KDE (ver. 3.5.6) Desktop Setup Mini Howto for linux. (I am using ubuntu 7.04 and kde)  :-)      Back to Main Page

This is a very short version, and if you want to know more, go to the Internet etc.

This howto is without any guarantee, and you may use it on your own responsibility only.

There may be errors, but I do not want to use too much time to  write this howto.

To check specific words you may try: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page  (search).    



Index Of Page:

You can use the Desktop as it is

The setup

Control Center

The most important menus

Appearance & Themes - Background

The color chooser dialog

Background picture

To change the "Text color

Appearance & Themes - Icons

Appearance & Themes - Splash Screen

Appearance & Themes - Style

Appearance & Themes - Window Decoration

K - Settings - Control Panel - Desktop

Control Center - Desktop - Multiple Desktops

Control Center - Desktop - Panels

Control Center - Desktop - Panels - Hiding

Control Center - Desktop - Panels - Menus

Control Center - Desktop - Panels - Appearance

Control Center - Desktop - Taskbar
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Control Center - Desktop - Window Behaviour - Focus

Control Center - Desktop - Window Behaviour - Titlebar Actions

Control Center - Desktop - Window Behaviour - Window Actions

Control Center - Desktop - Window Behaviour - Advanced

Control Center - Desktop - Window Behaviour - Translucency

Control Center - Desktop - Window-Specific Settings

Control Center - KDE Components - File Manager - Appearance

Control Center - KDE Components - File Manager - Behaviour

Control Center - KDE Components - File Manager - Previews & Meta-Data

Control Center - KDE Components - File Manager - Quick Copy & Move

Control Center - Peripherals - Mouse

Control Center - Peripherals - Printers

Control Center - Regional & Accessibility - Country/Region & Language

Control Center - Regional & Accessibility - Keyboard Layout

Control Center - Security &Privacy - Password & User Account

To drag program icons out on the desktop

To pull "Filelight" out onto the desktop

To get icons sorted on the Desktop                                                                                                                            Back to Index of Page
                                                                                        
To clean up the Desktop

To drag a directory out onto the Desktop


KDE desktop manager is one of the major desktop managers for Linux - I use it because I am used to it.

There is a vast amount of setup, so I will only concentrate on the subjects I normally use, and find most important.
Always use defaults, when in doubt (values suggested by the programmers):

When you have just installed Kubuntu, you can use the Desktop as it is, and only need to set up KMail, to be able to send e-mails -  and the

Konquerer browser will also work, but you need to set it up some, later, to make it more convenient.

To get to the setup, choose "K (lower left corner) - Settings - Control Center:


Click on "Control Center":
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In the left upper side you find the main menus of the Control Center (image above) - I have marked the most important menus (see

above):

Appearance & Themes - Background:
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Above is my selections - I have chosen Background "No picture", to get a white background, choose "Single Color" and click the leftmost color
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selection box: when clicked the leftmost color choser box you get the color chooser dialog:



It's easiest to set the numbers in the R, G and B text bars to 255, 255 and 255 to get the white color - "tab"  once, and then click "OK"  (you can

see the selected  color in the lower middle square.
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You can also choose a color in the big colored square (upper left) by pulling the left mouse, and then select the color tone with the middle

horizontal slider, and then click "OK".

If you want a background picture, mark "Picture", and then  click on the small Directory icon:





Click on a file name, and then click the "down arrow" (slowly) to see the pictures avaliable - select one, and click "OK".

Next click on the "Advanced  Options" button (see below) to set the text color to black (the text uncer the desktop icons, menu's etc.):
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  ---- and you will get below dialog:


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Here (above) is my settings - please copy to change the "Text color": click the change color bar:    

After making any changes you must remember to click the "Apply" button (will be shown automatic), to confirm your changes.

Appearance & Themes - Icons:


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Choose KDE-Classic (KDE Classic Icon Theme) - then click on "Advanced":



Copy above - you change Size by clicking the "down arrow":

"Toolbar", "Main Toolbar", "Small Icons", "Panel" and "All Icons" (above): Do not change (use defaults).                Back to Index of Page

Appearance & Themes - Splash Screen: use Default

Appearance & Themes - Style: MS Windows 9x

Appearance & Themes - Window Decoration: Redmond

K - Settings - Control Panel - Desktop:



"Behaviour" copy (above), and do not touch "File Icons" or "Device Icons" (use defaults).                                        Back to Index of Page

Control Center - Desktop - Multiple Desktops:



Copy (as above)

Control Center - Desktop - Panels:                                                                                                                    Back to Index of Page



Copy as above

Control Center - Desktop - Panels - Hiding:                                                                                                Back to Index of Page



Copy as above.

Control Center - Desktop - Panels - Menus:                                                                                                    Back to Index of Page



Copy as above.

Control Center - Desktop - Panels - Appearance:                                                                                Back to Index of Page



Copy as above.

Control Center - Desktop - Taskbar:                                                                                                                    Back to Index of Page



Copy as above.

Control Center - Desktop - Window Behaviour - Focus:                                                                                    Back to Index of Page



Copy as above .

Control Center - Desktop - Window Behaviour - Titlebar Actions (do not touch, use defaults)                        Back to Index of Page

Control Center - Desktop - Window Behaviour - Window Actions (do not touch, use defaults)



Copy as above.

Control Center - Desktop - Window Behaviour - Advanced:                                                                                Back to Index of Page



Advanced copy as above.

Control Center - Desktop - Window Behaviour - Translucency (leave as is, use defaults).                                Back to Index of Page

Control Center - Desktop - Window-Specific Settings (use defaults)

Control Center - KDE Components - File Manager - Appearance:



Use as above.

Control Center - KDE Components - File Manager - Behaviour:                                                                                Back to Index of Page



Copy as above (means use settings as shown above).

Control Center - KDE Components - File Manager - Previews & Meta-Data (use defaults)                                Back to Index of Page

Control Center - KDE Components - File Manager - Quick Copy & Move (use defaults)

Control Center - Peripherals - Mouse:



Above you can change between using single -or double mouse click.                                                                    Back to Index of Page

Control Center - Peripherals - Mouse (all other use defaults).

Control Center - Peripherals - Printers:



It's easiest to install a printer, which is Linux compatible, and the driver of which is included in Kubuntu (your linux distrebution), otherwise

you need to install a driver for your printer, which you might be able to download from your Printers "Home Site".    Back to Index of Page

You have to log in as an Administrator (click "Administrator Mode" - see above), and then follow the wizard (I'll show another time).

Use CUPS as your print system.

Control Center - Regional & Accessibility - Country/Region & Language:



Here you can change the language used by your distribution, but I prefer English, in order to use it better on most parts of the Internet,

seeking in google, on mailing lists etc.                                                                                                                        Back to Index of Page

Control Center - Regional & Accessibility - Keyboard Layout:



Here (above) you can change the keyboard to the keyboard type you use on your computer, as shown a Danish keyboar is used.

To change, activate the "Enable kayborad layouts" (mark the check box), then you select your country in the country list to the left - drag the

vertical slider until you find your country, then click on your country to mark it, click the "Add>>" button, so it will be transferred to the right
box, and then you may bring it on top of the list with the up arrow (first mark it)  then "Apply"        Back to Index of Page

Control Center - Security &Privacy - Password & User Account:



Click on the "Change Password" button (to change your password):                                                                            Back to Index of Page



Fill in your current password - then click "OK":


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Here (above) enter your new password twice - then press "OK", and your user password has been changed - (Keep it in a safe place!).

I have only shown the parts I usually change myself, so the ones I have not shown, you should keep to defaults, or change as you like.

In order to make my life more convenient, I drag the program icons I use most often out on the desktop, and I will show a screenshot of what my Dekstop looks like:



To pull "Filelight" out onto the desktop (just an example), you choose K - Utilities (see image below) and then drag "Filelight" with the

left mouse button pressed, out onto the very Desktop - then release release the mouse button, and choose "Link here":
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Then the Filelight program icon is sitting as a link on the desktop, and in order to get it placed in order with the other icons, you right

click on the Desktop somewhere and choose: Icons - Sort Icons - By Name - and click (see below):                    Back to Index of Page



Then you need to clean up the Desktop (to remove some black spots), and right click again on the Desktop and click on "Refresh Desktop" (see

below).



And  so on, to pull out more icons onto the Desktop, as you prefer.                                                                    Back to Index of Page

You can also drag a directory out onto the Desktop, so it can be opened directly from the Desktop:

Open a directory, reduce its size by clicking on the "reduce window" icon (upper right corner) and then drag the subdirectory

"my_tarballs" onto the Desktop with the left mouse button depressed, then release the button and click on "Link Here", then to arrange the

icons nicely on the Desktop, right click on the Desktop and choose "Icons - Sort Icons - By Name", and finally right click on the Desktop

and click on the "Refresh Desktop" item (to remove black spots).



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8/2007