Kubuntu (and some other KDE-based distributions) features a special System Settings application which takes the place of the full KDE Control Centre application, which is used for setting all sorts of KDE preferences and changing different settings on the system.

Whenever you click a http:// or mailto: link in KDE, by default, Konqueror and KMail will open. I’m not saying these are bad apps, just that if you have Firefox and Thunderbird installed, why wouldn’t you want to use them fully?

KGRUBEditor is a visual GRUB configuration editor for KDE 4. With KGRUBEditor, you can edit GRUB entries and alter GRUB settings. KGRUBEditor is very easy-to-use. The latest version of KGRUBEditor is 0.5b. You can get it at KDE-Apps.org web site.

KGRUBEditor is a visual GRUB configuration editor for KDE 4. With KGRUBEditor, you can edit GRUB entries and alter GRUB settings. KGRUBEditor is very easy-to-use. The latest version of KGRUBEditor is 0.5b. You can get it at KDE-Apps.org web site.

The Strigi project is the core of the index and search technology for KDE 4. Strigi is designed to be small and fast, and it can be installed and used with or without KDE 4, as we'll see.

Do is an application to find things on your system and quickly perform actions, similar to Quicksilver for OSX and GNOME Launch Box. It works on a variety of different desktop environments, including GNOME and KDE. Basically, all you need to do is to press Super + Space on your keyboard, and the Do dialog will open. Super is the Windows key on a PC, or the Command key on a Mac. Type in the name of an application, and Do will launch it for you.

If you’re not a fan of the large borders on the default KDE 4.0 Plasma theme, you’re in luck. The first themes for Plasma are starting to appear. Here’s how to install the new Slim Glow theme in KDE 4.0:

Inspired by the command wheel in the Neverwinter Nights online game, Kommando is a floating command panel for KDE. Although Kommando's development is almost as slow as an official Debian release, and is only at version 0.5.2, it is already a configurable and convenient addition to the array of panels available in KDE.

The familiar GNOME applications that I have been using in KDE 4.0 since I started testing it all run without a theme. When you have GNOME installed as well as KDE 4.0, there’s a simple way to get your GNOME applications to use your current GTK theme while running in KDE.

Hard-working KDE Input/Output (KIO) slaves perform much of KDE's functionality. KIO slaves provide consistent access to different resources, such as filesystems, network protocols, and search functions, making them accessible to all KDE applications in a standard way. For example, you can open a remote FTP session and copy, move, rename, or delete files as if they're on your own box, or connect via Secure Shell (SSH) and use remote files as if they were local. Even browsing the Web uses a KIO slave.

Unlike GNOME’s panels and panel applets, KDE 4.0’s plasma widgets don’t have to be placed in a panel. In fact, you don’t need to have a panel at all. Here’s how to remove the bottom panel in KDE 4.0:

1. Browse to ~/.kde4/share/config/ and make a backup copy of of the plasma-appletsrc file. This is the file you will need to edit. You can use the backup to restore the panel and your widgets to their previous configuration.
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KDE 4.0 was officially released last week after extensive development. The long-awaited 4.0 release ushers in a new era for the popular open-source desktop environment and adds many intriguing new features and technologies. Unfortunately, the release comes with almost as many new bugs as it does features, and there is much work to be done before it sparkles like the 3.5.x series.

In my list of ten tips for KDE 4.0, number 10 was a workaround for the fact that launching an application from the menu that needs to be run as root would cause KDE to refuse your password.

This is a list of ten tips that may help you out in getting started with KDE 4.0. All of these I discovered since installing KDE 4.0 in Ubuntu. Haven’t installed KDE 4.0 yet in Ubuntu 7.10? See yesterday’s post.

In KDE4 they have changed the KControlCenter and named it System Settings. I found it to be easy to navigate and very intuitive. Lets start the visual review. The start page looks very similar to KControl of KDE3.

Wine allows users to run Windows programs natively under Linux without paying a dime. However, there's a tiny problem: programs running in Wine don't look so great. They don't even try to fit into your native GNOME or KDE color scheme or use your preferred fonts. You could use a Windows theme, but themes make Wine run extremely slowly. Luckily, with a little configuration editing, it's easy to make Wine applications look at lot more like the rest of the apps on your desktop.

KDE 4.0.0 was released on Friday. For the KDE team, it represents a huge leap forward in many areas, one of them being that they didn't add a K onto the name of every new app. For once. But elsewhere, KDE 4 brings huge enhancements both on and under the surface.

I spent some time this evening with the KDE 4.0 LiveCD to see what all the hoopla was about. I have been excited to see all the new improvements in the long anticipated KDE 4.0, as I’m sure many of you have been. Below are some of my inital impressions after half-hour with the LiveCD.

KDE 4.0 is the innovative Free Software desktop containing lots of applications for every day use as well as for specific purposes. Plasma is a new desktop shell developed for KDE 4, providing an intuitive interface to interact with the desktop and applications. The Konqueror web browser integrates the web with the desktop. The Dolphin file manager, the Okular document reader and the System Settings control center complete the basic desktop set.

The KDE 4 series has begun with the release of 4.0. It is the start of something amazing. Kubuntu has packages for 7.10 and Hardy and there’s a Live CD for those wanting to try before installing.