Hi, I am new to linux/opensuse. I installed opensuse on my laptop a few days ago with xfce as my default desktop environment. Then I wanted to try kde and see if I am gonna like it, so I install with command “zypper install kde-basics, kde-patterns and kde4-desktop” (the command was kind of like that, but I can’t really remember). After trying it out, I switched back to xfce, the window style still keeps the kde oxygen theme with the glowing blue light, and I can’t change the theme nor icons back in xfce to what it looked like before. I am really uncomfortable with this. Could anyone teach me how change things back? Thank you for your time!
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When you want to add a further DE to your installation (like KDE in this case), you should NOT install a list of packages (like kde-basics, …) because it is to easy to forget one (and where did you get that list in the first place). Most easy is YaST > Software > Software Management, then from the View menu choose Patterns. Scroll down and see KDE, check it and install. maybe you should do that first because we are not sure now you have all you need for using KDE.
Then you say “you switched back to xfce”, but that is only a general remark, it is not an exact description of what you did. Remember that with computers, talking loosely about “I did …”, “it does not …”, etc. are just that: loosely talking. But to solve problems one needs hard exact and presice computer facts.
Thank you for replying!
Sorry, I wasn’t reading careful enough~I won’t do that next time.
I found the list on this website SDB:KDE install - openSUSE Wiki
So I tried installing KDE from YaST, but it showed me this three options (if you can see it in the picture) in order to install kde-20141007-5.1.i586 which are deinstallation of patterns-opensuse-xll_yast-20141007-5.1.i586 or do not install kde-20141007-5.1.i586 or break pattern of kde-20141007-5.1.i586 by irgnoring some of its dependencies.
what should I do next?
and what I did exactly to “switch” back to xfce was editing file /ect/sysconfig/displaymanager and changed displaymanager=“lightdm” from displaymanager=“kdm” and change the desktop environment option from KDE Plasma workspace environment to xfce session under where you input the password for accounts on the login screen.
Is there anything else I should mention?
It looks as if you tried to add a picture here, but I do not see much.
Do you mean that you tried to install the KDE pattern (as I suggested) and then got those messages? Hm, it seems that you already introduced something by not installing the pattern from the beginning.
Let us use zypper to get those messages in a terminal window (for you to copy/paste here between CODE tags):
zypper in -t pattern kde
This is a bit more clear now. Because you did not switch to XFCE, but you did switch the login manager to XFCE’s one (you can use any login manager and still on login decide which DE to use).
That is quite different from switching back and forth between KDE and XFCE. You can decide on every login which DE to use from the menu on the logiin page. That is not realy switching (you could even be loged in twice at the same moment in time, each login using a diffrent DE).
You don’t have to change the displaymanager to “switch back to xfce”. Just selecting “XFCE” at the login screen should be enough.
Although you can use lightdm as well if you prefer, regardless whether you want to login to KDE or XFCE.
Btw, you can set the system-wide default Desktop Environment in /etc/sysconfig/windowmanager (DEFAULT_WM).
Regarding your “window style”: try removing the files ~/.gtkrc-2.0 and ~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4. This is where KDE sets the GTK2 style to oxygen (or whatever you choose in “Application Appearance”->GTK) to make GTK applications look “native” inside the KDE session.
so I put zypper in -t pattern kde, and it shows this
linux-krtd:/home/fridayc # zypper in -t pattern kde
Loading repository data...
Reading installed packages...
Resolving package dependencies...
Problem: pattern:kde-20141007-5.1.i586 requires patterns-openSUSE-kde, but this requirement cannot be provided
uninstallable providers: patterns-openSUSE-kde-20141007-2.1.i586[openSUSE-13.2-0]
patterns-openSUSE-kde-20141007-2.1.i586[repo-oss]
patterns-openSUSE-kde-20141007-5.1.i586[repo-update]
Solution 1: deinstallation of patterns-openSUSE-x11_yast-20141007-5.1.i586
Solution 2: do not install pattern:kde-20141007-5.1.i586
Solution 3: break pattern:kde-20141007-5.1.i586 by ignoring some of its dependencies
Choose from above solutions by number or cancel [1/2/3/c] (c):
and what is really switching back and forth with xfce and kde?
If I take these file away, would I be able to add them back and would I be breaking any dependencies with other packages since I have already introduced a pattern problem?
Thank you for replying!
I just found out one more thing. I can change the appearance of the xfce desktop environment from the KDE settings by logging into kde desktop environment, but no changes happen if I try to alter the the appearance setting when I am logged into xfce.
and I don’t have these files. ~/.gtkrc-2.0 and ~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4
You shouldn’t have to install the KDE pattern if you already have KDE installed.
But I would suggest you select “Solution 1: deinstallation of patterns-openSUSE-x11_yast-20141007-5.1.i586”. Removal of a pattern doesn’t remove the packages. Those two patterns conflict, because the yast-x11 pattern is meant to pull in all necessary yast packages for a minimal X11 system. If you install the KDE pattern you don’t have a minimal X11 system any more, and the KDE pattern pulls in the yast packages, or to be exact patterns-openSUSE-kde4_yast does.
and what is really switching back and forth with xfce and kde?
What do you mean with that?
As mentioned, you can switch between XFCE and KDE (and all other installed window managers/desktop environments) at the login screen. If you’re using KDM, click on the “spanner” icon in the bottom-left corner to choose the desktop session. I don’t have lightdm installed, so cannot tell you how it works there.
Those are user configuration files. They have nothing to do with package dependencies or patterns.
As they only contain your GTK2 style settings, it should not do any harm if you remove them.
But if you want to be able to restore them afterwards, just rename them instead of deleting them.
You should be able to run KDE’s settings in XFCE as well. It should be listed as “KDE Systemsettings” in the menu, or type “systemsettings” into a terminal window.
The config files that KDE creates probably confuse XFCE, so you can’t change the appearance there I suppose.
and I don’t have these files. ~/.gtkrc-2.0 and ~/.gtkrc-2.0-kde4
You should have them. Those are the files that KDE’s settings write to change to GTK2 style.
Just to be clear: ~/.gtkrc-2.0 means the file called “.gtkrc-2.0” located in your home folder.
And as the files start with a ‘.’, they are normally not displayed by default in file managers (they are so-called “hidden files”). You might have to enable the option “Show hidden files” or similar to see them.
Or just run this in a terminal window to remove them:
rm ~/.gtkrc*
Hi wolfi323,
I did the installation and it proceeded great,but running the system settings in the terminal went faulty
the terminal showed
linux-krtd:/home/fridayc # systemsettingssystemsettings(5374): KUniqueApplication: Cannot find the D-Bus session server: "Did not receive a reply. Possible causes include: the remote application did not send a reply, the message bus security policy blocked the reply, the reply timeout expired, or the network connection was broken."
systemsettings(5373): KUniqueApplication: Pipe closed unexpectedly.
though they did not work out, I still got my control of the windows theme settings in xfce, even before the kde installation. I didn’t remove the GTK2 files since I got the control back.
Do you know what could have happened?
You seem to have run it as root (after “su”) in the user’s session (judging from the ‘#’ prompt in your code block).
That doesn’t work.
You have to run it as user to change your user’s settings.
But IIUYC, you can change the style in XFCE’s settings now anyway, so why bother?
ya, thank you so much for helping!!