KDE - changing the way you use Qubes

Zeno · January 16, 2024, 8:57pm

Wayland isn’t supported at the moment

Port Qubes widgets to use StatusNotifierItem

opened 09:39PM - 08 Aug 23 UTC

T: enhancement C: manager/widget C: desktop-linux-kde P: default S: blocked

[How to file a helpful issue](https://www.qubes-os.org/doc/issue-tracking/) #…## Qubes OS release 4.2rc1, updated with current-testing including: kde-settings-qubes-5.12.3-8 plasma-breeze-qubes-5.12.3-8 ### Brief summary After installing and switching to KDE in dom0, none of the Qubes widgets such as _qui-domains_ and _qui-devices_ are visible/usable. Note that KDE now defaults to Wayland and this issue does not occur when selecting an X11 session. ### Steps to reproduce Install KDE: `sudo qubes-dom0-update kde-settings-qubes` Also make the changes for lightdm->sddm. On edit: Also select 'Wayland' session when logging in. ### Expected behavior Qubes widgets appear when logging in to desktop. ### Actual behavior Somewhat normal KDE startup, except no Qubes widgets (and the App Launcher appears in the center of the screen, not near the widget). They are not listed under the hidden menu, and configuring systray doesn't list any Qubes widgets. The standard KDE widgets are present. ### Related Issues #8326 #8159 #8187 #3366

heavy.water0759 · January 29, 2024, 1:40pm

Could you give some glimpse, how do you do that (the script) ?
I could use this method, since I do often Clean Install.

I`m getting better in, setting things up after fresh install of Xfce. That Script could be a time saver.

Anather toppic : Kde application menu not saving

I Wrote that my version of /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/55xfce-qubes.sh, witch works on my qubes 5th time every time perfectly well.
In the comment unman pointed that my Edit is wrong.
Yet, when I was trying to use his advise, Edit application is not working.
What is the right way ?


#!/usr/bin/sh

# Use Qubes provided menu instead of default XFCE one
if [ "$XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP" = "KDE" ]; then
  XDG_MENU_PREFIX="kf5-"
else
  XDG_MENU_PREFIX="qubes-"
fi

export XDG_MENU_PREFIX

SteveC · January 29, 2024, 7:02pm

I know that for some peculiar reason, whenever I install KDE (two different computers, two different versions of Qubes), $XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP is not set to “KDE”. So the check shown there is wrong for me. (This seems to have surprised unman when it first happened.) It may be wrong for you too in which case it’s fairly quick to diagnose.

Do an echo $XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP and it will tell you what to put in place of “KDE” in that if statement. In my case it’s “plasmaX11”. So the if-check for me needs to read:

if [ "$XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP" = "plasmaX11" ]; then

After which the menu worked properly.

heavy.water0759 · January 30, 2024, 11:09am

Maybe I ask question wrong

This is what I use In every computer with KDE:
And is working well.

#!/usr/bin/sh

# Use Qubes provided menu instead of default XFCE one
if [ "$XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP" = "KDE" ] || [ "$XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP" = "plasma" ];
then
XDG_MENU_PREFIX="kf5-"
else
XDG_MENU_PREFIX="qubes-"
if
export XDG_MENU_PREFIX

And is Unman Version :

#!/usr/bin/sh

if [ “$XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP” = “KDE” ]; then
XDG_MENU_PREFIX=“kf5-”
else
XDG_MENU_PREFIX=“qubes-”
fi

export XDG_MENU_PREFIX

Is any of this any wrong ?

“Do an echo $XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP” - I did and It shown me PlasmaX11

Zeno · January 30, 2024, 7:03pm

I’m getting KDE for the $XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP

@heavy.water0759 and @SteveC do you use something else than the standard or perhaps you know why you get plasmaX11 instead of KDE?

unman · January 31, 2024, 2:15am

Yes - your script is broken. You cant have a hanging if-else without a
closing fi

What you describe as “my version” is old. In the KDE thread I proposed
exactly the use of alternatives you have used.

Under 4.2, KDE seems to consistently use a value of plasmax11 for
XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP
So the file under 4.2 at /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d/55xfce-qubes.sh
should be altered to:

#!/usr/bin/sh

# Use Qubes provided menu instead of default XFCE one

if [ "$XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP" = "KDE" ] || [ "$XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP" = "plasmax11" ];
then
XDG_MENU_PREFIX="kf5-"
else
XDG_MENU_PREFIX="qubes-"
fi

export XDG_MENU_PREFIX

If you are on 4.2, and this doesnt work, then it’s always worth
checking the value of $XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP - if you have some other
value under KDE just edit the config file above to include that.

heavy.water0759 · January 31, 2024, 7:03am

No
I see now, I gona give a try and let you know “if” this work

SteveC · January 31, 2024, 7:59am

I have no idea why I was different in version 4.1/ I just know it has happened to me that way on two different systems.

SteveC · January 31, 2024, 8:06am

but, speaking of 4.2, @unman, I can’t seem to find a theme that preserve the colored window borders. I get a colored icon in the upper left but no solid colored border. Of course all I have are Breeze (and on some of the tabs under appearances there are multiple variants thereof) and here and there fedora 37 and Plastik.

unman · January 31, 2024, 1:44pm

Settings->Appearance->Window Decorations->Theme
At bottom is Window border size which can be set as you like.
I use Breeze with heavy borders.
It works for me, and is persistent.

Zeno · January 31, 2024, 2:20pm

Why one would get KDE and another plasmaX11, any explanation to this?

unman · January 31, 2024, 3:31pm

I have not seen KDE with plasmashell 5.27.8 , KDE framework 5.108.0 -
only plasmaX11
I kept the KDE entry because it is standard XDG session value and I thought it
possible it might be used. Also, for an in place upgrade or config
reset, it is carried over from 4.1

SteveC · January 31, 2024, 6:23pm

Whoops, I guess I wasn’t clear. I am seeing borders (and used that setting to get them). They’re just not colored. Neither is the title bar with the decorations.

SteveC · January 31, 2024, 6:24pm

There’s certainly no harm in retaining the || (‘or’) there.

One never knows when they’ll go back…perhaps sometime after they think everyone is using Wayland and there’s no need to support (and distinguish) X11.

unman · February 2, 2024, 2:15am

Colored for me - how did you install KDE in 4.2 and what packages did it
bring in?

SteveC · February 2, 2024, 7:09am

I did:
sudo qubes-dom0-update @kde-desktop-qubes

which downloaded but didn’t install. So then I tried the recommended fix for that:

    sudo qubes-dom0-update breeze-icon-theme colord-kde dolphin kcm_systemd \
        kde-runtime kde-settings-pulseaudio kde-style-breeze kdelibs \
        kdeplasma-addons kdialog khelpcenter khotkeys kinfocenter kmenuedit \
        kmix konsole5 kscreen ksysguard kwin phonon-qt5-backend-gstreamer \
        plasma-breeze plasma-desktop plasma-desktop-doc plasma-pa \
        plasma-user-manager plasma-workspace polkit-kde qt5-qdbusviewer sddm \
        sddm-breeze sddm-kcm sni-qt

This skipped over a lot of things (brought down by kde-desktop-qubes) but also installed (IIRC) over 100 other things.

Followed (again as suggested somewhere I can’t find now) by reissuing the same command again only with --action=reinstall between “update” and “breeze-icon-theme”

Not sure how to tell what got installed solely as a result of this, which I think you were also asking for.

Zeno · February 2, 2024, 9:28am

That’s your problem.

You should’ve run:
sudo qubes-dom0-update kde-settings-qubes
as it says in the docs: KDE (desktop environment) | Qubes OS

SteveC · February 2, 2024, 9:39am

That did it. I just had to run that command and reboot (maybe I only needed to log out/log back in; now I’ll never know). Fortunately it was not necessary to uninstall and reinstall!

Thanks!!!

SteveC · February 3, 2024, 7:52am

I suddenly have KDE as the value for XDG_SESSION_DESKTOP.

I switched to sddm.

Rel4967 · March 30, 2024, 5:01am

KDE seems to be the better choice than xfce for QubesOS due to its inherent ease of use and productivity for the majority of people, in my humble opinion.

I’m unsure why there was a move away from it. Security concerns?

Regardless unfortunately modern KDE with Qubes 4.2.1 has too many problems for me to make it worth using compared to xfce. Sound card issues, constant pulseaudio crashes that make it unrecoverable and a lot of small bugs that make it just unpleasant to deal with.

I do hope we can one day return to KDE though. I would fully support it!