Hey all, I decided to put this toghter so no one else would struggle with Kubuntu. As of now, this is version Kubuntu 9.10


Firefox Integration in Kubuntu (with thanks to luisfpg)

Kubuntu, for the last few releases, has suffered from a bit of a hiccup when it came to human interface guidelines and Firefox; being a native gtk+ app, it has not really had much love when it comes to making it work properly in KDE: if you've tried to open a file in KDE and it ends up asking where exactly is the file for the program needed for opening this file? (Cross-eyed yet?)

Thankfully, help is at hand!
Simply paste the following into a terminal:

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sudo add-apt-repository ppa:debfx/firefox-kde
sudo apt-get update

This should install the debfx ppa, which contains, a few completely automatic tools to setup and alter firefox to use KDE programs (like Dolphin for opening up a downloaded file. or KMail for mailto: or Akregator for RSS/Podcast, Gwenview for viewing downloaded pictures, etc etc.

You also might find this firefox addon useful (WARNING! Experiemental!)
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/49357

As well as either of these:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/9622 (Note, may not function)

and this:
[url]
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/12196[/url]

For an icon pack, please consider this: (there are older versions, but these are no longer compatible with modern Firefox;)
http://kde-look.org/content/show.php/Oxygen+KDE+%28Firefox+Theme%29?content=117962





DVD's in Kubuntu.

Ok, so you installed the kubuntu-restricted-extras package, but you STILL cannot play DVD's? Well, in Ubuntu you'd enter;

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sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

in the Terminal o install the DVD descrambler (in Ubuntu, this is included in the Ubuntu-Restricted-Extras, but requires you install it)

However, the Kubuntu-Restricted-Extras package does not seem to have that the libdvdread4 package, so in order to get your machine reading CSS DVD's, paste this code into the terminal;

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sudo apt-get install libdvdread4 && sudo /usr/share/doc/libdvdread4/install-css.sh

That will download the libdvd package, and install it.


No Audio in Flash;

Flash is one of the most widely used systems today, and sadly, the Kubuntu-Restricted-Extras package fails again.
You should of noticed that while your able to see flash items, your not able to hear them. The fix is quite simple;

Go to the Konsole, and enter this;

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alsamixer

This will give you a lovely little volume control channel list, you should see some muted (IE, without bars), use the arrow keys, or your mouse's wheel, to alter them. You should now have audio in flash!


How to connect to Mobile Broadband?

Whilst KNetworkManager is capable of recognizing a mobile broadband dongle, it does not come with the easiest way of using them. In my own case, my provider (T-Mobile) did not tell me anything about the device, including it's number, it's PIN, etc etc. Making it extremely difficult to setup (In case your wondering, their responce to my query for more data was "The device should auto-configure on Windows")

Whilst a premade list of setting and providers is (hopefully) coming for KDE SC 4.4, it dosent solve your problem NOW;

The only way to use Mobile Broadband in Kubuntu is by using the GNOME-frontend of NetworkManager. Install the network-manager-gnome and mobile-broadband-provider-info packages. GNOME's network manager frontend features a wizard for mobile broadband devices.

EDIT: Oh, almost forgot; the Gnome network manager does not start by default, so you'll want to go into System Settings -> Advanced -> Autostart

Click Add Program and type into the box at the top;

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nm-applet

Press enter, and you'll be presented with another window; click OK.


Now it will start up at login

4.4 'should' have a list of pre-configured carriers, thus making this step irrelevant.

Dante Ashton wrote:

The only way to use Mobile Broadband in Kubuntu is by using the GNOME-frontend of NetworkManager. Install the network-manager-gnome and mobile-broadband-provider-info packages. GNOME's network manager frontend features a wizard for mobile broadband devices.

Or, you could just right click the desktop and in (Run Command) type "hardware driver" (without the quotes.) Choose a driver and install it, then, go to your task bar and click on the wifi icon to enter your information.

Or, you could just right click the desktop and in (Run Command) type "hardware driver" (without the quotes.) Choose a driver and install it, then, go to your task bar and click on the wifi icon to enter your information.

As I said, the default network manager operates, but does not provide information, the providers do not seemingly provide this information; so for a trouble-free mobile broad system, I would suggest people try the GNOME version, as that can do it for you.

In short: Yes, KDE's works. but GNOME's works better.

Any chance this could be made a sticky? I'd rather new users found this easily

Regarding Firefox KDE integration this new theme is a must have

http://kde-look.org/content/show.php/Ox ... ent=117962

Does anyone have an update on KNetworkManager and Mobile broadband devices?

Does anyone have an update on KNetworkManager and Mobile broadband devices?

I would like to know that as well.

Upgrading to kde4.4.1 greyed out my mobile broadband tab in plasma-widget-network-manager on KK and LL beta.

Synaptic says:

Network Management widget for KDE4 Plasma

This package contains the Network Management plasma widget which aims to
provide a fully featured GUI for managing networks. Currently, the only
supported backend is NetworkManager. Support for wired, wireless, GSM
and VPN networks are provided. The widget is exclusively written for Plasma
and KDE4 and it is not supposed to work in other environments. The package
also provides the KDE4 Control Module (kcm) for changing network settings (to
be used by NetworkManager later).

This widget needs Plasma shell to be usable. Main KDE 4 Plasma shell is
available in the kdebase-workspace-bin package. The user friendly name of the
widget is "Network Management" (in e.g. "Add Widgets" dialog).

KNetworkManager trunk, using NetworkManager and ModemManager 0.8 works fine with my Nokia phone via Bluetooth ( using Blueman to make the device appear to NetworkManager )

I was thinking more along the lines of using a mobile modem (one that connects to the mobile phone network)

There was supposed to be a preconfigured list coming soon; a similar feature is already active in GNONME network manager.

Yes, that is how I used it. I used it in DUN mode since PAN didn't work...

You are better off using nm-applet, knetworkmanager bleeds from many wounds.
1. crashing at least once a day
2. unable to connect to a wifi network where nm-applet can (if I properly understand what "network frontend" means, it is not knetworkmanager or nm-applet that does the logic, so they should not be different)
3. does not provide an easy way to disconnect a network (there is no option on the drop-down menu)
4. Mobile broadband tab doesn't work out of the box (that is a big "HUHH?")

For example:
1. kill knetworkmanager
2. start nm-applet
3. start a mobile broadband connection
4. kill nm-applet
5. start knetworkmanager
and voila, your broadband connection still works fine, knetworkmanager displaying all available data about the connection, while the broadband tab is still grayed out.

Fintan wrote:

Does anyone have an update on KNetworkManager and Mobile broadband devices?

I would like to know that as well.

Upgrading to kde4.4.1 greyed out my mobile broadband tab in plasma-widget-network-manager on KK and LL beta.

Synaptic says:

Network Management widget for KDE4 Plasma

This package contains the Network Management plasma widget which aims to
provide a fully featured GUI for managing networks. Currently, the only
supported backend is NetworkManager. Support for wired, wireless, GSM
and VPN networks are provided. The widget is exclusively written for Plasma
and KDE4 and it is not supposed to work in other environments. The package
also provides the KDE4 Control Module (kcm) for changing network settings (to
be used by NetworkManager later).

This widget needs Plasma shell to be usable. Main KDE 4 Plasma shell is
available in the kdebase-workspace-bin package. The user friendly name of the
widget is "Network Management" (in e.g. "Add Widgets" dialog).

Which version of KNetworkManager are you using? I find it works perfectly well at finding wireless networks, and at interacting with my Nokia phone connected via USB ( works perfectly ) or Bluetooth ( needs Blueman, but this is a NetworkManager deficiency and not KNetworkManager's fault )

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$ knetworkmanager --version
Qt: 4.6.2
KDE Development Platform: 4.4.2 (KDE 4.4.2)
KNetworkManager: v0.9

The real problem is that this is a fresh Kubuntu 10.04 install, so my expectation was high on having everything working. I'm using a HTC Hero with network sharing (in the phone), and it was working in Ubuntu 9.10 Gnome and KDE, too.

I don't have problems finding wifi networks, I can't connect to a specific network (which is a hidden one so this might be the root of the problem). It is also strange that I created this connection as a WPA/WPA2 Enterprise connection, but the KnetworkManager lists it as Insecure (although it still displays my home wifi with name and strength, even I'm 20 km far from home...)

bcooksley wrote:Which version of KNetworkManager are you using? I find it works perfectly well at finding wireless networks, and at interacting with my Nokia phone connected via USB ( works perfectly ) or Bluetooth ( needs Blueman, but this is a NetworkManager deficiency and not KNetworkManager's fault )

Ok, the removal of the Kill Connection was a big issue, but throwing a hissy fit and just clicking on the connection will reset it. (Hissy fit not required)

The dropping connection bug was fixed in an update, but it, like 9.10's version, still has a fit if I do something intensive...

I have a minimalist approach to getting the WPA wireless working that will even work from the command line if you were not able to boot into a graphical interface. It takes a little work but is solid and takes very little memory to run. I use this to manage my wireless net on KDE and Gnome fulltime:


# First setup the wireless internet and check that the wireless driver is loaded:

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ip link set wlan0 up

# Check the wireless signals that are available:

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iwlist wlan0 scan

# Enter your wireless signal name and password. Mine is 'dlink'. You will have to replace 'dlink' with yours... Then enter your password for that wireless signal at the blinking curser so it will be saved to file:

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wpa_passphrase dlink > /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf


# Make /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf readable by root only so your password cannot be read by non-root users:

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chmod 0600 /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf


# Load the wireles driver with info you just stored:

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wpa_supplicant -B -Dwext -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf


#Start it:

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dhcpcd wlan0


# Check if it's working:

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ping -c 3 http://www.kde.com


# Add commands in /etc/rc.local to start the each time you boot up (This works in Arch. I'm not sure if it works on other distros):

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#!/bin/bash
#
# /etc/rc.local: Local multi-user startup script.
#

# Uncomment the command below to run rfkill to unblock wireless driver if needed:
#rfkill

wpa_supplicant -B -Dwext -i wlan0 -c /etc/wpa_supplicant.conf
dhcpcd wlan0

* As a side note, if you had a wired connection you could enter 'dhcpcd eth0' and you'd be up and running. Also, if you find that you're getting messages saying that your driver is blocked you can install 'rfkill' and simply add that command 'rfkill' at the start of the /etc/rc.local file or wherever you're starting your net.

If you want to have a terminal based web browser you could install 'lynx' and use it in emergencies. It works great and has a super low footprint too.


I give credit to the arch wiki for this information. It's just about the best resource out there:
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Be ... nvironment