General KDE Software FAQs: Difference between revisions

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=End User FAQ for KDE systems=


This page with frequently asked questions (FAQ) has been gathered from questions in the #kde IRC channel. This list isn't comprehensive and may grow.
==Helping the KDE Community== <!--T:18-->


Since this list might become quite long in the future, feel free to browse the table of contents below or use your browser's Find feature to search for a certain topic.
===How can I help in development? Do I need to learn how to code?=== <!--T:19-->


<!--T:20-->
There are many ways to help the KDE community, not only through programming. There are other areas of contribution that need talent of other kinds. All that's necessary is the desire to help and some commitment. Of course, if you want learn how to program in order contribute, we will be more than willing to get you started as well.


==What about KDE 3?==
<!--T:21-->
===Is KDE 3 going to be abandoned?===
Some other ways to help include


No. There is no EOL (end of life) planned for KDE 3. It will continue to exist and be used as long as there are people using it. However, there is no guarantee of bug fixes and maintenance for KDE 3.5 other than that given by your vendor and possible support contracts.  Further development is not planned.
<!--T:22-->
* End-user support - if you are experienced, consider joining a mailing list or [http://forum.kde.org the Forum] to help support newer users.


===Is it necessary to upgrade to KDE 4?===
<!--T:23-->
* If you are able to help with translation as part of the official team, consult [https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/ this list] to find a contact point.  If you would like to help with UserBase translation, use the sidebar link to get a translator account, then read [[Special:myLanguage/Tasks_and_Tools|the Tasks and Tools page]].


KDE 3 will continue to exist and be used for a long time. But whether you will have to upgrade will mostly be dependent on your distribution's setup. Please consult with your distribution for more information.
<!--T:24-->
* English documentation is also needed, and here on UserBase is a good place to start.


If you wish to stay with KDE 3 and your distro moves on, there are still distros that use KDE 3.5.  With time, of course, the number of these is diminishing.  By now the most likely place to find KDE 3.5 is in the Enterprise Linux distros, such as CentOS, White Box or Scientific Linux.
== Login questions == <!--T:26-->


===Will I be able to keep using KDE 3 or KDE 3 apps?===
<!--T:27-->
Q: When I log in to KDE, some programs are/are not started and I want to change this. How can I do this?


Yes, you will be able to continue using KDE 3 or KDE 3 apps as long as the necessary dependencies are installed. As the changeover to KDE 4 software progresses some of those dependencies will be missing.  However, at the same time, most applications are either getting new versions to run with the more up to date dependencies, or similar, new packages are being written.
<!--T:28-->
A: See [[Special:myLanguage/System_Settings/Startup_and_Shutdown#Autostart|Autostart]]


How KDE 4 and KDE are set up depends on your distribution. Please consult with your distribution for more information. Some distributions allow both KDE3 and KDE 4 SC to be installed on the same system.  However, since the release of KDE 4.3 that is less frequently found.
== Keyboard shortcuts == <!--T:46-->


==General How-tos==
<!--T:47-->
Q: When I take a break, I just want to hit the <keycap>Break</keycap> key and the desktop should be locked. How can I achieve this?


==KDE 4 installations==
<!--T:48-->
A: Open [[Special:myLanguage/System Settings|System Settings]].
Select <menuchoice>Shortcuts and Gestures -> Custom Shortcuts -> Edit -> New -> Global Shortcut -> Command/URL -> Trigger</menuchoice>. Click on the '''Shortcut''', type the key you want to associate (<keycap>Break</keycap> in this example). Click on <menuchoice>Action</menuchoice>. As '''Command/URL''' enter {{Input|1= /usr/lib64/kde4/libexec/kscreenlocker_greet}} Then click on <menuchoice>Apply</menuchoice>.


===Getting KDE 4 software===
== Other FAQ pages == <!--T:29-->
===How do I install the new KDE systems? Where can I get Plasma Desktop?===


The best place to start looking would be in your distribution's packages. The KDE community doesn't provide distribution-specific packages, only source code. Also, the method of installing your Plasma Desktop and associated software, as well as the setup, varies from distribution to distribution.
<!--T:30-->
[[Special:myLanguage/Workspace_Configuration/Desktop_Configuration|General configuration of your workspace]]


===Can I build KDE software from source?===
<!--T:31-->
[[Special:myLanguage/Desktop_Effects_Performance|Desktop Effects FAQs]]


You can follow the guide found in [http://techbase.kde.org/Getting_Started Techbase - Getting Started].
<!--T:32-->
[[Special:myLanguage/KMail/FAQs_Hints_and_Tips|KMail FAQs, hints and tips]]


===How do I build KDE software? Where do I go if I encounter build problems?===
<!--T:33-->
[[Special:myLanguage/Rekonq/FAQs|Rekonq FAQs]]


Guides to building KDE can be found in [http://techbase.kde.org/Getting_Started Techbase - Getting Started]. Please read and follow them very carefully. You can ask questions in the usual support channels such as IRC, mailing lists, or forums.
<!--T:34-->
[[Special:myLanguage/Plasma/Krunner#Tips.2C_Tricks_and_FAQs|Plasma K~Runner FAQs, hints and tips]]


<!--T:35-->
[[Special:myLanguage/KPilot#FAQs, Hints and Tips|KPilot FAQs, hints and tips]]


===Some Common Questions===
<!--T:36-->
====Will KDE browsers be using WebKit? How can I use WebKit in Konqueror?====
[[Special:myLanguage/KCalc#FAQs, Hints and Tips|KCalc FAQs, hints and tips]]


Currently, there are no plans on replacing KHTML in Konqueror. KHTML continues to be developed actively. As Qt, since version 4.4 also offers webkit, KDE applications can make use of Webkit. A KPart that can be used in Konqueror instead of the KHTML KPart is being developed currently, but not ready for production use yet. KHTML is unlikely to be removed in the lifespan of the KDE SC 4.x series, due to compatibility policies, for one reason. It will be possible to use WebKit as an alternative viewer in Konqueror with the webkitkde project. The source code is available in KDE SVN [http://websvn.kde.org/trunk/playground/libs/webkitkde/ Playground].  Web browsers using webkit are being developed.
<!--T:37-->
[[Special:myLanguage/Browser_Configuration|Configuration hints and tips for various browsers]]


====Why was the old style menu replaced by Kickoff?====
<!--T:38-->
[http://kmymoney2.sourceforge.net/index-gen.html KMyMoney FAQs]


The traditional application starting menu from KDE3 had various usability issues. First and foremost, people tend to use no more than 6-10 applications regularly. Having those applications buried in deep menu structures makes it a lot of effort to start them. Those favourite applications can with Kickoff be moved into their own tab so they're easilly accessible. Kickoff might, for new users be more complicated to use since the "browsing applications" usecase has a less central position. For mid- to long-term users, Kickoff will increase productivity for the most common cases.
<!--T:39-->
[https://docs.kde.org/stable/en/kdeedu/kstars/faq.html KStars FAQs]


For users who prefer the traditional application launcher menu, it can easily be changed by right-clicking on the Kickoff button and choosing "Switch to Classic Menu Style". However, doing that loses the Search facility that is in the new menus now available.
<!--T:40-->
[http://www.digikam.org/?q=faq/digikam digiKam FAQs]


If you don't like Kickoff's click-on-everything style, try [[Lancelot]]
<!--T:41-->
[[Special:myLanguage/Gwenview/Hidden_Configuration_Options|Hidden settings in Gwenview]]


====Why a new desktop implementation? The old one isn't broken.====
<!--T:42-->
 
[[Special:myLanguage/Color_Management|Colour Management FAQs]]
The code in kicker, kdesktop and the minicli (The "Run Command" dialogue you get when you press ALT+F2) has been around for a long time. As user needs and technical capabilities shift, the code became unmaintainable and wasn't flexible enough to move KDE forward at a reasonable pace. Moreover, few people dared diving into kicker to extend it. When someone wanted to create a new panel implementation, it has happened multiple times that kicker was just copied and changed. This lead to various forks of kicker and additional maintainance burden for developers. While kicker and kdesktop used to look fine to casual users, they're pretty much a dead-end street in terms of feature development and long-standing, hard to fix bugs.
 
While Plasma has been rewritten from scratch, and therefore might not yet be able to fully replace kdesktop and kicker for some users, it offers a route to innovation, better collaboration between developers, designers and usability experts. Plasma technology is also built with different formfactors in mind, so it might run on your mobile phone, media center, internet tablet or whatever you can imagine in the future.
 
==Helping the KDE Community==
===How can I help in development? Do I need to learn how to code?===
 
There are many ways to help the KDE community, not only through programming. There are other areas of contribution that need talent of other kinds. All that's necessary is the desire to help and some commitment. Of course, if you want learn how to program in order contribute, we will be more than willing to get you started as well.
 
Some other ways to help include


:* End-user support - if you are experienced, consider joining a mailing list or [http://forum.kde.org the Forum] to help support newer users.
<!--T:43-->
[[Special:myLanguage/KolorManager|KolorManager configuration]]


:* If you are able to help with translation, consult [https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/ this list] to find a contact point.
<!--T:44-->
[[Special:myLanguage/KDevelop4/FAQ|Hints and tips for using KDevelop4]]


:* English documentation is also needed, and here on Userbase is a good place to start.
<!--T:45-->
[[Special:myLanguage/Umbrello/FAQ|Umbrello FAQs]]


<!--T:25-->
[[Category:Getting_Started]]
[[Category:Desktop]]
[[Category:Desktop]]
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Latest revision as of 15:57, 15 October 2014


Helping the KDE Community

How can I help in development? Do I need to learn how to code?

There are many ways to help the KDE community, not only through programming. There are other areas of contribution that need talent of other kinds. All that's necessary is the desire to help and some commitment. Of course, if you want learn how to program in order contribute, we will be more than willing to get you started as well.

Some other ways to help include

  • End-user support - if you are experienced, consider joining a mailing list or the Forum to help support newer users.
  • If you are able to help with translation as part of the official team, consult this list to find a contact point. If you would like to help with UserBase translation, use the sidebar link to get a translator account, then read the Tasks and Tools page.
  • English documentation is also needed, and here on UserBase is a good place to start.

Login questions

Q: When I log in to KDE, some programs are/are not started and I want to change this. How can I do this?

A: See Autostart

Keyboard shortcuts

Q: When I take a break, I just want to hit the Break key and the desktop should be locked. How can I achieve this?

A: Open System Settings.

Select Shortcuts and Gestures -> Custom Shortcuts -> Edit -> New -> Global Shortcut -> Command/URL -> Trigger. Click on the Shortcut, type the key you want to associate (Break in this example). Click on Action. As Command/URL enter

/usr/lib64/kde4/libexec/kscreenlocker_greet

Then click on Apply.

Other FAQ pages

General configuration of your workspace

Desktop Effects FAQs

KMail FAQs, hints and tips

Rekonq FAQs

Plasma K~Runner FAQs, hints and tips

KPilot FAQs, hints and tips

KCalc FAQs, hints and tips

Configuration hints and tips for various browsers

KMyMoney FAQs

KStars FAQs

digiKam FAQs

Hidden settings in Gwenview

Colour Management FAQs

KolorManager configuration

Hints and tips for using KDevelop4

Umbrello FAQs