Just tried Gnome for the first time on new installation of LEAP 42.1.
Sorry but I cannot get on with it at all.
I want to change to KDE which is familiar to me and is running on my normal workstation. How may I change to KDE please? Must I do a new installation or is there another way?
No just go into Yast - Software Management and set to Patterns and check the KDE patterns then install.
You can have as many desktops installed as you want
Note I don’t think you can have both KDE4 and Plasma5 installed at the same time unless you use Wolfie’s special repo
Learning all the time!!!. Under patterns there were two choices with the familar K logo:
Plasma 5 Desktop and
KDE Desktop Environment.
I selected both for installation as these are both shown as installed on my other LEAP 42.1 machine but the choices I get on the login screen are:
KDE Plasma Workspace and
Plasma 5.
Now why these choices should have names different from the pattern names selected is not clear.
In my ignorance I thought that when I had the KDE Desktop Environment I would automatically get Plasma 5.
If I select KDE Plasma Workspace when I log in I get something almost familiar but the Desktop Folder is not populated with Firefox, Office etc. logos, just Home and Wastebin.
If I select Plasma 5 I seem to get the same desktop and Kinfocentre suggests I am using Plasma 5 in both.
So what is the issue with Wolfi’s special repo and what is going on with my efforts to date please?
Budgie2
You can not mix plasma 5 and KDE4 from the official repos you must use the special repo supplied by wolfie. The KDE4 and plasma 5 package do not work together as I said before 
I understand but KDE4 did not feature in any of the options offered when using LEAP 42.1. Why would I wish to use KDE4, which is what I have on 13.2 I wonder? Will now need to look at the differences.
Plasma5 has some serious reversions. like not allowing different backgrounds or widgets on the virtual desktops. Some still prefer KDE4. Heck some still like KDE3 and yes it can be run in Leap also.
OK but if the issues are with Plasma 5 I cannot see the logic in wanting it at the same time as KDE 4.
Even so, how do I find Wolfi’s repo and is there another way of getting KDE4?
Then, choose. Use one or the other.
wolfi’s repo is for those who want both.
If you do not know, perhaps try Plasma5 for awhile to see if it suits you? Not everybody is disappointed with it, a large number are happily using Plasma5 and only Plasma5.
Whether you use KDE4, or Plasma5, or a combination of both, depends on your own personal preferences.
But, keep in mind, KDE4 is at EOL and support for it – fixing bugs or vulnerabilities, etc. – is going to end at some point in the next while.
Actually it already ended last August.
And even the months before, nobody really worked on it any more, and there haven’t hardly been any changes in the updates that were released, except for the version number.
So even you think there is no longer any point in helping me find your repo? I take the point about support though so will not insist on going backwards.
I didn’t get on with Gnome and dislike Plasma 5 for similar reasons, however … I have now discovered all the other options such as Mate, Enlightenment, XFCE and IceWM! Will try them all for a while. Trouble is I like 13.2 with KDE out of the box and all the recent developments are retrograde. They just use up processing cycles and waste time. I must be becoming a grump.
I just replied to the part about KDE4 going out of support soon.
If you do want to install both Plasma5 and KDE4 (the desktop), you’re welcome to do so.
My repo’s URL for Leap 42.1 is:
http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/wolfi323:/branches:/KDE:/Frameworks5/openSUSE_Leap_42.1/
To use it, you need to add KDE:Frameworks5 as well though:
http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/KDE:/Frameworks5/openSUSE_Leap_42.1/
So, to use my repo (and install both desktops alongside), I would recommend this:
sudo zypper ar -f http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/KDE:/Frameworks5/openSUSE_Leap_42.1/ KF5
sudo zypper ar http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/home:/wolfi323:/branches:/KDE:/Frameworks5/openSUSE_Leap_42.1/ wolfi_KF5
sudo zypper dup --from KF5 --from wolfi_KF5
Afterwards you can install kdebase4-session and kscreen, and both desktops should work.
For other available packages, have a look at the “Repositories” view in YaST, and install whatever you want to have.
There are a lot of threads about this already though. 
For KDE4 alone, you don’t really need my repo though. It is still included in the distribution. But kscreen is missing, so you need to install krandr (manually) for it to start.
And you’d need to lock the packages or installing updates would replace KDE4 with Plasma5.
I didn’t get on with Gnome and dislike Plasma 5 for similar reasons
And what are these “similar reasons”?
That it’s new?
Trouble is I like 13.2 with KDE out of the box and all the recent developments are retrograde. They just use up processing cycles and waste time. I must be becoming a grump.
Actually Plasma5 should even take less “processing cycles” on most hardware (with decent graphics drivers), because it (and Qt5) tends to use OpenGL instead of software rendering.
Hi Wolfi323,
Many thanks. I shall bookmark your detailed instructions, for which many thanks.
You are right about my being averse to new stuff but it is more than just because it is new. I hate not being able to find easily what I need and to have to re-build/arrange my desktop with each upgrade. I also hate the bling such as fades and other effects which I always turn off. On speed, I do not have gaming graphics adaptor but processing power should be OK with 2 x 4 core 2.13GHz Xeon processors and 16GB of memory.
I find myself seeking the simple, direct and fast rather than good looking flashy and multi-featured and lean towards older stuff. This is a personal thing not a criticism of the new.
Regards,
Budgie2