Isn't there any place where I can download one big fat tarball with everything I need to run KDE3, so I can unpack it to one place in one easy step, with all the libraries I need? So, a simple.

tar xvfz kde3.tar.gz

then I can run KDE3? Or do I HAVE to download every single package, and install them one by one by one, using a --prefix each time.

Please tell me there is an easier way, or else I think I have discovered, without question, the reason Linux will never compete with Windows on the desktop. Please tell me I'm wrong. I want to use KDE3, but, I have my limits.

If you aren't happy compiling KDE yourself then just go find a binary packageset and you're done. I believe that KDE3 binaries are already available for Slackware, Debian, RedHat and Mandrake at least. I know for absolutely certain that the slackware-current branch has KDE3 binary packages.

The KDE system is split apart like this to keep it manageable. If you don't need all the pieces, why install them all? That's the philosophy.

That's what I was talking about. The packages that the KDE3 site links to, for Slackware 8.0. There are at least 20,000 packages, and I dont know which ones I need. Is there any site that will tell me what I need to download? And maybe some basic instructions? The KDE site isnt very helpful.

KDE 3 isn't quite available for Debian, there are beta packages out there which take a little work to install, and the word is that KDE 3.01 will be the first KDE 3.x to make it in to Debian proper (I think that will happen in the middle of May)

kdelibs kdebase kdenetwork are what I would consider the bare minimum

qt - required
kdelibs - kde libraries, required
kdebase - kde base binaries and ioslaves, required
kdeutils - kde utilities, recommended
kdeadmin - administration stuff, recommended
kdenetwork - kmail, knode, etc. recomended (kmail rocks)
kdemultimedia - self explanitory, recommended
kdegraphics - recommended
kdemedia - recommended
koffice - eeh, it's not ready yet
ksupport - I thought this was kde2 only?
kdepim - Palm support, organizer, etc., optional
kdoc - optional (documentation and doc support)
kdegames, kdetoys - optional

I personally don't worry about the i18n or l10n stuff, as I don't need it.

Hope that helps

Slack 8 kde3 mini how-to, http://ftp.closeedge.net/pub/stuff/docs/installkde.txt
This post really should be in the slackware forum.

All that the KDE folks actually provide are the source files. The process for downloading and compiling the source is pretty well laid out at KDE.ORG. The binaries are provided by each sponsoring distro (i.e., RH. MDK, etc) and some have better instructions/readme files than others.

The KDE FAQ page has a general sequence for installing each of the binary packages and IIRC it goes: arts, kdelib, kdebase, everything else except kdeaddons, then kdeaddons. That should limit/eliminate dependency errors. The recommendations I've seen here and in other fora is to remove existing KDE binaries (rpm -e `rpm -qa |egrep ^kde`). Apparently it is possible to have KDE 2 and KDE 3 live alongside each other, but it's not for the faint of heart or the ordinary user !!

Again, for what it's worth and thanks for your time.

The address his ftp://ftp.closeedge.net/pub/gregf/docs/installkde.txt

Thanks for the update, they must have moved it since I posted last.

no prob, I was having the same problem, and this tut was JUST what I was looking for, thanks to you!

Glad I could be of some help, it's the main reason I hang around here

Well, late reply, but thanks so much! I used that link and installed KDE3 in no time flat. Been using it for bout a week now, and I love it. Three cheers for Konqueror!