Hi

I've pretty much always used KDE since it's the default during Slackware's install.

I use the default configured applications, mostly like franckbell and enorbet said. Those I use daily include:

• Dolphin, the "expand folders" ("details" view) and the preview on hover are pretty nifty features, I really miss them when I'm on Windows at work, and I've never liked Konqueror
• Konsole, I'm found on the command line and tabs are so useful
• Lancelot, I tried and adopted it really quick instead of the default launcher, I'm a huge fan of "activate without click"
• Kate has the usual bells and whistles of an advanced coding/text editor (I use Notepad++ on Windows)
• Gwenview, Okular, Amarok, Ktorrent just fit my needs

And some additions from SlackBuilds.org:

• kaffeine, TV viewer (dvb)
• digikam, photos library and all those Kipi plugins
• tellico, books, CD, DVD collections
• kdenlive, video editing (not that daily)
• kde_cdemu, to mount ISO images without switching to root in Konsole to use loop devices

As for the non-KDE applications, I stick to Firefox for web, Thunderbird for mail, and VLC (AlienBob's) for videos.

I don't really use the "semantic desktop" (balloon / nepomuk) as I'm old school and tidy up my files with Dolphin. However the Lancelot's search box makes use of it, and I often use the "Alt+F2" shortcut: type anything, be it an application to launch or a file to search and here it is.

I don't use the "activities" either yet, though it has a certain appeal.

For the look'n'feel, KDE system settings allows to download, install and apply themes, icons, etc. from kde-look.org directly: no need to download separately and fiddle with config files.
You can even make SlackBuilds to package for system wide installation
oxygen-gtk (part of ktown), kde-gtk-config (SBo) and "apply colors to non-KDE4 application" suit me, even with the light on dark theme (Zion reversed) I use.

One "beware" thing : KDE seems to ignore the X keyboard layout (/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/90-keyboard-layout.conf), so I have to modify /etc/kde/kdm/Xsetup for the login dialog (KDM, runlevel 4) and configure keyboard layout in KDE system settings.

BTW I'm running KDE 4.13.1 on Slackware64 current, all the "desktop effects" work like a charm with my NVidia GT520 and its proprietary drivers.

Cheers

1 members found this post helpful.

Kde=buff

I heartily agree with his statement. All of the KDE apps are superb, and I find myself using most of these apps on a regular basis. I could not imagine doing without these programs. Besides, KDE lends itself beautifully to customization, such as animated wallpaper. While not enhancing productivity per se, it is pleasing to the eye, and my machine can handle the extra workload without strain.

A note, however, regarding kde_cdemu: I found that the version posted on SBo (0.4) does not play well with Dolphin. However, there is an updated version on kde-apps.org which works flawlessly.

All in all, an excellent desktop!

Regards,

Matt