<para>These are the generic installation instructions for the K Desktop Environment. Please complement your reading with the <filename>README</filename>s and <filename>INSTALL</filename>s that come along with the package. Please read them carefully and try to help yourself out if anything goes wrong. If you need further assistance, consider joining the &kde; mailing lists (see our web site instructions for joining the &kde; <ulink url="http://www.kde.org/mailinglists/">mailing lists</ulink>) or newsgroups.</para>
<para>So you have heard the rumours. Or you have seen the screenshots. And you are dying to get hold of &kde;. But you know next to nothing about this whole <quote>alternative OS</quote> business. Don't worry! You only need to do some (well, maybe not some) reading, that's all!</para>
<para>&kde; does not run on any version of &Microsoft; &Windows; or OS/2 (yet). To run &kde;, you need to have a &UNIX; system. Please refer to <xref linkend="platform"/> for more details.</para>
<para>Decide on a platform and set it up for your system. This <acronym>FAQ</acronym> can not help you with this, since &kde;<ulink url="http://www.kde.org"> runs on many &UNIX;</ulink> platforms. </para>
<para>Finally, you are ready to commence the &kde; installation. Please start reading from the next section. To get &kde;, please refer to <xref linkend="where-to-get-kde"/>. Last but not least, if you encounter any problems while installing &kde;, please do not hesitate to make use of the &kde; <link linkend="mailing-lists">mailing lists</link> and <link linkend="newsgroups">newsgroups</link>. But do bear this in mind: no question is too silly to ask, but some are too silly to answer, especially when they are already answered in this <acronym>FAQ</acronym>.</para>
<para>You can find several kinds of binary and source packages for different distributions and operating systems on the &kde-ftp;. The binary packages are not made by the &kde; Team, but by the distributors themselves, or some dedicated individuals. Please refer to <ulink url="http://dot.kde.org/986933826/">&kde; Package Policy Explained</ulink> for information about the &kde; Package Policy. The only <quote>official</quote> release is the source tar.bz2 packages. Please refer to the <filename>README</filename>s and <filename>INSTALL</filename>s in the several binaries folders. For a list of the available packages for a release, refer to the relevant info page. For the latest release this is the <ulink url="http://www.kde.org/info/3.2.php">&kde; 3.2 Info Page</ulink>.</para>
<para>For &kde; 3.2, you need the &Qt; library version 3.2 or greater. Please make sure you download the correct &Qt;. You will also need the header files, if you want to compile &kde; yourself. They are all available, at no cost, from <ulink url="http://www.trolltech.com/products/download">http://www.trolltech.com/download</ulink>. In addition, there are optional libraries that might improve &kde; if installed on your system. An example is OpenSSL which will enable &konqueror; to browse web pages securely and is needed in a version >=0.9.6. These should be provided by your distributor; if not, ask for an update.</para>
<para>The base distribution currently consists of eleven packages. Some are required, while others are optional. Each package is available in each of the aforementioned package formats.</para>
<para>This package contains the base applications that form the core of the K Desktop Environment like the window manager, the terminal emulator, the control centre, the file manager, and the panel.</para>
<para>&arts; and then tdelibs should be installed before everything else, and tdeaddons last. The other packages can be installed in any arbitrary order.</para>
<para>Most package management tools will let you put all these packages in one folder and install them all at once, figuring out the dependencies as they go.</para>
<step performance="required"><para>run <command>dpkg <option>-i <replaceable>packagename.deb</replaceable></option></command> for every package you want to install.</para></step>
<para>Since there are always changes and updates to the way &kde; is compiled, please refer to <ulink url="http://developer.kde.org/build/index.html">Download and Install from Source</ulink> for the most up to date installation instructions for the source packages. </para>
<para>The general approach should work in most cases though. </para>
<para>The source <filename>.tar.bz2</filename> package installs into <filename class="directory">/usr/local/kde</filename> by default. You can override this setting by using the <option>--prefix</option> option of the <filename>configure</filename> script.</para>
<step performance="required"><para>unpack the packages with <command>tar <option>jxvf <replaceable>packagename.tar.bz2</replaceable></option></command></para></step>
<step performance="required"><para>change folder to the package folder: <command>cd <replaceable>packagename</replaceable></command></para></step>
<step performance="required"><para>configure the package: <command>./configure</command> <note><para>Some packages (notably tdebase) have special configuration options that might be applicable to your installation. Type <command>./configure <option>--help</option></command> to see the available options.</para></note></para></step>
<step performance="required"><para>build the package: <command>make</command></para></step>
<step performance="required"><para>install the package: <command>su <option>-c "make install"</option></command> (if you aren't already root). If you already are, just type <command>make <option>install</option></command>.</para></step>
<para>First of all, please make sure that you have added &kde;'s binary installation folder (⪚ <filename class="directory">/usr/local/kde/bin</filename>) to your <envar>PATH</envar> and &kde;'s library installation folder to your <envar>LD_LIBRARY_PATH</envar> (only necessary on systems that do not support rpath; on &Linux; &ELF;, it should work without). This environment variable may be called differently on some systems, ⪚ it is called <envar>SHLIB_PATH</envar> on &IRIX;. Then set the environment variable <envar>TDEDIR</envar> to the base of your &kde; tree, ⪚ <filename class="directory">/usr/local/kde</filename>. <caution> <para>Please bear in mind that it is unwise to set <envar>LD_LIBRARY_PATH</envar> blindly. In the vast majority of cases it is unnecessary and can do more harm than good. There is a web page written by <ulink url="mailto:barr@cis.ohio-state.edu">Dave Barr</ulink> explaining the evils of <envar>LD_LIBRARY_PATH</envar> and it can be found at <ulink url="http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~barr/ldpath.html">http://www.cis.ohio-state.edu/~barr/ldpath.html</ulink>.</para>
<para>Even though you can use most of the &kde; applications simply by calling them, you can only benefit fully from &kde;'s advanced features if you use the &kde; window manager and its helper programs.</para>
<para>In order to make it easy for you, we have provided a simple script called <filename>starttde</filename> which gets installed in <filename class="directory">$<envar>TDEDIR</envar>/bin</filename> and is therefore in your path.</para>
<para>Edit the file <filename>.xinitrc</filename> in your home folder (make a backup copy first!), remove everything that looks like calling a window manager, and insert <command>starttde</command> instead. Restart the &X-Server;. If you use &tdm;/<application>xdm</application>, you will have to edit the file <filename>.xsession</filename> instead of <filename>.xinitrc</filename>. And if there is no <filename>.xinitrc</filename> or <filename>.xsession</filename> in your home folder, simply create a new one with just one line containing <command>starttde</command>. <note> <para>Some systems (notably &RedHat; &Linux;) use <filename>.Xclients</filename> instead.</para>
</note></para>
<para>This should present you with a new shining &kde; desktop. You can now start to explore the wonderful world of &kde;. In case you want to read some documentation first, there is a highly recommended <ulink url="http://www.kde.org/documentation/quickstart/index.html">Quick Start guide</ulink> available. Furthermore, every application has an online help that is available via the <guimenu>help</guimenu> menu.</para>
<para>In principle, this is not necessary. <acronym>RPM</acronym> and Debian packages should take care of all dependencies.</para>
<para>If you compile the source code yourself, you should take more care. Instructions for running two different versions of &kde; on the same system are given at <ulink url="http://developer.kde.org/build/kde2-and-kde3.html">http://developer.kde.org/build/kde2-and-kde3.html</ulink>. However, please note that running two different versions of &kde; from source can lead to problems if you are not careful. </para>
<para>The most comfortable method to start &kde; is to use the <filename>starttde</filename> script. Simply put the line <command>starttde</command> at the end of your <filename>.xsession</filename> file (or your <filename>.xinitrc</filename> or <filename>.Xclients</filename> file if you are not using &tdm; or <application>xdm</application>). Please also remove the lines that start your previous window manager. If there is no <filename>.xsession</filename>, <filename>.xinitrc</filename>, or <filename>.Xclients</filename> in your home folder, simply create a new one that contains just one line: <command>starttde</command>.</para>
<para>Yes, you can install &kde; in any folder you want. What you have to do depends on the kind of packages you want to install:</para>
<procedure><title>Source packages</title>
<step performance="required"><para>Configure and install the package using <command>configure <option>--prefix=<replaceable>/users/myhome/kde</replaceable></option>; make; make install</command> to install into <filename class="directory">/users/myhome/kde</filename>.</para></step>
<step performance="required"><para>Add the following to your init files. Please note that if it is not necessary for you to set <envar>LD_LIBRARY_PATH</envar>, it is better to leave it out.</para>
<step performance="required"><para><command>rpm</command> allows you to use the <option>--prefix</option> option to select the folder you want to install to. For example, executing <command>rpm <option>-i --prefix=<replaceable>/users/myhome/kde package.rpm</replaceable></option></command> will install the package to <filename class="directory">/users/myhome/kde</filename>.</para></step>
<para>Although &kde; will run from a user folder, there are some problems with programs that require suid root, ⪚ the programs in the tdeadmin package. But since they are not meant to be run by users in the first place, this is nothing to worry about.</para>
<para>However, on systems using shadow passwords, the screensavers have to be suid root to enable password access for unlocking the screen, so this option will not work.</para>
<para>You probably tried to start the X server with <command>starttde</command>. The X server is started with <command>startx</command>. <command>starttde</command> is the script that should be run from your <filename>.xinitrc</filename>, <filename>.xsession</filename>, or <filename>.Xclients</filename> to activate the window manager and the necessary server daemons for &kde;. See also <xref linkend="starttde"/>.</para>
<para><acronym>IBM</acronym> now officially support &kde; on &AIX;. You can find details at <ulink url="http://www.ibm.com/servers/aix/products/aixos/linux/index.html">http://www.ibm.com/servers/aix/products/aixos/linux/index.html</ulink>. There is also some older information at <ulink url="http://space.twc.de/~stefan/kde/aix.html">http://space.twc.de/~stefan/kde/aix.html</ulink>.</para>
<para>If you can get &X-Window; to run on your laptop, you should not have any problem getting &kde; to run on it. In addition, you might find the following links helpful:</para>
<para>On some laptops using the 2160 chipset (MagicGraph 128XD) the following options in <filename>XF86Config</filename> are needed to avoid a lock-up of the graphic engine:</para>
<para>Assuming the default is <filename class="directory">/opt/kde</filename> and you want to move it to <filename class="directory">/usr/local/kde</filename>, here's what you have to do:</para>
<para>This will put all your &kde; files in <filename class="directory">/usr/local/kde</filename> but everything is still accessible from <filename class="directory">/opt/kde</filename>.</para>
<para>What files can I delete from my &kde; install folder? Can all the <filename>*.h</filename>, <filename>*.c</filename> and <filename>*.o</filename> files be safely removed?</para>
<para>There should not be any need to keep the <filename>.c</filename> and <filename>.o</filename> files, but you might want to keep the <filename>.h</filename> files, as they are used by includes if you ever want to compile your own &kde; programs. But if you wish to add patches to the source programs as they become available (rather than downloading everything again), then they should stay.</para>
<para>No. In most cases &kde; will be able to transport your settings intact. You may need to reenter passwords in some applications (such as &kmail; or &knode;) but most other settings will be safe.</para>
<para>There were mixed reports of results between some previous versions of &kde;. To be safe, you may like to back up your entire &kde; configuration. </para>
<para>Settings are kept in the <filename class="directory">$<envar>HOME</envar>/.trinity</filename> or <filename class="directory">$<envar>HOME</envar>/.kde2</filename> subfolder in your home folder. Copy your old <filename class="directory">.kde</filename>/<filename class="directory">.kde2</filename> folder to a backup location, install &kde; 3.2, and then copy back any necessary mail and news settings. That said, most people can make a direct upgrade, without removing the old <filename class="directory">.kde</filename> folder, without a hitch.</para>
<para>You can override the use of <filename class="directory">$<envar>HOME</envar>/.trinity</filename> by setting the $<envar>TDEHOME</envar> variable.</para>
<para>I upgraded &kde; and it seemed to go fine, but when I start it, I get a blank grey screen, and nothing happens. There are errors in the console about DCOPserver. What's going on?</para>
<listitem><para><filename>~/.trinity/tmp-<replaceable>hostname</replaceable></filename> which is normally a symlink to the next file:</para></listitem>
<para>If the symlinks get broken, usually because a <command>cron</command> or shutdown script is emptying out the <filename class="directory">/tmp</filename> folder, then strange things will happen. These files, and the symlinks, will all be created automatically at the start of &kde; so you can safely remove them <emphasis>while &kde; is not running</emphasis>.</para>
<para>If you are only getting a grey screen when you start &kde;, or if you get an error message telling you to <errorname>Check your installation</errorname>, then shut down X and delete all the files listed above, then try to restart X.</para>
<para>Normally (&ie; when not upgrading between &kde; versions) it's quite safe to leave these files intact, and you may shave a few seconds off your &kde; startup time by doing so.</para>
<para>You need the &GNU; <application>msgfmt</application> which is part of the &GNU; i18n package <application>gettext</application>. You should be able to download it from any &GNU; mirror.</para>
<para>You can uninstall your programs by typing <command>make uninstall</command> in the folder where you did <command>make install</command>. If you have already deleted that folder, then there is only one way, and it is not good: go to <filename class="directory">$<envar>TDEDIR</envar>/bin</filename> and start deleting files one by one.</para>
<para>If you expect to find yourself in this situation, you might want to consider a program such as &GNU; <application>stow</application>, found at <ulink url="http://www.gnu.org/software/stow/stow.html">http://www.gnu.org/software/stow/stow.html</ulink>.</para>
<para>This has to do with issues with Unisys' &LZW; patent. &GIF; support is turned off from &Qt; 1.44 onwards by default. When you want to use &GIF;s and have the relevant license, recompile &Qt; with &GIF; support. <command>./configure <option>-gif</option></command>.</para>
<para>Theme support in &kde; has been discontinued with this version. However, there are many opportunities to personalise and add eye candy to &kde; Look at, for example, <guilabel>Appearance & Themes</guilabel> in &kcontrol;. </para>
