KDE configuration for Linux newbies

One of the many good points about Linux is that the user can configure virtually anything to adjust the system to his or her liking. Many users are aware that it is possible to install color schemes, desktop themes, wallpaper images, sounds, and many more resources from the system (hitting the "Get new (theme, color, sound, etc).

However, some newbies might want to pick one sound from this set and another from a different one. Maybe they would like the oxygen theme but would like to keep the la-ora pager to switch workspaces. Perhaps they would like to skin poor Kopete with something to make it more appealing. Or they are simply dying to keep an aquarium in the lower panel to entertain themselves with the fish... who knows?

These are some ideas of where to go to customize KDE. And, by the way, you can do all this without resorting to the terminal (yes, I know it's not as fun as doing it with the charming black screen, but still...)

First, are you acquainted with Kde-look.org? You can download many goodies from there.

A. Kopete skins

This one is easy. I'll use it to illustrate how to work with the "Get new___" button that you get in many of the KDE resources. All you must do is start Kopete, go to settings in the menu, and then select the icon "Chat Window" from the left. Under the "style" tab, you can see the available skins. You can download new ones using the "Get new" button at the bottom. You can browse and select the one you like and, to the right, you will see an "install" button. Click on it and then you can select the downloaded skin from the options in the previous window. I am using the "perfect_pushpin" style as an illustration.

Kopete, regular appearance (in Mepis 11)

Kopete with a new style in Mandriva 2010.2

B. Menu translucency

This one is very simple, too. Just click the tools icon in the lower panel (or Menu->tools->system tools-> configure desktop) and click on "appearance"->desktop effects. Open the tab "all effects" and look for "translucency". Assuming that it is active, click on the little tool icon next to it. A window with several control opens. Find "Menu" and drag the indicator to the left to make the menu more transparent. This works particularly well with dark color schemes, such as "Obsidian coast", "Friendly Dark", or "Night and Blood". As the icons in the menu become clearer, it is not a good idea to set the transparency level too high or use it in combination with a light color scheme.

Menu translucency in Pardus 2011

(This last color scheme is Obsidian Coast)

C. Plasmoids

As you know, you get them from the cashew once you have unlocked all graphic elements. Well, you need to work with the cashew in the lower panel. You get many plasmoids form there. However, what if you want a plasmoid that is not included in your distribution? Well, if you do not want to browse the pool using "get new graphic elements", then you download the plasmoid from here and, once that you have the file in your HDD, you select "install local file"-> plasmoid, and browse to find the file in the appropriate folder. This works if the file is a plasmoid. If it is a .tar file, the installation is more complicated.

Here is the process in Mandriva 2010.2

D. System sounds

First, you need to have a collection of sounds and must make sure that you remember the location of the folder where they are. Again, you can download and uncompress some from Kde-look.org.
In KDE 4.4.3 and (Mandriva 2010.2), you have to go to "System settings" ->notifications. Once there, in the tab "applications", look for "KDE system notifications".
In KDE 4.5.3 (Mepis 11),and 4.6.4 (Mageia 1, Pardus 2011...), you can achieve the change from "System settings" ->application and system notifications.

Changing sounds in Mepis 11

E. Panel and pager
Let's suppose that you installed the T-Remix theme but you don't like its pager, so you want to use the one in the Oxygen theme. Again, in KDE 4.4.3 (Mandriva 2010.2 ), you go to the tools icon in the lower panel (or Menu->tools->system tools-> configure desktop) and select the tab "advanced". Once there, click "Desktop theme details"" and under "theme item" go down to find "pager". Next to it, you can select the theme you want independently of the one you have installed on your system.

In KDE 4.5.3 (Mepis 11) and in 4.6.4 (Mageia 1, Pardus 2011), you find the details as a tab in "Workspace appearance"->Desktop theme. The rest of the process is the same.

Changing the pager in Mageia 1

I hope that you can use this information to make your Linux desktop more to your personal taste. After all, if one has to spend a lot of time on the computer, it's a good idea to keep it as eye-pleasing as one can :)

How to add personalized icons to Kopete

My first experience with an IM (chat) session in Linux was through Kopete, the KDE IM client, but I stopped using it because I found it rather stiff and its interface was "too complicated". By the last statement, I should have said "too different from MSN Live Messenger" instead.

Anyway, I have been using Kopete for some time now because I was attracted back to it by its many functionalities and I have to admit that it is a remarkable IM client. It has lots of features, like handling multiple accounts, multiple IM services, and multiple identities. It's great that you can have Kopete manage your accounts in MSN, Yahoo, and Gmail because, thanks to KDE integration, you receive an immediate notification when a new mail hits any of your mail accounts.

However, the icon set that comes with it is rather limited, so for those who enjoy sending emoticons every other line or for whom "an image speaks a thousand words", Kopete might seem lacking.

If you are one of the people for whom emoticons are vital, you can always install more icon sets to use with Kopete. The process is very simple. First, do not look for a way to do it from the program (the "Windows way" of doing things!). There are just too many places to explore and one gets lost easily.

This is how you can retrieve emoticon sets and add your own (the Linux newbie way, that is):

Step 1. Look for KDE configuration options (Configure Desktop) in the lower panel. Click on the tools icon.
Step 2. A Windows opens. Click on the "Appearance" icon.
Step 3. Find the emoticon section. You will see it a the bottom of the new window that opens.
Step 4. Click emoticons (You are almost done!). This is pretty much what you see.
KDE 4 corresponds to the KDE built-in emoticon set. I installed the Kadu penguins, the onigiri and the qip sets.

To add new sets, just go to the options below, where it says "get new icon theme". You will be taken to the available sets. Click and add to your heart's content!

To add your personalized icons, put all the images or animated gifs in the same folder and make sure you don't move it later. Then, from step 4, select a theme other than KDE 4 (you cannot modify that one!) and go right, where it says "add".
A small windows opens:
The blank square corresponds to the emoticon you are about to add. Click on the blank square and find the folder where your emoticon is. Select it. It will replace the blank square. The dialog line next to it is for the trigger code. Type there the word or initials that will fire up the emoticon in an IM/Chat session, like this:
Then click "accept" and then "apply" and you are ready to go. I'm using Mandriva 2010.2, KDE, but the same tutorial should be applicable to any KDE-based distro with some minor changes.

IM clients and possibilities

Most Windows users are familiar with MSN Live Messenger, which they call "the chat program" (not accurate technically speaking because MSN Messenger is an instant messaging (IM) service, not a chat). They believe that it is the only way you have to communicate with friends who are away if you do not have Skype.

However, thanks to the proliferation of botnets and MSN viruses, Windows users might have noticed how their sessions with MSN are plagued by unwanted messages ("See this video", "click here for an offer", blah, blah) and by unreliable log in time.

When I migrated to Linux, one of the first things I discovered was that you can keep using MSN Live although you are not running Windows. You do it with one of the many Linux IM clients...and the beauty is that you do not get the problems that are associated to MSN Live Messenger. You have to learn to compromise, though, as their functionalities are different.

aMSN

This program is an MSN Live Messenger clone. It can enable video calls, but not conferencing. For those who like IM with a cam, this is a good option. I have tried it from Mandriva to Mepis (Linux-Linux) and it works. The cam feature does not seem to work from Mandriva to Windows, but it is OK with me because I was never fond of the video cam sessions anyway. As MSN Live Messenger, this IM client works only using MSN network. That might seem obvious, but I said it because most Windows users think that they need an independent program for each different account they have. So, most Windows users have a program for MSN, Skype, etc.


Kopete
This is the default IM client in KDE. This Linux program is simple and supports many more accounts. One interesting feature is that this little program lets you know when one of your MSN contacts is in invisible mode: that's right, no hiding from the eye of Sauron. The problems: no video.




Pidgin
This is a simple but extremely powerful IM client. Because of the possibility to extend its functionalities, this IM program can control your MSN, Yahoo, and even your Skype account without any hassle. Yes, you log in and you can communicate with all of your friends and contacts with this little thing. It also has a fun feature called "psychic mode" that lets you know some seconds in advance when one of your contacts is typing a message for you before he or she sends it (you read something like "You perceive a disturbance in the force").
This program can also run in Windows. Again, it does not support video but for that's fine with me because I like IM to be fast and reliable. Video is a nice add on, but not an indispensable one for communication.

As I said, the IM experience in Linux can be a little different if you learn to compromise: there are features that you don't get, but there are many others that you were not even aware of and that might enrich your IM sessions, such as data encryption, effects, plugins, etc.