Linux Workshop: KDE 4 and Programming Tips
February 25, 2009
KDE 4
Terminology
- Linux distribution - a suite of packaged together software that is designed to run on a Linux kernel
- X window system (aka X or X11) - the software system that provides a graphical user interface (GUI) in Linux systems (but can also run on Mac and Windows)
- Desktop environment - software system that provides window management (maximizing/minimizing, resizing, closing, etc), icons, menus, and mouse interaction; in Linux, these run on top of the X window system
Ubuntu and Kubuntu
Ubuntu is one such Linux distribution that has become popular in the past few years. It's based on another Linux distribution called
Debian. It differs from Debian in that it has a predictable release schedule (once every 6 months). There are many variants or flavors of Ubuntu that install slightly different sets of software applications. Some of the variants include: Kubuntu, Edubuntu, and Xubuntu.
In our department, we mostly use
Kubuntu. The main difference between Kubuntu and Ubuntu is that it uses KDE as its default desktop environment instead of
GNOME. Of the computers running Kubuntu in our department, all but a few are running KDE version 3.
KDE 3 vs. KDE 4
KDE 4 was released in January 2008. Beginning with the April 2008 release (codenamed Hardy Heron), Kubuntu started including KDE version 4 as an optional alternative to KDE 3. With the October 2008 release, however, KDE 4 is now the default desktop environment. KDE 4 has many differences from version 3. For starters, KDE 4 is cross-platform. So you could run it on your Windows machine if you really wanted to.
Desktop
The KDE 4 Desktop looks something like
this. The main difference you'll notice is that icons aren't directly on your desktop anymore. Instead, they're inside of a
widget. This particular widget is called
Folder View. KDE 4 comes with lots of different widgets that you can put on your desktop, including sticky notes, dictionary word of the day, picture frame, comic strips, and more.
Here's a screenshot with some extra widgets.
Application launcher
KRunner