Running Linux, 5th Edition - Matthias Kalle Dalheimer [52]
You might be thinking, "Well, this all sounds very nice, but I have a couple of normal X applications that I want to run." In this case, you will be delighted to hear that you can continue to do that. Yes, you can run all X applications on a KDE desktop, and KDE even provides some means of integrating them as far as possible into the overall desktop. For example, if you desire, KDE can try to reconfigure your other X applications to use the same colors as the overall desktop so that you get a nice consistent environment. Of course, non-KDE applications will not support some of KDE's advanced features such as drag-and-drop or session management, but you can continue to use the programs you have grown accustomed to until someone releases KDE applications that address the same needs (or perhaps KDE versions of your favorite programs themselves).
Installing KDE
Most Linux distributions come with KDE nowadays, but if yours doesn't, or you want to use a newer version of KDE, you can download it from the Internet. http://www.kde.org is your one-stop shop for everything KDE related, including documentation, screenshots, and download locations. ftp://ftp.kde.org is the KDE project's FTP site, but it is often overloaded, so you might be better off trying a mirror instead. http://www.kde.org/mirrors/ gives you a list of mirrors.
KDE consists of a number of packages. These include the following:
aRts
aRts is short for "a real-time sequencer" and forms the base of most of the multimedia capabilities of KDE.
kdelibs
The KDE libraries. They contain the basic application frame, a number of GUI widgets, the configuration system, the HTML display system, and many other things. Without this package, nothing in KDE will run.
kdebase
In this package, you will find the basic KDE applications that make a desktop a KDE desktop, including the file manager/web browser, the window manager, and the panel. You definitely need this package if you want to use KDE.
kdegames
A number of games, including card games, action games, and strategy games. Everybody will probably want to install these, but only to get acquainted with the system, of course.
kdegraphics
A number of graphics-related programs such as a dvi viewer, a PostScript viewer, and an icon editor.
kdeutils
Some productivity tools, such as text editors, a calculator, printer managers, and so on.
kdemultimedia
As the name implies, this package contains multimedia programs, including a CD player, a MIDI player, an MP3 player, and—of all things—a Karaoke player.
kdenetwork
Here, you will find programs for use with the Internet, including a news reader, and some network management tools. The KDE mail program is not contained in this package, but rather in the package kdepim (see below).
kdeadmin
This package contains some programs for the system administrator, including a user manager, a run-level editor, and a backup program.
kdepim
Considered by many the centerpiece of KDE these days, kdepim contains software for personal information management, most notably the Kontact integration package that unites under a common surface the time planner and task tracker KOrganizer, the KDE email package KMail, an address book, PDA synchronization software, and many other useful tools.
kdeedu
As the name implies, this package contains a set of educational programs, ranging from vocabulary trainers to programs teaching you the movements of the planets and stars.
kaccessibility
This package contains tools that make it possible, or easier, for people with disabilities to use computers, such as screen magnifiers. The goal of the KDE project is to fully comply with the Americans