Hot to Add Mint KDE Helena to Gnome edition

[jr223]

Howdy,

I would like to add the latest version of Mint Helena KDE to my existing Mint 8 Gnome edition.
I know that in the case of Mandriva all I need to do is add the task-kde. to add the kde along side gnome.
This will also add it to the login panel so I can choose either or.
Is this the same thing for Mint?

Thanks
Jr223

[proxima_centauri]

You can install KDE4 in Linux Mint 8 main edition, but it will be a vanilla KDE. It will not be the same as a Linux Mint 8 KDE CE install.

There is the kdebase package and kubuntu-desktop package available.

EDIT: if you install kubuntu-desktop, it may take over one or all of the following artwork: grub, splash, login. I will test and post back later.

[olligod]

@proxima_centauri:
That's not quite correct (as in "not the complete answer"). First question: Do you mean KDE4 or KDE4.4 ?
Remember, KDE4.x has been in Mint before.
Plus, even the (up until today) newest KDE 4.3.x is available for Mint(8)-Helena .

IMPORTANT EDIT: No guarantees, especially for inexperienced users. It may destroy your original desktop. One of the posts below is of somebody where that happened.

=> Here's a wayto install it from the command line:

You can add the mint repository for kde by editing (as sudo or root) the file /etc/apt/sources.list (i.e. sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list)

-- Add the following line to the file (take the whole line as it is, forget the "link" created here in the forum by some automatic):
deb http://packages.linuxmint.com/ helena-kde main upstream import

-- Then run from the command line
sudo aptitude update

-- and then for 32-bit
sudo aptitude install mint-meta-kde mint-configuration-kde mint-artwork-kde kdm-theme-mint-kde ksplash-theme-mint-kde mint-info-kde rootactions-servicemenu

or for 64-bit
sudo aptitude install mint-meta-kde64 mint-configuration-kde mint-artwork-kde kdm-theme-mint-kde ksplash-theme-mint-kde mint-info-kde64 rootactions-servicemenu

-- That should pull the packages. It will take a while as this is a few 100 MB.

-- You will then be prompted to configure a few things.

Most notably to me:
Since you need a Display manager: Choose kdm over gdm. It lets you choose at login time into which Desktop Environment to boot.
gdm is the default for anything Mint except KDE -- HOWEVER, it doesn't (at least in my case) see that KDE is installed at all. kdm does recognize the KDE, Gnome and any other D.E. that is installed.

-- After a reboot you will then be able to log into KDE on Mint-8-Helena!

I installed a "premature" KDE-64 bit on Helena that way - and it works quite okay. Remember, Mint-KDE64 isn't even released!
I cannot say for sure whether this is the "complete" official KDE desktop we'll see soon. (it looks somewhat "empty" as far as desktop-"plasmoids" are concerned). Maybe it's the Minty way.
Or am i missing some packages to install ?

I will compare the two soon in a virtualbox.


In any case - Some Mnt-KDE64 is there for you already.
Good luck on the adventure and enjoy

[satya164]

@proxima_centauri:
That's not quite correct (as in "not the complete answer"). First question: Do you mean KDE4 or KDE4.4 ?
Remember, KDE4.x has been in Mint before.
Plus, even the (up until today) newest KDE 4.3.x is available for Mint(8)-Helena .

=> Here's a wayto install it from the command line:

You can add the mint repository for kde by editing (as sudo or root) the file /etc/apt/sources.list (i.e. sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list)

-- Add the following line to the file (take the whole line as it is, forget the "link" created here in the forum by some automatic):
deb http://packages.linuxmint.com/ helena-kde main upstream import

-- Then run from the command line
sudo aptitude update

-- and then for 32-bit
sudo aptitude install mint-meta-kde mint-configuration-kde mint-artwork-kde kdm-theme-mint-kde ksplash-theme-mint-kde mint-info-kde rootactions-servicemenu

or for 64-bit
sudo aptitude install mint-meta-kde64 mint-configuration-kde mint-artwork-kde kdm-theme-mint-kde ksplash-theme-mint-kde mint-info-kde64 rootactions-servicemenu

-- That should pull the packages. It will take a while as this is a few 100 MB.

-- You will then be prompted to configure a few things.

Most notably to me:
Since you need a Display manager: Choose kdm over gdm. It lets you choose at login time into which Desktop Environment to boot.
gdm is the default for anything Mint except KDE -- HOWEVER, it doesn't (at least in my case) see that KDE is installed at all. kdm does recognize the KDE, Gnome and any other D.E. that is installed.

-- After a reboot you will then be able to log into KDE on Mint-8-Helena!

I installed a "premature" KDE-64 bit on Helena that way - and it works quite okay. Remember, Mint-KDE64 isn't even released!
I cannot say for sure whether this is the "complete" official KDE desktop we'll see soon. (it looks somewhat "empty" as far as desktop-"plasmoids" are concerned). Maybe it's the Minty way.
Or am i missing some packages to install ?

I will compare the two soon in a virtualbox.


In any case - Some Mnt-KDE64 is there for you already.
Good luck on the adventure and enjoy

Thanks. Exactly what i was searching for.

[proxima_centauri]

I will be interested in hearing if this technique works flawlessly from a Linux Mint 8 main edition install, although I have my doubts.

[olligod]

I will be interested in hearing if this technique works flawlessly from a Linux Mint 8 main edition install, although I have my doubts.

That is exactly what I have done (in Mint64, Gnome (main) Edition - see my last post).
The original question by jr223 that opened this thread was "to add the latest version of Mint Helena KDE to my existing Mint 8 Gnome edition".

Essentially it is the same technique that you suggested, except these are "Mintyfied" packages, and yours are the Kubuntu packages.
Also, one can use a graphical package manager of course, rather than a commandline. But the effect is the same.

[dwflo]

You can install KDE4 in Linux Mint 8 main edition, but it will be a vanilla KDE. It will not be the same as a Linux Mint 8 KDE CE install.

There is the kdebase package and kubuntu-desktop package available.

Will Mint ever offer their KDE as the meda package in the software repository?

Dave

[proxima_centauri]

I ask because I followed your steps in Virtualbox and it broke my install. Perhaps I made a mistake at some point.

[olligod]

I ask because I followed your steps in Virtualbox and it broke my install. Perhaps I made a mistake at some point.

Tell us what happened, maybe we can help. Do you mean, your attempt to install KDE broke Gnome? What were the error messages along the way or at the end?


EDIT: I tried the same again now, that I did 1 week ago because of your report, to see whether problems arise. (thank god there is Virtualbox to play on OSses on-end...)

Result: It does not break the Main/Gnome install, but the Mint-Meta-KDE64 (Meta-Package) does not cooperate anymore. I had installed other stuff since and do not know the exact answer as to how. Maybe that's the consequence if you want to try to be sneaking ahead of the pack ...

=> However you can still do Mint-KDE. But it is getting slightly more difficult:

Grab the packages that the aptitude install command writes on the screen (that is what the Meta KDE is supposed to do) .
Grab all the package names and put them into an editor. Edit out the special ending " {a} ", and make sure everything is in *one line*. Join the lines if necessary.
Then copy the line into the clipboard (Ctrl-a ctrl-c will do); and paste this line on the command line AFTER having entered sudo aptitude install
Press enter only after pasting your copied line (line will wrap, but that's no worries).

The packages install starts. It has worked for me. Now I have a second KDE64 virtual box. (I will only need one...). It boots using a KDE splash screen, using kdm as display manager and lets me choose KDE or Gnome and some other stuff. And the Desktop again does not contain many plasmoids. Maybe too few.


I am sorry that the Meta package does not do what it is supposed to do right now.
So *I* had to do what *it* was supposed to do. The possible reason for this may be a missing dependency. So I may be missing one or two packages.

But ....The will to try KDE64 was stronger ...

I would expect the Mint team to design a proper stable and comfortable way of installing Mint-Meta-KDE package.

[proxima_centauri]

I ask because I followed your steps in Virtualbox and it broke my install. Perhaps I made a mistake at some point.

Tell us what happened, maybe we can help. Do you mean, your attempt to install KDE broke Gnome? What were the error messages along the way or at the end?

No errors from apt. KDM was never installed after your instructions. My GDM broke and upon boot I was presented with a command line login. I installed KDM from apt, rebooted and logged into a KDE session. There was no panel and all I was presented with an open terminal and background. I have since reinstalled a default version of Linux Mint again.

Long story short, I don't think it's good advice to give to new users if they wish to try out Linux Mint KDE CE. I will try the process again, from a fresh install, in case it was due to my error.

[proxima_centauri]

olligod,

Until you can provide sure-fire steps to follow, I would respectfully request you add a disclaimer to your original post - in case a new user follows the instructions without fully understanding the potential consequences.

- proxima_centauri

[olligod]

Long story short, I don't think it's good advice to give to new users if they wish to try out Linux Mint KDE CE. I will try the process again, from a fresh install, in case it was due to my error.

Until you can provide sure-fire steps to follow, I would respectfully request you add a disclaimer to your original post - in case a new user follows the instructions without fully understanding the potential consequences.

I do see your point about inexperienced users.
I am sorry that happened to you. When I heard this, I did it again, for me it worked again.
I am using VirtualBox 3.0.10 running on host Kubuntu 9.10 64-bit. The guest: I started from Mint-8-main-64-bit that was installed as a -RC1 and then upgraded to final via update process. The (not KDE related) packages versions in there were updated 7 days ago.

I believe your gnome desktop is still there. You will need to be able to switch anyway if you ever have both Gnome and KDE installed.
Just out of curiosity, (that needs not stop you from starting over) - when the KDE login screen screen appears, you should be able to switch to gnome BEFORE login: left beneath the login lines there are 2 icons. The left (3 lines in an icon) is for choosing either Gnome or KDE.


I will add a note for inexperienced users on my original post (and do so in the future if I say something that changes the system). That is in fact a good idea as it turns out. My posts will never go without henceforth.
What's more, a distro in flux and unreleased changes dependencies. So what worked 1 week ago (if it is a hack) may not work as described there.
I can see that a new user gets stuck once they end up on a command line only.

[proxima_centauri]

I do see your point about inexperienced users.
I am sorry that happened to you. When I heard this, I did it again, for me it worked again.

It's okay, that's what my virtual machines are for .

I am using VirtualBox 3.0.10 running on host Kubuntu 9.10 64-bit. The guest: I started from Mint-8-main-64-bit that was installed as a -RC1 and then upgraded to final via update process. The (not KDE related) packages versions in there were updated 7 days ago.

I think there are incompatibilities or conflicts between mint-meta-gnome and mint-meta-kde, but I'm not sure.

I believe your gnome desktop is still there. You will need to be able to switch anyway if you ever have both Gnome and KDE installed.
Just out of curiosity, (that needs not stop you from starting over) - when the KDE login screen screen appears, you should be able to switch to gnome BEFORE login: left beneath the login lines there are 2 icons. The left (3 lines in an icon) is for choosing either Gnome or KDE.

Yes, it was possible to log back in to Gnome, after I installed and set-up KDM. I forgot to mention. But the KDE session was borked.

I will add a note for inexperienced users on my original post (and do so in the future if I say something that changes the system). That is in fact a good idea as it turns out. My posts will never go without henceforth.

Thanks

[Borsook]

It's a pity this does not work as well as with Kubuntu installed on top of Ubuntu...

Anyway GDM should allow switching in the same manner as KDM - by choosing the "session" option before login.

[Kongu]

No errors from apt. KDM was never installed after your instructions. My GDM broke and upon boot I was presented with a command line login. ... I have since reinstalled a default version of Linux Mint again.

FYI: I can confirm that this happened to me also on a Linux Mint only 32 bit machine.

[bertho]

Yeah, this isn't working for me. I tried doing it with Synaptic and it installed (almost) everything and let me switch to KDM (why GDM doesn't give you a session option is beyond me. Pretty much the only thing I really dislike about Mint so far). The only problem is KDM doesn't list KDE as an option! I tried following the instructions above from the command line, and I found mint-info-kde64 had been skipped over during the graphical install (which I think is also odd), but still no KDE in my session options.

If anyone has any ideas, that would be nice, otherwise I guess I'll just have to do the VirtualBox install, but the whole reason I want KDE in addition to Gnome is so that I can run Kdenlive in its intended environment (it tends to crash a lot under Gnome), and it'd be nice to be able to use both cores of my processor to do rendering.

[kimiko]

Hi, I added Mint Helena KDE CE to my existing Mint 8 Gnome but I have some troubles to complete the installation. Can anyone post the KDE CE sources.list to try to solve the problem?

[bolle]

uhm yeah so i tried the method the 4th poster or something did
and it messed up my system
(NOT IN VIRTUAL BOX)
full system..
i cant login without logging in command line and typing startx
and i cant shutdown or restart :l

what to do now?

[GhoS]

I installed KDE onto my original Gnome Mint with little trouble. I did it about 2 months ago and don't recall the steps I followed exactly. I know I originally tried to do the meta package and had trouble with it. What finally worked the best was adding the ppa for the Kubuntu backports to the sources list and selecting KDE in the package manager. It isn't "Mintyfied" but it is the most up to date version and the system updates it as well.

I think when Isadora comes out though I will do a clean install of the KDE CE version of Mint and only install the Gnome apps that I need, as right now I got some duplicates.