Can I safely change KDE for Gnome post OpenSUSE installation on a desktop machine, or am I more or less stuck with KDE now?
**If it is possible to change over to Gnome how can I do that (bearing in mind I’m a newbie)?
Thanks Ivan
It’s even better than that. You can have both installed side by side and choose which one to use on a session by session basis.
Hi Thanks for your comments but like how do you do that? I have no idea I’m a newbie at this. (many years on Windows)for me its like learning something from scratch.
Your reply is such a teaser you haven’t said how its practically done. I need advise about how you actually make those changes from one to the other.
Cyteck <Cyteck@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> writes:
> Hi Thanks for your comments but like how do you do that? I have no idea
> I’m a newbie at this. (many years on Windows)for me its like learning
> something from scratch.
>
> Your reply is such a teaser you haven’t said how its practically done.
> I need advise about how you actually make those changes from one to the
> other.
Goto install software, filter by patterns and select the GNOME base
system & GNOME desktop environment, then Accept.
Then from the KDE system settings disable automatic login, you are then
able to select the Desktop environment you want to use from the login
screen.
–
Regards,
Barry Nichols
Since you’re new here’s how:
1.If you haven’t already Yast> User and Group Management click expert options in lower right
2.select login settings uncheck autologin
3.Yast>Software Management> Patterns Tab(in the event you don’t have a tab click the drop menu on view select Patterns)
4.Check Gnome Base system & Gnome Desktop
5.Click accept after Yast is done restart
After restart:
1.At the Login screen look for Session Type in the lower left click it
2.select Gnome
3.If all has gone well you’ll have a Gnome Desktop
Finally Ivan, welcome to OpenSuse & its forum.
Cy,
One more thing yast will ask you to de-install opensuse-kde_pure check that there’ll be no noticeable effects on your KDE desktop.
Hi,
THANK YOU SO MUCH for such a clear concise reply which is exactly what I needed. Now I can give it a go. Much appreciated. Linux is SUCH a different animal to windows its almost like being back at junior school again. It feels very familiar yet so utterly different, breath of fresh air really TBH 
But lots of new things to learn & find my way around obviously. Thanks again for your help. Much appreciated Ivan
Yes, sorry for keeping you in suspense, but I’m sure you’ll agree that the nice surprise was worth it. 
That’s how it is with Linux and other FOSS. With proprietary software, it often: no you can’t, or no not without $$$ for additional hardware/software. With FOSS it’s often: which of the 23 different ways do you want to do it?
Enjoy.
Hi,
I tried following your guidance notes word for word, Opened YaST2, found patterns from the drop down menu, found Gnome base unit & Gnome graphical environment. But when I went & clicked on the “accept” button it accepted the first item but wouldn’t or couldn’t accept the second item i.e rejected Gnome graphical environment.
It came back with a warning dialogue window saying this service could not be provided. I not sure whats missing or if there is some kind of conflict here. But couldn’t get Gnome in the end which is a little disappointing :’(
Thanks anyway, looks like I’m stuck with KDE for now. I have no idea how to solve this problem. Sounds like I’m missing something here?
Regards Ivan
Is that a translation? In the English system it’s called ‘Gnome Desktop Environment’…
Should work though. What’s the output of
su
zypper lr --details
from a console/terminal?
And also for completeness did you install from the KDE Live CD? I too suspect you don’t have all the needed repositories subscribed to.
The warning message was just displayed in a graphical window within YaST2. It was either a conflict or something to do with missing components. I don’t have the error details to hand but will try it again and make a note of them and come back to you if I may (sorry!I should have written them down at the time).
I wouldn’t worry about it. They’ll come back…
Or if they don’t, job’s a good 'un! 
I have repeated your instructions YaST2 and have taken a screen dump which I will post a link to once I have uploaded it for you.
NOTE:- The error is as follows (exactly)
!pattern:gnome-11.2.20.22.1.i586 requires patterns -openSUSE-gnome, but this requirement cannot be provided.
and below this
uninstallable providers: patterns-openSUSE-gnome-11.2.20.1.i586[openSUSE 11-2-0]patterns-openSUSE-gnome-11.2.20.1.i586[repo-oss]
Conflict Resolution
**deinstallation of patterns-openSUSE-kde4_pure-11.2.20.22.1.i586
**do not install pattern -11.2.20.22.1.i586
**break gnome by ignoring some of its dependencies.
If you have the openSuse oss repository enabled in yast you should not be having those errors.
I’m new to linux so you will have to excuse my utter ignorance (lack of expertize)but how would I “enable” or “re-enable” the OSS to fix this error message? Thanks any help much appreciated, Ivan
To finalize this posting: I managed to solve my problem with Gnome Desktop environment by taking fairly radical action as I was getting no where fast. I completely re-installed OpenSUSE 11.2 but selected Gnome instead of KDE during the set-up (configuration)and now I am a happy bunny. Also Evolution 2.28 is pre-installed which I hadn’t realized too. I am more than happy with the end result.
**But I am still non the wiser as to why I couldn’t install & load Gnome as KDE was the default desktop previously. My only conclusion is that either I had missing dependency files or broken application somewhere along the line. Its awfully confusing to a windows person like me (20 years of MS windows).
Thread can be closed here. Thanks Ivan
Without seeing the output of zypper lr --details (which, contra my previous post, does not need to be run as root), it’s hard to guess…
But it’s gone now, and shall remain one of those Linux Mysteries ™. Don’t worry - there’ll be more of those…
wasnt this question already answered in this thread?