Arch Linux + KDE Installation Log: KDE SC Installation

We already saw how install Arch Linux and get the system ready, so now it's time to install KDE which is the Desktop Environment I use.

The first thing we have to install are the Xorg related packages. As everyone has their needs, what they must do is execute:

# pacman -S xorg

This will return a list of Xorg related packages like this:

:: There are 77 members in the xorg group: :: Extra repository 1) font-misc-ethiopic 2) xf86-input-evdev 3) xf86-input-joystick 4) xf86-input-keyboard 5) xf86-input-mouse 6 ) xf86-input-synaptics 7) xf86-input-vmmouse 8) xf86-input-void 9) xf86-video-ark 10) xf86-video-ast 11) xf86-video-ati 12) xf86-video-cirrus 13) xf86-video-dummy 14) xf86-video-fbdev 15) xf86-video-glint 16) xf86-video-i128 17) xf86-video-intel 18) xf86-video-mach64 19) xf86-video-mga 20) xf86 -video-modesetting 21) xf86-video-neomagic 22) xf86-video-nouveau 23) xf86-video-nv 24) xf86-video-openchrome 25) xf86-video-r128 26) xf86-video-savage 27) xf86- video-siliconmotion 28) xf86-video-sis 29) xf86-video-tdfx 30) xf86-video-trident 31) xf86-video-v4l 32) xf86-video-vesa 33) xf86-video-vmware 34) xf86-video -voodoo 35) xorg-bdftopcf 36) xorg-docs 37) xorg-font-util 38) xorg-fonts-100dpi 39) xorg-fonts-75dpi 40) xorg-fonts-encodings 41) xorg-iceauth 42) xorg-luit 43) xorg-mkfontdir 44) xorg-mkfontscale 45) xorg-server 46) xo rg-sessreg 47) xorg-setxkbmap 48) xorg-smproxy 49) xorg-x11perf 50) xorg-xauth 51) xorg-xbacklight 52) ​​xorg-xcmsdb 53) xorg-xcursorgen 54) xorg-xdpyinfo 55) xorg-xdriinfo 56) xorg-xev 57) xorg-xgamma 58) xorg-xhost 59) xorg-xinput 60) xorg-xkbcomp 61) xorg-xkbevd 62) xorg-xkbutils 63) xorg-xkill 64) xorg-xlsatoms 65) xorg-xlsclients 66) xorg-xmodmap 67) xorg-xpr 68) xorg-xprop 69) xorg-xrandr 70) xorg-xrdb 71) xorg-xrefresh 72) xorg-xset 73) xorg-xsetroot 74) xorg-xvinfo 75) xorg-xwd 76) xorg-xwininfo 77) xorg-xwud Enter a selection (default = all):

We just have to select the ones we want and that's it, putting the number in front of what we want to install. In the case of being more than one option, we make a multiple selection separating the numbers with commas.

Now to install KDE we can do it in 3 ways

# pacman -S kde

This will install the packages toooooodoooossss KDE. This option takes much longer for all the packages you need to download, but it will leave us the Desktop Environment ready, with everything we need and even what we don't need.

# pacman -S kde-meta

This option allows us to control a little more what we want to install, since it allows us to choose the meta-packages related to different KDE tasks. This was the method I used and everything worked for me the first time.

# pacman -S kde-base

If we know what we want and what we need to install later, this option works great for us because it installs only what is necessary for us KDE works correctly. Then later we will install the packages that we are going to use.

What if we cannot forget is to install the package together with any of these options:

# pacman -S kde-l10n-es

Now for what KDM start we have to activate the service:

# systemctl enable kdm.service

And that's it. We restart and we can enter our KDE.

Other useful tools

Once KDE is finished, everyone should proceed to install the packages they need. In my case, there are many applications that I use, which I list below:

• amarok
• calligra
• chokoq
• clementine
• encfs
• firefox
• fuse
• gimp
• inkscape
• ipcalc
• k3b
• kate
• keepassx
• kmail
• libreoffice
• mc
• pidgin
• qemu-sq.m
• recon
• synaptics
• virtualbox