I recently switched from Ubuntu to Kubuntu (fresh install of the OS, not just installing KDE), and I'm more than a little lost. When I download files to the desktop, they don't appear on the Desktop. I can see that they're in /home/andrew/Desktop through Dolphin, but the icons just aren't there. I was able to successfully put an icon for Firefox, but the icons for these files just aren't showing up. I can't help but think it might just be due to a setting, but for the life of me I absolutely can't find it and I've been googling to no avail. Any idea on how to make files visible on the desktop?

Refresh your desktop directory while in Dolphin. view > refresh

Kubuntu Karmic is probably KDE4.

This treats the desktop differently from KDE3, and I don't think you can just put files on your desktop, and see them there, as you could with KDE3. I believe there are "workarounds", but this is one of the
reasons I am not using KDE4.

In KDE 4, the desktop paradigm has change a little bit.

By default no file is shown by the desktop. But to switch back to the KDE3 mode you just need to go to desktop settings by right clicking on the desktop and set desktop type to folder view.

Ah, ok, thanks, that worked. Those are strange default settings, but it's good that I can customise it. That's actually why I'm trying KDE; I understand that it's supposed to be more customisable than Gnome.

Thanks.

Yeah, at a first glance, I also thought this way. But when you try some desktop widgets (a.k.a. Plasmoids) you change your mind. They are really pleasant! One of them shows folder's contents.