Preparing to use KDE2

The K Desktop Environment (KDE) is one of the most commonly used Linux desktops. KDE2 is the default desktop for Caldera OpenLinux and the LKP.

By default, KDE2 under LKP uses the UnixWare 7 X server. The graphical login provides a login option for starting a Linux/KDE2 session.

You can also start KDE2 from any virtual terminal. To use KDE2 from a shell:

1. Create a .xinitrc file in the home directory if it does not already exist.

   Users can set up their own .xinitrc file, or an administrator can perform this task when adding new users.

2. Include an entry for /linux/usr/bin/startkde in .xinitrc.

      /linux/usr/bin/startkde > /dev/null  2>&1
   

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   NOTE: KDE produces a lot of irrelevant messages, which is why we show them as being redirected to /dev/null in this example.

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3. Edit /linux/usr/bin/startkde and add /bin and /usr/bin to the PATH line.

4. To start KDE2, type startx from UNIX mode. KDE2 will use the UnixWare 7 X11R6 X server.

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   NOTE: If you have successfully configured and are using XFree86, type startx from Linux mode and KDE2 will use XFree86.

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It is also possible to start KDE2 from within another desktop, like CDE, but this is not supported and should be avoided.