3.5.x. Nevertheless you can still use KDE 3.5.x through a project called '''kdemod3'''<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=123817KDE2010-12-03T21:39:58Z<p>Flamelab: /* Increase Nepomuk/Strigi performance through sysctl */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|For users on Linux and Unix, KDE offers a full suite of user workspace applications which allow interaction with these operating systems in a modern, graphical user interface. This article covers its installation, configuration, and troubleshooting.}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE uses the [[Qt]] toolkit.}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Overview}}<br />
{{Article summary text|{{Graphical user interface overview}}}}<br />
{{Article summary heading|Related}}<br />
{{Article summary wiki|KDEmod}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/community/whatiskde/softwarecompilation.php KDE - KDE Software Compilation]:<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation grew out of the history of the KDE Project. In its inception, KDE was formed to create a beautiful, functional and free desktop computing environment for Linux and similar operating system. At the time, these systems lacked a graphical user environment that could rival the offerings from the larger proprietary operating system vendors. KDE was created to fill this gap.''<br />
<br />
:''The KDE Software Compilation is the set of libraries, workspaces, and applications produced by KDE that share this common heritage, and continue to use the synchronized release cycle. Software may move in and out of this semi-formally defined collection depending on the particular needs of the contributors who are working on that software, with exceptions made to ensure that binary compatibility remains at the library level throughout any major release of the compilation.''<br />
<br />
From [http://www.kde.org/download/ KDE - Getting KDE Software]:<br />
<br />
:''KDE software consists of a large number of individual applications and a desktop workspace as a shell to run these applications. You can run KDE applications just fine on any desktop environment. KDE applications are built to integrate well with your system's components. By using also KDE workspace, you get even better integration of your applications with the working environment while lowering system resource needs.''<br />
<br />
==Overview==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.5''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer or Xine<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.5 here]<br />
<br />
===Arch Linux notes===<br />
<br />
* KDEpim has seen no new release, please continue to use version 4.4.x until (or if) KDEpim 4.5 is released.<br />
* Due to incompatibility with ruby 1.9, ruby kdebindings are not provided on the official repos.<br />
* Webkit support in konqueror is provided by kwebkitpart<br />
* KDM is now started by the kdm user<br />
* Upstream removed five translations: csb, mai, mk, si and tg<br />
<br />
==Installation==<br />
<br />
=== Full install ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
# pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde phonon-xine<br />
<br />
or<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-meta phonon-xine<br />
<br />
{{Note|Learn about the difference between kde and kde-meta packages in the KDE Packages article.}}<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
Gamin, an extension of the file alteration monitor (fam) project, is more actively developed than fam, and will be useful for reflecting real-time changes in the filesystem.<br />
<br />
Install with:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S gamin<br />
<br />
=== Minimal install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
# pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-xine<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Add dbus and hal to your DAEMONS array, to invoke them on boot.<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng '''dbus hal''' networkmanager alsa crond)<br />
<br />
If you need to start them without rebooting:<br />
<br />
# /etc/rc.d/dbus start && /etc/rc.d/hal start<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(syslog-ng dbus hal network crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuration==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your deskop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from MacOSX widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''.<br />
<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
<br />
Or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Casheew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most usefull on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking/Printing ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE 4.5 SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", and make sure that "Enable system power saving" is enabled in the "CPU and System" tab.<br />
<br />
After that, type the following command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq performance<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [[http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to incraese the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email adresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover it provides a centralized accesspoint for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preverably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorisation''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon ?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose ?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit ?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developped by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then execute the following command<br />
<br />
keditfiletype text/html<br />
<br />
<br />
In the window that opens go to the "Embedding" tab. Move the entry "WebKit" up to the top of the list and then hit the "OK" button and restart Konqueror.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
<br />
===I encounter problems with automounting (or) KDE behaves strangely for no apparent reason===<br />
Since the new X-Server 1.8 arrived in the stable repos some users got the impression that HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) might not be needed anymore at all. But for a fully functional KDE-Desktop it is neccessary to run hal:<br />
/etc/rc.d/hal start<br />
For ease of use you should add it to your daemons list in ''/etc/rc.conf'':<br />
DAEMONS=( .. @hal ..)<br />
It is no problem to start HAL in the background to shave some time of boot.<br />
If you are using udev to automatically mount your drives with an udev-rule without running hal you should take note of the fact that these mounted drives will '''not''' be recognized by KDE. So no entry of this device will show up in Dolphin and Device Notifier won't notify you either.<br />
<br />
If KDE doesn't automatically mount removable media such as CD or DVD, make sure you don't have any entry for these drives in ''/etc/fstab'' (if you do, just comment them - as root). Then check any *.fdi file located in ''/etc/hal/fdi/information/'' and make sure it writes something like:<br />
<merge key="storage.media_check_enabled" type="bool">'''true'''</merge><br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done automatically with kdm.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster, or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicsssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===== KDE 4.5 specific graphics' issues =====<br />
<br />
Many users who use the ATI and Intel open-source drivers have encountered several performance regressions with the latest KWin update in KDE 4.5. Please try one of the following workarounds (in order of merit) if you have such a problem (via System Settings > Desktop Effects > Advanced):<br />
<br />
* Add '''export LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT=1''' to ''/etc/profile''<br />
** Optionally (because the above already forces this), ''uncheck'' '''Enable direct rendering''' under ''OpenGL Options''<br />
** Reboot (and we ''do'' mean reboot - don't try to restart the X server)<br />
** This effectively disables Direct Rendering and may affect other OpenGL applications negatively<br />
* Use '''XRender''' as the ''Compositing type''<br />
* Disable Desktop Effects (compositing) altogether<br />
** the best way to achieve this appears to be to disable compositing in xorg.conf by adding<br />
Section "Extensions"<br />
Option "Composite" "Disable"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
<br />
See upstream bug report: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=241402<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do ?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
===The Chakra Project===<br />
<br />
{{Warning| Chakra Project will '''split''' from Arch's main system. The last KDEmod for Arch Linux is the current (KDE SC 4.5). You should be informed on Chakra Project's news and devs' decisions on [http://chakra-project.org/ Chakra Project website].}}<br />
<br />
====Split KDE packages====<br />
[http://chakra-project.org/ The Chakra Project] is a community-based modular version of KDE 4 and Live CD project, which includes a number of UI enhancements for KDE 4.x. Visit [http://chakra-project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page the Chakra Project Wiki main page] for more information.<br />
<br />
====Chakra Project Arch Live CD====<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project also provides a full featured Live CD, which has the latest stable KDEmod4 packages included.<br />
You may visit [http://chakra-project.org/download-iso.html the Chakra Project Live CD webpage] in order to find more information.<br />
<br />
====Passing from KDEmod to [extra]'s KDE====<br />
<br />
{{Note|You do have instructions for passing from '''[extra]''''s KDE4 to KDEmod4 [http://chakra-project.org/download-kdemod.html here]. }}<br />
<br />
Both flavours of KDE provide the same Desktop Environment, so if you install the one or the other, in the same upstream version, there should not be any problem regarding plasmoids, themes, styles or any KDE related application.<br />
<br />
So, if you want, for any reason, to pass from KDEmod to '''[extra]''''s KDE, do:<br />
<br />
pacman -Rd kdemod<br />
<br />
OR<br />
<br />
pacman -Rd kdemod-uninstall<br />
<br />
and it should be removed, but with the '''-d''' argument, the KDE dependent packages '''are not''' uninstalled, but only the Desktop Environment. But, if you want to '''completelly''' remove any KDEmod specific application/plasmoid/style etc too, do<br />
<br />
pacman -Rcns kdemod<br />
<br />
and then make sure that everything has been uninstalled:<br />
<br />
pacman -Q | grep kde<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to use the same KDE specific settings from the previous KDEmod installation, move or rename ~/'''.kdemod4''' to ~/'''.kde4''' }}<br />
<br />
After this, you may have KDEmod uninstalled.<br />
<br />
Then, follow [[KDE#Installing_KDE_4.5|this]].<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable===<br />
====KDEmod testing/unstable====<br />
<br />
You may visit [http://chakra-project.org/repos.html this webpage] and see which repos can you add in''' pacman.conf''' in order to test the KDEmod unstable packages.<br />
<br />
====KDE unstable (snapshot)====<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
====Downgrading to KDEmod3 from KDE 4====<br />
For those people who decide that KDE 4 is still not yet "ready" for them, there is a website about how to downgrade to a version of KDE 3.5 called '''kdemod3''':<br />
* [http://chakra-project.org/download-kdemod3.html KDEmod3]<br />
<br />
'''Warning''': There have been issues reported regarding Libjpeg7, that caused KDEmod3 to behave strangely. In order to solve that, install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=28427 libjpeg6] [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=33795 libpng12 from AUR]. The libs '''libjpeg6''' and '''libpng12''' can be safely installed along side the current libraries. You will also want to update [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=19338 poppler-qt3 from AUR]. The only conflict you will find is a conflict between poppler and poppler-qt3 during poppler updates. '''poppler-qt3''' is a dependency for the kdemod3-kdegraphics-kpdf package, but as a work-around you can simply remove poppler-qt3 with the --nodeps flag, complete the Arch update of poppler and then reinstall poppler-qt3. More info [http://chakra-project.org/bbs/viewtopic.php?id=1097 here]<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
===Common bugs===<br />
If you think you found something that seems like bug, please see [[Common_Issues]] and regarding that: KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=121809KDE2010-11-19T17:57:18Z<p>Flamelab: /* Strigi Search */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE is a full featured desktop environment known for its well integrated applications, like Konqueror, Dolphin, Plasma, KWrite and Konsole.}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
==KDE 4.5 Arch Linux Notes==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.5''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer or Xine<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.5 here]<br />
<br />
=== KDE 4.5 Arch Linux packaging specific info ===<br />
<br />
* KDEpim has seen no new release, please continue to use version 4.4.x until (or if) KDEpim 4.5 is released.<br />
* Due to incompatibility with ruby 1.9, ruby kdebindings are not provided on the official repos.<br />
* Webkit support in konqueror is provided by kwebkitpart<br />
* KDM is now started by the kdm user<br />
* Upstream removed five translations: csb, mai, mk, si and tg<br />
<br />
==Installing KDE 4.5 Software Compilation==<br />
<br />
=== Installing full KDE SC ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
pacman -S kde phonon-xine<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
=== Minimal Install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-xine<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [[Display Manager|full article]] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(dbus hal syslog-ng network netfs crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuring==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your deskop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from MacOSX widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''.<br />
<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
<br />
Or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Casheew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most usefull on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking/Printing ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE 4.5 SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU scaling is defined by the hardware and/or kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Despite the claim in the link above, it seems that CPU does not scale without cpufreq. Also, in Arch the default governor is "'''performance'''" and not "'''ondemand'''", so the user still needs to install the cpufrequtils package and add the "'''cpufreq_ondemand'''" module in the modules array in rc.conf.}}<br />
<br />
You can easily use the desired governors through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
In order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
2. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", and make sure that "Enable system power saving" is enabled in the "CPU and System" tab.<br />
<br />
After that, type the following command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq ondemand<br />
<br />
3. Now select the "Performance" profile and type this command in the "When loading profile execute" text box:<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq performance<br />
You don't have to enable the "Enable System power saving" check box for this profile.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [[http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
Nepomuk has to keep the trace of a lot of files, because of that is recommended to incraese the number of files that can be watched with inotify, to do that:<br />
sysctl fs.inotify.max_user_watches=524288<br />
<br />
To do it persistant:<br />
echo "fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288" >> /etc/sysctl.conf<br />
<br />
And restart Nepomuk.<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email adresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover does also provide a centralized accesspoint for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preverably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
=== Increase Nepomuk/Strigi performance through sysctl ===<br />
<br />
Add<br />
<br />
fs.inotify.max_user_watches = 524288<br />
<br />
in '''/etc/sysctl.conf'''<br />
<br />
and reboot or run '''sysctl -p.'''<br />
<br />
After that, the Desktop Search performance is (supposed to be) much better.<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorisation''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon ?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose ?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit ?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developped by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then execute the following command<br />
<br />
keditfiletype text/html<br />
<br />
<br />
In the window that opens go to the "Embedding" tab. Move the entry "WebKit" up to the top of the list and then hit the "OK" button and restart Konqueror.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling back/forward mouse buttons in Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
First, you must install xautomation which can be downloaded from [[http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=7312 AUR]] and xbindkeys, which can be installed using Pacman. <br />
<br />
Next, create a text file named .xbindkeysrc and save it to your home directory. The content of the file should be:<br />
# For the benefit of emacs users: -*- shell-script -*-<br />
###########################<br />
# xbindkeys configuration #<br />
###########################<br />
#<br />
# Version: 1.8.0<br />
#<br />
# If you edit this file, do not forget to uncomment any lines<br />
# that you change.<br />
# The pound(#) symbol may be used anywhere for comments.<br />
#<br />
# To specify a key, you can use 'xbindkeys --key' or<br />
# 'xbindkeys --multikey' and put one of the two lines in this file.<br />
#<br />
# The format of a command line is:<br />
# "command to start"<br />
# associated key<br />
#<br />
#<br />
# A list of keys is in /usr/include/X11/keysym.h and in<br />
# /usr/include/X11/keysymdef.h<br />
# The XK_ is not needed.<br />
#<br />
# List of modifier:<br />
# Release, Control, Shift, Mod1 (Alt), Mod2 (NumLock),<br />
# Mod3 (CapsLock), Mod4, Mod5 (Scroll).<br />
#<br />
<br />
# The release modifier is not a standard X modifier, but you can<br />
# use it if you want to catch release events instead of press events<br />
<br />
# By defaults, xbindkeys does not pay attention with the modifiers<br />
# NumLock, CapsLock and ScrollLock.<br />
# Uncomment the lines above if you want to pay attention to them.<br />
<br />
#keystate_numlock = enable<br />
#keystate_capslock = enable<br />
#keystate_scrolllock= enable<br />
<br />
# Examples of commands:<br />
<br />
"xbindkeys_show" <br />
control+shift + q<br />
<br />
# set directly keycode (here control + f with my keyboard)<br />
"xterm"<br />
c:41 + m:0x4<br />
<br />
# specify a mouse button<br />
"xterm"<br />
control + b:2<br />
<br />
#"xterm -geom 50x20+20+20"<br />
# Shift+Mod2+alt + s<br />
#<br />
## set directly keycode (here control+alt+mod2 + f with my keyboard)<br />
#"xterm"<br />
# alt + c:0x29 + m:4 + mod2<br />
#<br />
## Control+Shift+a release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# release+control+shift + a<br />
#<br />
## Control + mouse button 2 release event starts rxvt<br />
#"rxvt"<br />
# Control + b:2 + Release<br />
<br />
# dolphin go back<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Right' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:9<br />
<br />
# dolphin go forward<br />
"xte 'keydown Alt_L' 'key Left' 'keyup Alt_L'"<br />
b:8<br />
<br />
<br />
##################################<br />
# End of xbindkeys configuration #<br />
##################################<br />
<br />
Now create an autostart entry in /home/user_name/.kde4/Autostart named xbindkeys.desktop containing the following code:<br />
[Desktop Entry]<br />
Comment[en_US]=<br />
Comment=<br />
Encoding=UTF-8<br />
Exec=xbindkeys<br />
GenericName[en_US]=<br />
GenericName=<br />
Icon=<br />
MimeType=<br />
Name[en_US]=<br />
Name=<br />
Path=<br />
StartupNotify=false<br />
Terminal=false<br />
TerminalOptions=<br />
Type=Application<br />
Version=1.0<br />
X-DBUS-ServiceName=<br />
X-DBUS-StartupType=<br />
X-DCOP-ServiceType=<br />
X-KDE-SubstituteUID=false<br />
X-KDE-Username=<br />
X-KDE-autostart-after=kdesktop<br />
<br />
Now just reboot your computer and you should have back/forward mouse button functionality in Dolphin and Konqueror.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
<br />
===I encounter problems with automounting (or) KDE behaves strangely for no apparent reason===<br />
Since the new X-Server 1.8 arrived in the stable repos some users got the impression that HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) might not be needed anymore at all. But for a fully functional KDE-Desktop it is neccessary to run hal:<br />
/etc/rc.d/hal start<br />
For ease of use you should add it to your daemons list in ''/etc/rc.conf'':<br />
DAEMONS=( .. @hal ..)<br />
It is no problem to start HAL in the background to shave some time of boot.<br />
If you are using udev to automatically mount your drives with an udev-rule without running hal you should take note of the fact that these mounted drives will '''not''' be recognized by KDE. So no entry of this device will show up in Dolphin and Device Notifier won't notify you either.<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done automatically with kdm.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster, or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicsssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===== KDE 4.5 specific graphics' issues =====<br />
<br />
Many users who use the ATI and Intel open-source drivers have encountered several performance regressions with the latest KWin update in KDE 4.5. Please try one of the following workarounds (in order of merit) if you have such a problem (via System Settings > Desktop Effects > Advanced):<br />
<br />
* Add '''export LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT=1''' to ''/etc/profile''<br />
** Optionally (because the above already forces this), ''uncheck'' '''Enable direct rendering''' under ''OpenGL Options''<br />
** Reboot (and we ''do'' mean reboot - don't try to restart the X server)<br />
** This effectively disables Direct Rendering and may affect other OpenGL applications negatively<br />
* Use '''XRender''' as the ''Compositing type''<br />
* Disable Desktop Effects (compositing) altogether<br />
** the best way to achieve this appears to be to disable compositing in xorg.conf by adding<br />
Section "Extensions"<br />
Option "Composite" "Disable"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
<br />
See upstream bug report: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=241402<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
=====Phonon with Xine backend and ALSA devices=====<br />
If using Phonon with the Xine backend, not all ALSA devices in /etc/asound.conf or ~/.asoundrc (or the default ALSA device) may show or be available.<br />
<br />
Symptoms of the problem:<br />
* ALSA devices do not appear in System Settings > Multimedia > Phonon<br />
* speaker-test yields Error -2, "No such file or directory" <br />
* aplay yields a file or directory not found error<br />
<br />
[http://phonon.kde.org/cms/1032 Problem and workaround documented on the KDE Phonon Wiki]<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do ?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
===The Chakra Project===<br />
<br />
{{Warning| Chakra Project will '''split''' from Arch's main system. The last KDEmod for Arch Linux is the current (KDE SC 4.5). You should be informed on Chakra Project's news and devs' decisions on [http://chakra-project.org/ Chakra Project website].}}<br />
<br />
====Split KDE packages====<br />
[http://chakra-project.org/ The Chakra Project] is a community-based modular version of KDE 4 and Live CD project, which includes a number of UI enhancements for KDE 4.x. Visit [http://chakra-project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page the Chakra Project Wiki main page] for more information.<br />
<br />
====Chakra Project Arch Live CD====<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project also provides a full featured Live CD, which has the latest stable KDEmod4 packages included.<br />
You may visit [http://chakra-project.org/download-iso.html the Chakra Project Live CD webpage] in order to find more information.<br />
<br />
====Passing from KDEmod to [extra]'s KDE====<br />
<br />
{{Note|You do have instructions for passing from '''[extra]''''s KDE4 to KDEmod4 [http://chakra-project.org/download-kdemod.html here]. }}<br />
<br />
Both flavours of KDE provide the same Desktop Environment, so if you install the one or the other, in the same upstream version, there should not be any problem regarding plasmoids, themes, styles or any KDE related application.<br />
<br />
So, if you want, for any reason, to pass from KDEmod to '''[extra]''''s KDE, do:<br />
<br />
pacman -Rd kdemod<br />
<br />
OR<br />
<br />
pacman -Rd kdemod-uninstall<br />
<br />
and it should be removed, but with the '''-d''' argument, the KDE dependent packages '''are not''' uninstalled, but only the Desktop Environment. But, if you want to '''completelly''' remove any KDEmod specific application/plasmoid/style etc too, do<br />
<br />
pacman -Rcns kdemod<br />
<br />
and then make sure that everything has been uninstalled:<br />
<br />
pacman -Q | grep kde<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to use the same KDE specific settings from the previous KDEmod installation, move or rename ~/'''.kdemod4''' to ~/'''.kde4''' }}<br />
<br />
After this, you may have KDEmod uninstalled.<br />
<br />
Then, follow [[KDE#Installing_KDE_4.5|this]].<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable===<br />
====KDEmod testing/unstable====<br />
<br />
You may visit [http://chakra-project.org/repos.html this webpage] and see which repos can you add in''' pacman.conf''' in order to test the KDEmod unstable packages.<br />
<br />
====KDE unstable (snapshot)====<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
====Downgrading to KDEmod3 from KDE 4====<br />
For those people who decide that KDE 4 is still not yet "ready" for them, there is a website about how to downgrade to a version of KDE 3.5 called '''kdemod3''':<br />
* [http://chakra-project.org/download-kdemod3.html KDEmod3]<br />
<br />
'''Warning''': There have been issues reported regarding Libjpeg7, that caused KDEmod3 to behave strangely. In order to solve that, install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=28427 libjpeg6] [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=33795 libpng12 from AUR]. The libs '''libjpeg6''' and '''libpng12''' can be safely installed along side the current libraries. You will also want to update [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=19338 poppler-qt3 from AUR]. The only conflict you will find is a conflict between poppler and poppler-qt3 during poppler updates. '''poppler-qt3''' is a dependency for the kdemod3-kdegraphics-kpdf package, but as a work-around you can simply remove poppler-qt3 with the --nodeps flag, complete the Arch update of poppler and then reinstall poppler-qt3. More info [http://chakra-project.org/bbs/viewtopic.php?id=1097 here]<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
===Common bugs===<br />
If you think you found something that seems like bug, please see [[Common_Issues]] and regarding that: KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=120887KDE2010-11-09T08:02:18Z<p>Flamelab: /* KDE 4.5 Arch Linux Notes */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE is a full featured desktop environment known for its well integrated applications, like Konqueror, Dolphin, Plasma, KWrite and Konsole.}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
==KDE 4.5 Arch Linux Notes==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.5''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer or Xine<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.5 here]<br />
<br />
=== KDE 4.5 Arch Linux packaging specific info ===<br />
<br />
* KDEpim has seen no new release, please continue to use version 4.4.x until (or if) KDEpim 4.5 is released.<br />
* Due to incompatibility with ruby 1.9, ruby kdebindings are not provided on the official repos.<br />
* Webkit support in konqueror is provided by kwebkitpart<br />
* KDM is now started by the kdm user<br />
* Upstream removed five translations: csb, mai, mk, si and tg<br />
<br />
==Installing KDE 4.5 Software Compilation==<br />
<br />
=== Installing full KDE SC ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
pacman -S kde phonon-xine<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
=== Minimal Install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-xine<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Display_Manager full article] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(dbus hal syslog-ng network netfs crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuring==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your deskop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from MacOSX widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''.<br />
<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
<br />
Or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Casheew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most usefull on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking/Printing ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE 4.5 SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU is being used by using the hardware or/and kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| Using Cpufreq in order to handle your CPU power schemes, that means, controlling it through software, IS NOT suggested for use since modern CPUs are capable of powersaving through their motherboard's BIOSes.<br />
<br />
[http://www.codon.org.uk/~mjg59/power/good_practices.html Visit this link] for more info on good power management practices.}}<br />
<br />
If you do want, you still can use Cpufreq for your system which is accessible through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
So in order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. You need to create a script for every Cpufreq governor you want to be used. In this example, you will now create a script to enable the powersaving governor.<br />
<br />
Create a script in /usr/bin<br />
<br />
# touch /usr/bin/kde-cpufreq-powersave<br />
<br />
Add these in the script<br />
<br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq powersave<br />
<br />
Make it executable<br />
<br />
# chmod +x /usr/bin/kde-cpufreq-powersave<br />
<br />
2. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
3. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", and make sure that "Enable System power saving" is enabled.<br />
<br />
After that, press the file dialog button next to the phrase "When loading profile execute" and choose the script you have just created. Now, each time you choose the Powersaving profile through Powerdevil, Cpufreq will force the powersaving governor.<br />
<br />
You can do the same for other profiles and governors.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [[http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email adresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover does also provide a centralized accesspoint for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preverably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorisation''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon ?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose ?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit ?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developped by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then execute the following command<br />
<br />
keditfiletype text/html<br />
<br />
<br />
In the window that opens go to the "Embedding" tab. Move the entry "WebKit" up to the top of the list and then hit the "OK" button and restart Konqueror.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
<br />
===I encounter problems with automounting (or) KDE behaves strangely for no apparent reason===<br />
Since the new X-Server 1.8 arrived in the stable repos some users got the impression that HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) might not be needed anymore at all. But for a fully functional KDE-Desktop it is neccessary to run hal:<br />
/etc/rc.d/hal start<br />
For ease of use you should add it to your daemons list in ''/etc/rc.conf'':<br />
DAEMONS=( .. @hal ..)<br />
It is no problem to start HAL in the background to shave some time of boot.<br />
If you are using udev to automatically mount your drives with an udev-rule without running hal you should take note of the fact that these mounted drives will '''not''' be recognized by KDE. So no entry of this device will show up in Dolphin and Device Notifier won't notify you either.<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done automatically with kdm.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster, or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicsssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===== KDE 4.5 specific graphics' issues =====<br />
<br />
Many users who use the ATI and Intel open-source drivers have encountered several performance regressions with the latest KWin update in KDE 4.5. Please try one of the following workarounds (in order of merit) if you have such a problem (via System Settings > Desktop Effects > Advanced):<br />
<br />
* Add '''export LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT=1''' to ''/etc/profile''<br />
** Optionally (because the above already forces this), ''uncheck'' '''Enable direct rendering''' under ''OpenGL Options''<br />
** Reboot (and we ''do'' mean reboot - don't try to restart the X server)<br />
** This effectively disables Direct Rendering and may affect other OpenGL applications negatively<br />
* Use '''XRender''' as the ''Compositing type''<br />
* Disable Desktop Effects (compositing) altogether<br />
** the best way to achieve this appears to be to disable compositing in xorg.conf by adding<br />
Section "Extensions"<br />
Option "Composite" "Disable"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
<br />
See upstream bug report: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=241402<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do ?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
===The Chakra Project===<br />
<br />
{{Warning| Chakra Project will '''split''' from Arch's main system. The last KDEmod for Arch Linux is the current (KDE SC 4.5). You should be informed on Chakra Project's news and devs' decisions on [http://chakra-project.org/ Chakra Project website].}}<br />
<br />
====Split KDE packages====<br />
[http://chakra-project.org/ The Chakra Project] is a community-based modular version of KDE 4 and Live CD project, which includes a number of UI enhancements for KDE 4.x. Visit [http://chakra-project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page the Chakra Project Wiki main page] for more information.<br />
<br />
====Chakra Project Arch Live CD====<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project also provides a full featured Live CD, which has the latest stable KDEmod4 packages included.<br />
You may visit [http://chakra-project.org/download-iso.html the Chakra Project Live CD webpage] in order to find more information.<br />
<br />
====Passing from KDEmod to [extra]'s KDE====<br />
<br />
{{Note|You do have instructions for passing from '''[extra]''''s KDE4 to KDEmod4 [http://chakra-project.org/download-kdemod.html here]. }}<br />
<br />
Both flavours of KDE provide the same Desktop Environment, so if you install the one or the other, in the same upstream version, there should not be any problem regarding plasmoids, themes, styles or any KDE related application.<br />
<br />
So, if you want, for any reason, to pass from KDEmod to '''[extra]''''s KDE, do:<br />
<br />
pacman -Rd kdemod<br />
<br />
OR<br />
<br />
pacman -Rd kdemod-uninstall<br />
<br />
and it should be removed, but with the '''-d''' argument, the KDE dependent packages '''are not''' uninstalled, but only the Desktop Environment. But, if you want to '''completelly''' remove any KDEmod specific application/plasmoid/style etc too, do<br />
<br />
pacman -Rcns kdemod<br />
<br />
and then make sure that everything has been uninstalled:<br />
<br />
pacman -Q | grep kde<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to use the same KDE specific settings from the previous KDEmod installation, move or rename ~/'''.kdemod4''' to ~/'''.kde4''' }}<br />
<br />
After this, you may have KDEmod uninstalled.<br />
<br />
Then, follow [[KDE#Installing_KDE_4.5|this]].<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable===<br />
====KDEmod testing/unstable====<br />
<br />
You may visit [http://chakra-project.org/repos.html this webpage] and see which repos can you add in''' pacman.conf''' in order to test the KDEmod unstable packages.<br />
<br />
====KDE unstable (snapshot)====<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
====Downgrading to KDEmod3 from KDE 4====<br />
For those people who decide that KDE 4 is still not yet "ready" for them, there is a website about how to downgrade to a version of KDE 3.5 called '''kdemod3''':<br />
* [http://chakra-project.org/download-kdemod3.html KDEmod3]<br />
<br />
'''Warning''': There have been issues reported regarding Libjpeg7, that caused KDEmod3 to behave strangely. In order to solve that, install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=28427 libjpeg6] [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=33795 libpng12 from AUR]. The libs '''libjpeg6''' and '''libpng12''' can be safely installed along side the current libraries. You will also want to update [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=19338 poppler-qt3 from AUR]. The only conflict you will find is a conflict between poppler and poppler-qt3 during poppler updates. '''poppler-qt3''' is a dependency for the kdemod3-kdegraphics-kpdf package, but as a work-around you can simply remove poppler-qt3 with the --nodeps flag, complete the Arch update of poppler and then reinstall poppler-qt3. More info [http://chakra-project.org/bbs/viewtopic.php?id=1097 here]<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
===Common bugs===<br />
If you think you found something that seems like bug, please see [[Common_Issues]] and regarding that: KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelabhttps://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php?title=KDE&diff=120758KDE2010-11-06T23:54:11Z<p>Flamelab: /* How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving */</p>
<hr />
<div>[[Category:Desktop environments (English)]]<br />
[[Category:HOWTOs (English)]]<br />
{{i18n|KDE}}<br />
[[de:KDE]]<br />
{{Article summary start}}<br />
{{Article summary text|KDE is a full featured desktop environment known for its well integrated applications, like Konqueror, Dolphin, Plasma, KWrite and Konsole.}}<br />
{{Article summary end}}<br />
==KDE 4.5 Arch Linux Notes==<br />
<br />
'''KDE 4.5''' Software Compilation is the current major release of KDE that includes a number of improvements and bug fixes. The new Arch package set for KDE makes it possible to only install those applications you like.''<br />
<br />
Important features of the Arch Linux KDE SC in short:<br />
* '''Split packages'''; for more Information see [[KDE_Packages|KDE Packages]] and [[DeveloperWiki:Splitting_KDE|Splitting KDE]].<br />
* You can use different Phonon backends, like Gstreamer or Xine<br />
* Meta packages ensure a smooth upgrade and emulate the old monolith packages for those who prefer them.<br />
<br />
Important hints for upgraders:<br />
* Always check if your mirror is '''up to date'''.<br />
* pacman will ask you to replace '''all''' kde packages with kde-meta packages.<br />
* '''Do not force an update'''. If pacman complains about conflicts please '''file a bug report'''.<br />
* You can remove the meta packages and the sub packages you do not need after the update.<br />
* If you do not like split packages just keep using the kde-meta packages.<br />
<br />
:Information about upstream changes are be available [http://kde.org/announcements/4.5 here]<br />
<br />
=== KDE 4.5 Arch Linux packaging specific info ===<br />
<br />
* KDEpim has seen no new release, please continue to use version 4.4.5 until KDEpim 4.5 is released.<br />
* Due to incompatibility with ruby 1.9, ruby kdebindings are not provided<br />
* Webkit support in konqueror is provided by kwebkitpart<br />
* KDM is now started as the kdm user<br />
* Upstream removed five translations: csb, mai, mk, si and tg<br />
<br />
==Installing KDE 4.5 Software Compilation==<br />
<br />
=== Installing full KDE SC ===<br />
<br />
To install the entire KDE set, first '''fully upgrade your system''':<br />
<br />
pacman -Syu<br />
<br />
and then:<br />
<br />
pacman -S kde phonon-xine<br />
<br />
If you need language files:<br />
<br />
pacman -S kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere<br />
<br />
e.g. kde-l10n-'''de''', for the German language.<br />
<br />
{{Note| KDE 4.x is '''modular'''; you can install your preferred KDE applications without having to install an entire set of packages. See [[KDE Packages]] for more information.}}<br />
<br />
=== Minimal Install ===<br />
<br />
If you want to have a minimal installation of the KDE SC, here is an example:<br />
<br />
pacman -S kdebase kde-l10n-yourlanguagehere phonon-xine<br />
<br />
== Starting KDE ==<br />
<br />
Starting KDE depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting KDE. Using '''KDM''' or '''xinitrc'''.<br />
<br />
=== Using KDM (KDE Display Manager)===<br />
''It is highly recommended to get familiar with the [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Display_Manager full article] concerning display managers, before you make any changes. See also [[KDM]] Wiki page.''<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM as a daemon ====<br />
Add "'''kdm'''" (without the quotes) to daemons array in '''{{Filename|/etc/rc.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
DAEMONS=(dbus hal syslog-ng network netfs crond ... '''kdm''')<br />
<br />
==== Starting KDM through /etc/inittab [''preferable''] ==== <br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/etc/inittab}}''' and comment out:<br />
#id:3:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
#x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/xdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
Then uncomment:<br />
<br />
id:5:initdefault:<br />
<br />
[...]<br />
<br />
x:5:respawn:/usr/bin/kdm -nodaemon<br />
<br />
{{Note| In both methods KDM loads Xorg automatically.}}<br />
<br />
===Using xinitrc===<br />
''The meaning and usage of '''xinitrc''' is very well described [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc here].<br />
<br />
Edit '''{{Filename|/home/}}'''{{Filename|''your-username''}}'''{{Filename|/.xinitrc}}'''. Then uncomment:<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde <br />
After a reboot or/and login, each execution of Xorg ('''startx''' or '''xinit''') will start KDE automatically.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| By doing this you may have restart/shutdown functions enabled in your KDE menu.}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to start Xorg at boot, please read [[Start X at boot]] article.}}<br />
<br />
==Configuring==<br />
<br />
{{Note| Configuring KDE is primarily done in ''''System Settings''''. There are also a few other options available for the desktop with 'Desktop Settings' when you right click the desktop.}}<br />
<br />
For other personalization options not covered below such as activities, different wallpapers on one cube, etc please refer to the [[Plasma]] wiki page.<br />
<br />
===Personalization===<br />
<br />
How to set up the KDE desktop to your personal style; use different Plasma themes, window decorations and icon themes. <br />
<br />
====Plasma Desktop====<br />
<br />
[[Plasma]] is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions from displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panels or "taskbar".<br />
<br />
=====Themes=====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=76&PHPSESSID=bba0ae5354c7818b519687ebf5badf0e Plasma themes] can be installed through the Desktop Settings control panel. Plasma themes define how your panels and plasmoids look like. If you like to have them installed system-wide, themes can be found in both the official repositories and [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmatheme&do_Search=Go AUR].<br />
<br />
=====Widgets=====<br />
Plasmoids are little scripted or coded KDE apps that enhance the functionality of your deskop in a yet very pleasing way, based on the Plasma technology of KDE. You are able to display system-critical information like ''left over disk space'' or ''monitor/modify your network connection''. It also allows all kinds of other widgets, like displaying the weather, a widget for easily pasting images to a pastebin website, or having collections of virtual folders "folderview". Just to name a few.<br />
<br />
The easiest way to install more widgets is by left-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:<br />
<br />
Add Widgets -> Get new Widgets -> Download Widgets<br />
<br />
You should be aware that these widgets are not created officially by KDE developers. Most of them are just people who wanted to script one (easily) to suit a need they had.<br />
<br />
It may be of interest to you that many different widget types are supported (not just our own "plasmoids" or widgets). Plasma can use all kinds of widgets, from MacOSX widgets, Microsoft Windows Vista/7 widgets, Google Widgets, and even the old system - SuperKaramba - widgets. You should however, prefer Plasma widgets to other ones, since they provide more thorough integration and are prepared to be on the KDE desktop.<br />
<br />
This will present a nice frontend for [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org] and allows you to (un)install or update third-party widgets with just one click.<br />
They are also available in the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=plasmoid&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v repositories].<br />
<br />
{{Note|The widgets provided via KHNS (KHotNewStuff, what you just used to download widgets) does not/cannot grant the ability to install third-party widgets written in C++ since nearly each one requires different setup techniques, etc. and is thus difficult/impossible to automate. In other words, there could theoretically be useful widgets out there that you cannot try.}}<br />
<br />
One thing to keep in mind, is that when a third-part developers creates a C++ widgets which has severe bugs in it, it could potentially bring down the Plasma process (crashing it). Scripted ones are sandboxed and this cannot happen. If it does crash - no worries, just remove the widget.<br />
<br />
====Window Decorations====<br />
<br />
[http://kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=75 Window decorations] can be changed in<br />
System Settings -> Application Appearance -> Style<br />
There you can also directly download and install more themes with one click and some are available on [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=kdestyle&do_Search=Go&PP=25&SO=d&SB=v AUR].<br />
<br />
====KDE 4 Theme Integration with GTK Applications====<br />
To better integrate GTK and KDE 4 themes, you can use '''QtCurve'''.<br />
<br />
pacman -S qtcurve-gtk2 qtcurve-kde4 gtk-kde4<br />
<br />
Or you can download a GTK theme that matches your version of KDE [http://kde-look.org/content/show.php?content=103741 here]. This theme comes closer to the original Oxygen and is updated frequently.<br />
<br />
=====Automatic procedure=====<br />
<br />
To change the GTK theme to QtCurve or something else a few applications are available:<br />
<br />
pacman -S lxappearance<br />
pacman -S gtk-theme-switch2<br />
pacman -S gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
Then change the theme of your choice in the respective application:<br />
<br />
lxappearance<br />
gtk-theme-switch2<br />
gtk-chtheme<br />
<br />
=====Manual procedure=====<br />
To manually change the GTK theme to QtCurve, you need to create the file {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4}} with the following content:<br />
include "/usr/share/themes/QtCurve/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
include "/etc/gtk-2.0/gtkrc"<br />
<br />
style "user-font"<br />
{<br />
font_name="Sans Serif"<br />
}<br />
widget_class "*" style "user-font" <br />
gtk-theme-name="QtCurve"<br />
Then you need to create the symbolic link {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}}:<br />
ln -s .gtkrc-2.0-kde4 .gtkrc-2.0<br />
If you want also specify a font, you can add (and adapt) the following line to the file:<br />
gtk-font-name="Sans Serif 9"<br />
<br />
=====Icons=====<br />
If you're using Oxygen icons and want a consistent look in GTK open/save dialogs, you can install an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?O=0&K=oxygenrefit2-icon-theme&do_Search=Go oxygenrefit2] icon theme from AUR and set it as your GTK icon theme. Add the theme to the {{Filename|~/.gtkrc-2.0}} file or you can use lxappearance and set it.<br />
gtk-icon-theme-name="OxygenRefit2"<br />
There are also a couple GTK themes built on the [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=24329 gtk-kde42-oxygen-theme Oxygen style] that can also do this.<br />
<br />
====Icon Themes====<br />
Not many full system icons themes are available for KDE 4. You can open up '''System Settings > Application Appearance > Icons''' and browse for new ones or install them manually. Many of them can be found on [http://www.kde-look.org/ kde-look.org].<br />
<br />
====Arch Linux Logo Icon in Kicker menu====<br />
Right-Click on the Kicker menu button, press "'''Application launcher settings'''" and then press the icon on the '''right'''. Then you may choose Arch Linux icon or any other icon that will replace the default one.<br />
<br />
Alternatively, install archlinux-themes-kde from ''extra'' and select the Arch icon theme in System Settings->Application Appearance->Icons.<br />
<br />
====Fonts====<br />
<br />
If by default, the fonts in KDE look poor, try installing the [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/extra/any/ttf-dejavu/ ttf-dejavu] and [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/community/any/ttf-liberation/ ttf-liberation] packages. After the installation, be sure to log out and back in. You should not have to modify any settings in the "Fonts" panel of the KDE System Settings application.<br />
<br />
If you have personally set up how your [[Fonts]] render, be aware that System Settings may alter their appearance. When you go '''System Settings > Appearance > Fonts''' System Settings will likely alter your font configuration file ({{Filename|fonts.conf}}). There is no way to prevent this but if you set the values to match your {{Filename|fonts.conf}} file the expected font rendering will return (it will require you to restart your application or in a few cases for you to have to restart your desktop). Note too that Gnomes' Font Preferences will also do this if you use both desktop environments.<br />
<br />
====Space efficiency====<br />
KDE is often '''critizised''' for being bloated. The user might get this perception from seeing''' many toolbars and pretty big scaled icons in the applications'''. One thing that improved the situation was the new Kwin-Theme that came with KDE SC 4.4.* with the more elegant buttons that one can also resize. '''KDE Apps allows to hide many toolbars, menubars and statusbars'''.<br />
<br />
=====All sorts of *bars=====<br />
Most toolbars of a program can be removed in the menubar-entry "'''Settings'''". There you often can hide the statusbar and often all toolbars. The last step should be to remove the menubar itself via '''Ctrl + M'''. If you do not want to remove any bars you can still make them smaller or remove the text via:<br />
System-Settings -> Appearance -> Style -> Tab "Finetuning" -> "Main toolbar text", "secondary toolbar text"<br />
<br />
Since most aspect ratios of modern flat screens are wider than 4:3 it could be reasonable to put the toolbar '''at the left or right of a window''' to artificially stretch windows more to the monitors aspect ratio.<br />
<br />
=====Plasma=====<br />
There are also some settings and modifications you can apply to your plasmoids to make KDE less space wasting. For example, the "Digital Clock" wastes more space than the "Analogue Clock". The little plasma icon ("Casheew") that one can see in the panel can be hidden by locking the widgets via rightklicking onto the panel.<br />
If you have got many tasks in your task-manager you should consider using ''Smooth-tasks''. This alternative task-manager allows you to just display the icons of a task thus using less space but still maintaining the ability of the user to distinguish the different tasks.<br />
<br />
Install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29410 smooth-tasks] from the [[AUR]].<br />
<br />
After installing and substituting it with the original task-manager you should have a deep look at the settings since they are much broader.<br />
one way of using the features of smooth-tasks could be to only display the icons of tasks and move the panel to the left or right of the screen. This is most usefull on widescreens.<br />
On very small screens it could be reasonable to set the bottom-panel to auto-hide completely.<br />
For netbooks there exists a special form factor to make a better use of the screen:<br />
<br />
System-Settings -> Desktop -> Workspace -> Form factor<br />
<br />
=====KWin=====<br />
The windows decorations can also be resized by making the buttons in the decoration smaller thus making the whole top border smaller:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Button size<br />
You could also remove the side-border of all windows via:<br />
System Settings -> Appearance -> Windows -> Border size<br />
<br />
=== Networking/Printing ===<br />
<br />
NetworkManager support has been added in KDE 4.5 SC. See [[Networkmanager#KDE4|NetworkManager]] for more information.<br />
<br />
===Samba/Windows support===<br />
<br />
If you want to have access to Windows services:<br />
<br />
pacman -S samba<br />
<br />
You may then configure your Samba shares through <br />
<br />
System Settings > Sharing > Samba<br />
<br />
=== KDE Desktop Activities ===<br />
<br />
KDE are Plasma based "virtual desktop"-like set of Plasma Widgets where you can independently configure widgets as if you had more than one screens/desktops. <br />
Since KDE 4.5, the feature of changing Desktop Activities has been simplified. <br />
<br />
On your desktop, click the Cashew Plasmoid and on the pop-up window press "Activities".<br />
<br />
A plasma bar will appear at the bottom of the screen which presents you the current Plasma Desktop Activities which exist. You can then navigate between them by pressing their correspondent icon.<br />
<br />
===Powersaving===<br />
<br />
KDE has integrated Powersaving service called "'''Powerdevil Power Management'''" that may adjust the powersaving profile of the system or/and the brightness of the screen (if supported).<br />
<br />
==== How to enable generic powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Navigate to Systemsettings > Power Management<br />
In Profile Management, in "When AC adaptor is plugged in" (or the battery<br />
option) choose "Powersave"<br />
In "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", tick the "Enable System power saving", and<br />
then press apply.<br />
<br />
==== How to enable Cpufreq based powersaving ====<br />
<br />
Since KDE 4.5, [http://lists.kde.org/?l=kde-devel&m=126800277431817&w=2 Powerdevil doesn't handle CPU power schemes through Cpufreq]. CPU is being used by using the hardware or/and kernel "'''ondemand'''" governor power scheme and that's the official way to have the system's power management handled, according to the guidelines by the kernel power-management devs.<br />
<br />
{{Warning| Using Cpufreq in order to handle your CPU power schemes, that means, controlling it through software, IS NOT suggested for use since modern CPUs are capable of powersaving through their motherboard's BIOSes.<br />
<br />
[http://www.codon.org.uk/~mjg59/power/good_practices.html Visit this link] for more info on good power management practices.}}<br />
<br />
If you do want, you still can use Cpufreq for your system which is accessible through the '''Solid Device Framework'''.<br />
<br />
So in order to do that, follow these steps:<br />
<br />
1. You need to create a script for every Cpufreq governor you want to be used. In this example, you will now create a script to enable the powersaving governor.<br />
<br />
Create a script in /usr/bin<br />
<br />
# touch /usr/bin/kde-cpufreq-powersave<br />
<br />
Add these in the script<br />
<br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
solid-powermanagement set cpufreq powersave<br />
<br />
Make it executable<br />
<br />
# chmod +x /usr/bin/kde-cpufreq-powersave<br />
<br />
2. Install cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
pacman -S cpufrequtils<br />
<br />
and make sure you have your CPU's cpufreq module loaded. For more information on this, visit [[Cpufreq|this article]].<br />
<br />
3. Then, in '''System Settings > Power Management''', go to "Edit Profiles" > "Powersave", and make sure that "Enable System power saving" is enabled.<br />
<br />
After that, press the file dialog button next to the phrase "When loading profile execute" and choose the script you have just created. Now, each time you choose the Powersaving profile through Powerdevil, Cpufreq will force the powersaving governor.<br />
<br />
You can do the same for other profiles and governors.<br />
<br />
==System Administration==<br />
<br />
===Set keyboard layout in order switch language inputs===<br />
In order to do that, navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard<br />
There you may choose your keyboard model at first.<br />
{{Note| It is preferable that, if you use Evdev, that means Xorg automatic configuration for keyboards, you should choose "Evdev-managed keyboard".}}<br />
In the "'''Layouts'''" tab, you choose the languages you may want to use by pressing the "Add Layout" button and therefore the variant and the language.<br />
In the "'''Advanced'''" tab, you can choose the keyboard combination you want in order to change the layouts in the "Key(s) to change layout" sub-menu.<br />
<br />
===Terminate Xorg-server through KDE system settings===<br />
Navigate to <br />
System Settings > Input Devices > Keyboard > Advanced (tab) > "Key Sequence to terminate X server" submenu<br />
and tick the checkbox.<br />
<br />
==Desktop Search and Semantic Desktop==<br />
Most users who freshly install KDE are wondering what functionality the following four pieces of software are able to offer. Most features are still somehow hidden under the hood and yet not many applications featured in the KDE SC are using these interfaces. This capter intends to first explain the features and then convince the user of the power these tools offer once properly integrated into KDE. The following sections are more or less a roughly shortened version of [[http://thomasmcguire.wordpress.com/2009/10/03/akonadi-nepomuk-and-strigi-explained/ this blogpost].<br />
<br />
===Soprano===<br />
Soprano is a library for QT that is able to process RDF data. This is semantic data. Semantic data is a special kind of metadata which is much more flexible than metadata you might know from MP3-Tags or Meta-Tags in HTML since RDF data more resembles the structure of a spoken sentence, thus allowing a much wider field of ways dealing with them. Soprano stores semantic data in a backend and allows low level access to this data.<br />
<br />
===Nepomuk===<br />
Nepomuk is somehow the glue between Soprano and the KDE Desktop and thus the user. Nepomuk allows to tag the files with various entries and offers an API for the applications featured in KDE SC. It is enabled by default. Nepomuk can be turned on and off in<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
===Akonadi===<br />
Akonadi is one of the ways of getting data into Nepomuk. Its intention is to gather all kinds of PIM data from KMail, KAdressbook or Kopete. It collects chat contacts, email adresses, email attachments and email contents. First of all it feeds Nepomuk with this data but moreover does also provide a centralized accesspoint for all this data.<br />
<br />
===Strigi Search===<br />
Strigi is another way of feeding data into Nepomuk. It preverably indexes the users home-folder. Indexing means that it not only gathers filenames but also information about your music collection or tagged downloads you did with Kget. The Strigi search is also integrated into KDEs launcher which can be accessed via:<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
By default, Dolphin has a search bar on top-right where you may type what you want to be found from Strigi's index. <br />
<br />
{{Note | Strigi has implications for resource usage on your computer - CPU, memory, disk access, disk space, battery life. If Strigi is too resource-hungry for you, you can turn it off in "'''System Settings > Advanced > Desktop Search'''". }}<br />
<br />
Strigi folder indexing can be configured in:<br />
System Settings -> "Advanced" Tab -> Desktop Search<br />
<br />
==KDM (KDE Desktop Manager)==<br />
<br />
===KDM Xserver file===<br />
An example configuration for KDM can be found at '''/usr/share/config/kdm/kdmrc'''. See '''/usr/share/doc/HTML/en/kdm/kdmrc-ref.docbook''' for all options.<br />
<br />
===Configuring KDM===<br />
<br />
You can visit '''System Settings > Login Screen''' and make your changes. Whenever you press "Apply", a '''KDE Polkit authorisation''' window appears which will ask you to give your root password in order to finish the changes.<br />
<br />
==== Problems while Configuring KDM as a user ====<br />
<br />
If you seem not to be able to KDM settings when launching System Settings as user, press<br />
<br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|F2}}<br />
<br />
and type<br />
<br />
kdesu systemsettings<br />
<br />
In the pop-up kdesu window, enter your root password and wait for System Settings to be launched.<br />
<br />
{{Note| Since you have launched it as root, be careful when changing your settings. All settings configuration in root-launched System Settings are saved under /root/.kde4 and not under ~/.kde4 (your home location).}}<br />
<br />
In the System Settings window, go to Login Screen.<br />
<br />
==Phonon==<br />
<br />
===What is Phonon ?===<br />
<br />
''Phonon is the multimedia API for KDE 4. Phonon was created to allow KDE 4 to be independent of any single multimedia framework such as GStreamer or xine and to provide a stable API for KDE 4's lifetime. It was done for various reasons: to create a simple KDE/Qt style multimedia API, to better support native multimedia frameworks on Windows and Mac OS X, and to fix problems of frameworks becoming unmaintained or having API or ABI instability.<br />
''<br />
<br />
from Wikipedia.<br />
<br />
'''Phonon''' is being widely used within KDE, for both audio (e.g., the System notifications or KDE audio apps) and video (e.g., the Dolphin video thumbnails).<br />
<br />
===Which backend should I choose ?===<br />
<br />
You can choose between various backends, like Gstreamer, Xine ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon phonon-xine] ) or VLC ( [http://www.archlinux.org/packages/?q=phonon-vlc phonon-vlc] ).<br />
<br />
==Using WebKit in Konqueror==<br />
<br />
===What is WebKit ?===<br />
<br />
WebKit is an open source browser engine developped by Apple Inc. It is used by Safari and Google Chrome. WebKit is a derivative from the KHTML and KJS libraries and contain many improvements.<br />
<br />
===How to use in konqueror===<br />
<br />
It is possible to use WebKit in Konqueror instead of KHTML. First install the kwebkitpart package :<br />
<br />
pacman -S kwebkitpart<br />
<br />
Then execute the following command<br />
<br />
keditfiletype text/html<br />
<br />
<br />
In the window that opens go to the "Embedding" tab. Move the entry "WebKit" up to the top of the list and then hit the "OK" button and restart Konqueror.<br />
<br />
==Troubleshooting==<br />
<br />
===KHotkeys issue===<br />
Ιf '''khotkeys''' does not work, make sure you have a fully updated system first.<br />
You can also create ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh with contents <br />
#!/bin/bash<br />
(sleep 3 && qdbus org.kde.kded /modules/khotkeys reread_configuration) &<br />
and then do a<br />
chmod u+x ~/.kde4/Autostart/reloadkhotkeys.sh<br />
then logout & login.<br />
<br />
===Enabling thumbnails under Konqueror and Dolphin file managers===<br />
For thumbnails of videos in konqueror and dolphin:<br />
pacman -S kdemultimedia-mplayerthumbs<br />
<br />
===I encounter problems with automounting (or) KDE behaves strangely for no apparent reason===<br />
Since the new X-Server 1.8 arrived in the stable repos some users got the impression that HAL (Hardware Abstraction Layer) might not be needed anymore at all. But for a fully functional KDE-Desktop it is neccessary to run hal:<br />
/etc/rc.d/hal start<br />
For ease of use you should add it to your daemons list in ''/etc/rc.conf'':<br />
DAEMONS=( .. @hal ..)<br />
It is no problem to start HAL in the background to shave some time of boot.<br />
If you are using udev to automatically mount your drives with an udev-rule without running hal you should take note of the fact that these mounted drives will '''not''' be recognized by KDE. So no entry of this device will show up in Dolphin and Device Notifier won't notify you either.<br />
<br />
=== Suspend to Disk/Ram not working ===<br />
If suspend to disk/ram does not work the be sure hal is running, also make sure you are in the power group (remember to logout)<br />
Also, if you are starting KDE with startx try adding ck-launch-session to the .xinitrc,<br />
as so:<br />
#!/bin/sh<br />
#<br />
# ~/.xinitrc<br />
#<br />
# Executed by startx (run your window manager from here)<br />
# exec gnome-session<br />
exec ck-launch-session startkde<br />
# exec startxfce4<br />
# ...or the Window Manager of your choice<br />
This is done automatically with kdm.<br />
<br />
=== Graphical related issues ===<br />
<br />
==== Low 2D desktop performance (or) Artifacts appear when on 2D ====<br />
===== GPU driver problem =====<br />
Make sure you have the proper driver for your card installed, so that your desktop is at least 2D accelerated. Follow these articles for more information: [[ATI]], [[NVIDIA]], [[Intel]] for more information, in order to make sure that everything is all right.<br />
The open-source ATI and Intel drivers and the proprietary (binary) Nvidia driver should theoretically provide the best 2D and 3D acceleration.<br />
<br />
===== The Raster engine workaround =====<br />
If this doesn't solve your problems, maybe your driver doesn't provide a good '''XRender''' acceleration which the current Qt painter engine relies on by default. You can change the painter engine to software based only by invoking the application with the "'''-graphicssystem raster'''" command line. This rendering engine can be set as the default one by recompiling Qt with the same as configure option, "'''-graphicssystem raster'''". The raster paint engine enables the CPU to do the majority of the painting, as opposed to the GPU. You may get better performance, depending on your system. This is basically a work-around for the terrible Linux driver stack, since the CPU should obviously not be doing graphical computations since it is designed for fewer threads of greater complexity, as opposed to the GPU which is many threads but lesser computational strength.<br />
<br />
Since Qt 4.7+, recompiling Qt is not needed. Simply export QT_GRAPHICSSYSTEM=raster, or "opengl", or "native" (for the default). Raster depends on the CPU, OpenGL depends on the GPU and high driver support (it's buggy and highly in development, so I wouldn't expect it to work), and Native is just using the X11 rendering (mixture, usually).<br />
<br />
'''The best and automatic way to do that''' is to install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=40582 kcm-qt-graphicsssystem] from AUR and configure this particular Qt setting through<br />
<br />
System Settings > Qt Graphics System<br />
<br />
For more information, consult this [http://apachelog.wordpress.com/2010/09/05/qt-graphics-system-kcm/ KDE Developer blog entry] and/or this [http://labs.trolltech.com/blogs/2009/12/18/qt-graphics-and-performance-the-raster-engine/ Qt Developer blog entry].<br />
<br />
==== Konsole is slow in applications like vim ====<br />
This is a problem that is caused by slow glyph rendering. You can solve this by switching to a scalable font like Bitstream Vera Sans Mono.<br />
<br />
==== Low 3D desktop performance====<br />
KDE begins with desktop effects enabled. Older cards may be insufficient for 3D desktop acceleration. You can disable desktop effects in <br />
System Settings > Desktop <br />
or you can toggle desktop effects with <br />
{{Keypress|Alt}} + {{Keypress|Shift}} + {{Keypress|F12}}<br />
<br />
{{Note| You may encounter such problems with 3D desktop performance even when using a more powerful graphics card, but using catalyst proprietary driver (fglrx). This driver is known for having issues with 3D acceleration. Visit [[ATI|the ATi Wiki page]] for more troubleshooting.}}<br />
<br />
==== Desktop compositing is disabled on my system with a modern Nvidia GPU ====<br />
<br />
Sometimes, KWin may have settings in it's configuration file ('''kwinrc''') that ''may'' cause a problem on re-activating the 3D desktop '''OpenGL''' compositing. That could be caused randomly (for example, due to a sudden Xorg crash or restart, and it gets corrupted), so, in case that happens, delete your '''~/.kde4/share/config/kwinrc''' file and relogin. The KWin settings will turn to the KDE default ones and the problem should be probably gone.<br />
<br />
==== Flickering in fullscreen when compositing is enabled ====<br />
According to https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/KDE/How_to_reduce_fullscreen_flicker : <br />
<br />
Press Alt+F2 and run: <br />
<br />
kwriteconfig --file kwinrc --group Compositing --key UnredirectFullscreen --type bool false<br />
<br />
Apply the changes by pressing Alt+F2 and running: <br />
<br />
qdbus org.kde.kwin /KWin reconfigure<br />
<br />
This forces KWin not to use window unredirection but can affect performance of fullscreen OpenGL applications when desktop effects are enabled. Desktop effects can be suspended to prevent performance issues (press Alt+Shift+F12) before running such applications. <br />
<br />
See https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=177495<br />
<br />
===== KDE 4.5 specific graphics' issues =====<br />
<br />
Many users who use the ATI and Intel open-source drivers have encountered several performance regressions with the latest KWin update in KDE 4.5. Please try one of the following workarounds (in order of merit) if you have such a problem (via System Settings > Desktop Effects > Advanced):<br />
<br />
* Add '''export LIBGL_ALWAYS_INDIRECT=1''' to ''/etc/profile''<br />
** Optionally (because the above already forces this), ''uncheck'' '''Enable direct rendering''' under ''OpenGL Options''<br />
** Reboot (and we ''do'' mean reboot - don't try to restart the X server)<br />
** This effectively disables Direct Rendering and may affect other OpenGL applications negatively<br />
* Use '''XRender''' as the ''Compositing type''<br />
* Disable Desktop Effects (compositing) altogether<br />
** the best way to achieve this appears to be to disable compositing in xorg.conf by adding<br />
Section "Extensions"<br />
Option "Composite" "Disable"<br />
EndSection<br />
<br />
<br />
See upstream bug report: https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=241402<br />
<br />
===Sound problems under KDE===<br />
<br />
====ALSA related problems====<br />
{{Note| First make sure you have '''alsa-lib''' and '''alsa-utils''' installed.}}<br />
<br />
====="Falling back to default" messages when trying to listen to any sound in KDE=====<br />
When you encounter such messages:<br />
:The audio playback device ''<name-of-the-sound-device>'' does not work.<br />
:Falling back to default<br />
Go to<br />
System Settings > Multimedia<br />
and set the device named "'''default'''" above all the other devices in each box you see.<br />
<br />
=====I cannot play mp3 files when having Gstreamer backend in Qt Phonon=====<br />
That can be solved by installing gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
pacman -S gstreamer0.10-plugins<br />
You can also change the backend used by Phonon, by installing the phonon-xine<br />
pacman -S phonon-xine<br />
if you encounter problems that are not solved after installing gstreamer plugins. Then choose Xine in<br />
System Settings > Multimedia > Backend (tab)<br />
(it may have been autoselected after installing phonon-xine)<br />
<br />
=====Amarok "waits" before playing any track=====<br />
If you have encountered this error, the problem is backend specific. In order to solve this problem, change Amarok's backend from '''gstreamer''' to '''xine'''.<br />
<br />
====OSS4 related problems====<br />
If you have OSS4 installed and encounter any problems you should be aware that developers of Kmix are still integrating OSSv4 support. There is an [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=29286 AUR package] that is still experimental.<br />
Arch uses phonon with the Gstreamer backend that should work for most applications. Alternately you could try [[KDE#I_can.27t_play_mp3_files_when_having_Gstreamer_backend_in_Qt_Phonon|phonon with Xine]].<br />
<br />
=== Arch linux specific packaging issues ===<br />
Due to some upgrades on the packages or a newer versioned pacman with bugs (pft, like there are any ;) there could be some problems during upgrading. Please read the sections below, if you have a problem.<br />
<br />
===I wanted a minimal installation of KDE. After I installed some packages and logged in KDE, there are no panels===<br />
If you wanted a minimal installation of KDE, logged in, heard the login sound but nothing else happened, you may not have installed the Plasma binaries. These are included in<br />
kdebase-workspace<br />
Install this package and restart Xorg.<br />
<br />
===I want a fresh installation of KDE for my system. What should I do ?===<br />
Just rename the settings directory of KDE (just in case you'll want to go back to your original settings):<br />
mv ~/.kde4 ~/.kde4-backup<br />
<br />
===Plasma desktop behaves strangely===<br />
Plasma issues are usually caused by unstable '''plasmoids''' or '''plasma themes'''. First, find which was the last plasmoid or plasma theme you had installed and disable it or uninstall it. <br />
<br />
So, if your desktop suddenly exhibits "locking up", this is likely caused by a faulty installed widget. If you cannot remember which widget you installed before the problem began(sometimes it can be an irregular problem), try to track it down by removing each widget until the problem ceases. Then you can uninstall the widget, and file a bug report (bugs.kde.org) '''only if it is an official widget'''. If it is not, I recommend you find the entry on kde-look.org and inform the developer of that widget about the issue (detailing steps to reproduce, etc).<br />
<br />
<br />
If you cannot find the problem, but you do not want ''all'' the KDE settings to be lost, do:<br />
<br />
rm -r ~/.kde4/share/config/plasma*<br />
<br />
This command will '''delete all plasma related configs''' of your user and when you will relogin into KDE, you will have the '''default''' settings back. You should know that this action '''cannot be undone'''. You ought to create a backup folder and copy all the plasma related configs in it.<br />
<br />
==Other KDE projects==<br />
===The Chakra Project===<br />
<br />
{{Warning| Chakra Project will '''split''' from Arch's main system. The last KDEmod for Arch Linux is the current (KDE SC 4.5). You should be informed on Chakra Project's news and devs' decisions on [http://chakra-project.org/ Chakra Project website].}}<br />
<br />
====Split KDE packages====<br />
[http://chakra-project.org/ The Chakra Project] is a community-based modular version of KDE 4 and Live CD project, which includes a number of UI enhancements for KDE 4.x. Visit [http://chakra-project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page the Chakra Project Wiki main page] for more information.<br />
<br />
====Chakra Project Arch Live CD====<br />
<br />
The Chakra Project also provides a full featured Live CD, which has the latest stable KDEmod4 packages included.<br />
You may visit [http://chakra-project.org/download-iso.html the Chakra Project Live CD webpage] in order to find more information.<br />
<br />
====Passing from KDEmod to [extra]'s KDE====<br />
<br />
{{Note|You do have instructions for passing from '''[extra]''''s KDE4 to KDEmod4 [http://chakra-project.org/download-kdemod.html here]. }}<br />
<br />
Both flavours of KDE provide the same Desktop Environment, so if you install the one or the other, in the same upstream version, there should not be any problem regarding plasmoids, themes, styles or any KDE related application.<br />
<br />
So, if you want, for any reason, to pass from KDEmod to '''[extra]''''s KDE, do:<br />
<br />
pacman -Rd kdemod<br />
<br />
OR<br />
<br />
pacman -Rd kdemod-uninstall<br />
<br />
and it should be removed, but with the '''-d''' argument, the KDE dependent packages '''are not''' uninstalled, but only the Desktop Environment. But, if you want to '''completelly''' remove any KDEmod specific application/plasmoid/style etc too, do<br />
<br />
pacman -Rcns kdemod<br />
<br />
and then make sure that everything has been uninstalled:<br />
<br />
pacman -Q | grep kde<br />
<br />
{{Note| If you want to use the same KDE specific settings from the previous KDEmod installation, move or rename ~/'''.kdemod4''' to ~/'''.kde4''' }}<br />
<br />
After this, you may have KDEmod uninstalled.<br />
<br />
Then, follow [[KDE#Installing_KDE_4.5|this]].<br />
<br />
===KDE unstable===<br />
====KDEmod testing/unstable====<br />
<br />
You may visit [http://chakra-project.org/repos.html this webpage] and see which repos can you add in''' pacman.conf''' in order to test the KDEmod unstable packages.<br />
<br />
====KDE unstable (snapshot)====<br />
<br />
===== Unofficial kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
The member '''ProgDan''' has created a repo where he uploads the testing KDE packages when a new '''upstream snapshot''' is out. You may visit [http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=76245 this topic] for more information.<br />
<br />
===== Semi-official kde-unstable =====<br />
<br />
When KDE is reaching beta or RC milestone, KDE "unstable" packages are uploaded to the [kde-unstable] repo. <br />
<br />
You may add it by adding:<br />
<br />
[kde-unstable]<br />
Include = /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist<br />
<br />
in '''{{Filename|/etc/pacman.conf}}'''<br />
<br />
They stay there until KDE is declared stable and passes to [extra].<br />
<br />
Make sure [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/KDE#Distro_and_Upstream_bug_report you make bug reports] if you find any issues.<br />
<br />
Read [http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/DeveloperWiki:KDE#Users this section] in the wiki as well.<br />
<br />
===KDE Legacy===<br />
<br />
====Downgrading to KDEmod3 from KDE 4====<br />
For those people who decide that KDE 4 is still not yet "ready" for them, there is a website about how to downgrade to a version of KDE 3.5 called '''kdemod3''':<br />
* [http://chakra-project.org/download-kdemod3.html KDEmod3]<br />
<br />
'''Warning''': There have been issues reported regarding Libjpeg7, that caused KDEmod3 to behave strangely. In order to solve that, install [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=28427 libjpeg6] [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=33795 libpng12 from AUR]. The libs '''libjpeg6''' and '''libpng12''' can be safely installed along side the current libraries. You will also want to update [http://aur.archlinux.org/packages.php?ID=19338 poppler-qt3 from AUR]. The only conflict you will find is a conflict between poppler and poppler-qt3 during poppler updates. '''poppler-qt3''' is a dependency for the kdemod3-kdegraphics-kpdf package, but as a work-around you can simply remove poppler-qt3 with the --nodeps flag, complete the Arch update of poppler and then reinstall poppler-qt3. More info [http://chakra-project.org/bbs/viewtopic.php?id=1097 here]<br />
<br />
{{Warning| KDE 3 is no longer maintained and supported by the KDE developers. KDEmod3 is no longer maintained by the Chakra Projects developers. Use it on your own risk, regarding any bugs, performance issues or security risks.}}<br />
<br />
==== Unofficial community repository for KDEmod3 ====<br />
<br />
[http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=97612 In this thread] you may find info on a rebuild of the unsupported KDEmod3.<br />
<br />
==Bugs==<br />
===Common bugs===<br />
If you think you found something that seems like bug, please see [[Common_Issues]] and regarding that: KDE 4 config files are usually located at <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/config/<br />
<br />
and for app-specific configs <br />
<br />
~/.kde4/share/apps/<br />
<br />
===Distro and Upstream bug report===<br />
It is preferrable that if you find a minor or serious bug, you should visit [http://bugs.archlinux.org the Arch Bug Tracker] or/and [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker] in order to report that. Make sure that you be clear on what you want to report.<br />
<br />
If you have any issue and you write about in on the Arch forums, first make sure that you have '''FULLY''' updated your system using a good sync mirror (check [https://www.archlinux.de/?page=MirrorStatus here]) or try '''reflector'''.<br />
<br />
==External Links==<br />
* [http://www.kde.org KDE Homepage]<br />
* [http://bugs.kde.org KDE Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://bugs.archlinux.org Arch Linux Bug Tracker]<br />
* [http://websvn.kde.org KDE WebSVN]</div>Flamelab