LinuxQuestions.org - Install KDE Look (Desperate Newbie)

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Install KDE Look (Desperate Newbie)

Hi everybody,

I am trying to get familiar with the Linux installation process (total Newbie) and thought a nice start maybe to install one of them fance KDE themes from kde-look.org. I managed to untar (?) the file (tar.gz), to switch to root privilages (that one took me a while to figure out) and to go all the way to the "make install" command in the specific directory (this is what I had scrambled together from various threads on this and other sites. Now I typed "install" and this is what it gave me. I am just a little too new to it too figure out what exactly to do here now...

---------------------------------------------------------------------
[root@localhost Acqua-3.1]# install -d
install: too few arguments
Try `install --help' for more information.
[root@localhost Acqua-3.1]# install --help
Usage: install [OPTION]... SOURCE DEST (1st format)
or: install [OPTION]... SOURCE... DIRECTORY (2nd format)
or: install -d [OPTION]... DIRECTORY... (3rd format)
In the first two formats, copy SOURCE to DEST or multiple SOURCE(s) to
the existing DIRECTORY, while setting permission modes and owner/group.
In the third format, create all components of the given DIRECTORY(ies).

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.
--backup[=CONTROL] make a backup of each existing destination file
-b like --backup but does not accept an argument
-c (ignored)
-d, --directory treat all arguments as directory names; create all
components of the specified directories
-D create all leading components of DEST except the last,
then copy SOURCE to DEST; useful in the 1st format
-g, --group=GROUP set group ownership, instead of process' current group
-m, --mode=MODE set permission mode (as in chmod), instead of rwxr-xr-x
-o, --owner=OWNER set ownership (super-user only)
-p, --preserve-timestamps apply access/modification times of SOURCE files
to corresponding destination files
-s, --strip strip symbol tables, only for 1st and 2nd formats
-S, --suffix=SUFFIX override the usual backup suffix
-v, --verbose print the name of each directory as it is created
--help display this help and exit
--version output version information and exit

The backup suffix is `~', unless set with --suffix or SIMPLE_BACKUP_SUFFIX.
The version control method may be selected via the --backup option or through
the VERSION_CONTROL environment variable. Here are the values:

none, off never make backups (even if --backup is given)
numbered, t make numbered backups
existing, nil numbered if numbered backups exist, simple otherwise
simple, never always make simple backups

Report bugs to <bug-coreutils@gnu.org>.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Which arguments should I use? How do I use them? Can anyone help? Ah, my system is Mandrake 9.1/KDE3.1 in case this information is of relevance.

Reg. Napper

If you ran "make install" with no errors, your program is installed. "Make install" is the last step for installing a tar.gz package. If you installed a KDE theme, have a look in the Control Centre, maybe LooknFeel, Styles? I don't use KDE, so I can't check. It should be there.

Thanks for the quick response. Well, I checked in the "look and feel" under "styles" just as the README file said and it was not quite in there. (It was not in there). I typed

make install

again and got this response

[root@localhost Acqua-3.1]# make install
make: `install' is up to date.

so I guess it should be cool. Except of course that it isn't. The README is a bit on the vague side but let me show you what it said:

- Installation instructions -
Run the script ./install.sh for installation.
Run Control Center and select Look'n'Feel.
Select Style and then Acqua in the style list. Click on Apply.
Select Window Decoration and then IceWM in the list. Select the Configure tab and then Acqua in the window decorations list. Click on Apply.
Select Icons and click on the open files button. Select the Acqua.icons.tar.gz or Acqua-Faux.icons.tar.gz file and click on OK. Click on Install new theme and then on Apply.
Select Wallpaper and then acqua.jpg in the wallpaper list. Click on Apply.

do I maybe have to type "make ./install" instead if "make install"?

Another thing that may or may not be interesting: there are now two files one called "install" and another called install.sh does that make any difference?

Here is the install.sh file:

Code:

#!/bin/bash

KDE_HOME=`find $HOME -name ".kde*" -type d -maxdepth 1`

for i in $KDE_HOME; do

        mkdir -p $i/share/apps/kstyle

        mkdir -p $i/share/apps/kwin

        cd style

        cp -R -f pixmaps $i/share/apps/kstyle/

        cp -R -f themes $i/share/apps/kstyle/

        cp -R -f wallpapers $i/share/

        cd ..

        cp -R -f icewm-themes $i/share/apps/kwin/

done

kinstalltheme

echo Acqua for KDE installed.

which reminds me: Whenever I ran the "make install" command the first time nothing really happened. No error but no confirmation either. Do I read this file here correctly that it should echo the line "Acqua for KDE installed." if successfull?

And yet having another look at that README. Does "Run the script ./install.sh for installation." mean the same thing as "type 'make install' into the command line?

Alright you cats of furtune! Napper happy! Napper figured it out after all. That

make install

thingy compiled the install script "install.sh". That double clicked did the trick... Nearly. Still need to do a bit of tweaking but the basic look is there. Thanks for your help mdg!

Hey Napper,

As someone who has also had "snags" getting stuff from kde-look working, have you tried this -

google for "plf" (no quotes for anything, don't forget :)) then follow their link for "easy urpmi" then follow the instructions and select mirror's for all the various sources i.e. plf and texstar, as well as mandrake, then do the "cut and paste" thing into a terminal (you may have to press enter, though i didn't to start with, just when things stopped).

After that, go into mandrake control centre, software management, rpmdrake+ (add software rather than minus it), then radio button for "all packages by group" and then have a good dig around the graphical desktop, graphics, KDE, user interface and kde.

Theres some quite smart looking stuff that you can install (beware if you have dial up access, as some of the "kdemoreartwork" stuff is pretty big downloads). But there's definitely some nice stuff from both the plf and texstar. :D

regards

John

Hey Napper, glad you got your themes working, maybe you can help me? I am trying to install Knifty form kde-look, I have followed your posts up to the part of running install.sh. Unfortunately, I dont see that in this folder at all, however there is install-sh. I tried running that and had no luck, any ideas on what to do next?

Katie

Gee - I am really totally clueless on these things as well. When I said "running" I ment (well - this is what worked for me in the end) double clicking the icon in the file browser. Is there a README file in your folder that is a bit more helpful (I am in Windows XP mode right now, so I can't check myself)

BTW: bigjohn - I followed your advice with googling for this plf thingy. I is still not quite working but this is likely because the mirror I selected doesn't have the files that I select to download. Will toy around with this a bit more tomorrow. Just wanted to thank you for the tip!

Know what though? I kinda like that theme. Will try it myself now and see how far I get...

Until later!

Napper.

This is what the instructions say:
Basic Installation (from the console):
- Step 1
$ ./configure --prefix=PREFIX
- Step 2
$ make
- Step 3 (as root)
# make install

where PREFIX is the path to your kde
installation eg: /usr, /opt/kde

Now, I have no idea where my kde installation is, I don't see it in either of those places. I searched my computer for kde and didnt come across anything containing the other themes that were included with Mandrake. Am I supposed to just dump this in /usr and hope the Control Center's Look N Feel will find them? Right now they are sitting in a folder called "downloads" under my home/pibby/ directory (this is also from where I ran the install stuff).
Any idea?

The kde should be in something like /usr/share/kde

Make sure that when you've got konqueror open in your /home then use the "view" drop down, and check "show hidden files", because if it's /usr/share/.kde then it's a hidden file (notice the . ).

Themes sometimes end up in /usr/share/kde/themes

personally I would do a "find file" and tell it to look for either "kde" (no quotes of course) or theme(s) in the name.

That might tell you where it is, then you should be able to tell the "thememanager" in the kde control centre where to look.

regards

John

p.s. that's why I have had confusion when trying to install stuff from kde-look, it usually installs OK, but often I've had to dig around to find it - as I doesn't always go where you think (or where mandrake thinks) it should go - It goes where the developer thinks it should go.

Oh and I unpack it using "Ark" it saves all that messing around, but you still have to work out where you want it to go!

Hope this makes sense :)

regards

John

Noob question, when you say "where it should go" do I have to edit a config file pointing to the location?

Okay - this is how far I got: my KDE environment crashed once, and now I cannot (quite) see certain items in the menu that used to be there before (notebly OpenOffice and the Mandrake Control Center). Maybe it is time for me to download 9.2 and start over again... :)