Plasma
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Plasma is the component of the KDE project that actually displays the desktop (i.e. wallpapers, panels, etc) using 'containments'. The containments are capable of containing other widgets called plasmoids.
Contents
Installation
The Plasma 5 Desktop workspace is available in the official repositories as plasma-meta or plasma group.
Starting Plasma
Starting Plasma depends on your preferences. Basically there are two ways of starting Plasma. Using a display manager or xinitrc.
Using a Display Manager
A display manager, or login manager, is typically a graphical user interface that is displayed at the end of the boot process in place of the default shell. It allows easily logging in straight to Plasma. Using SDDM as DM is recommended, as it provides better integration with the Plasma 5 theme.
To launch a Plasma 5 session, choose "Plasma" in your display manager menu.
Using xinitrc
See the xinitrc page for more information.
Add this line to your .xinitrc
file:
~/.xinitrc
exec startkde
Execute startx or xinit to start Plasma.
Configuration
Plasma is a desktop integration technology that provides many functions like displaying the wallpaper, adding widgets to the desktop, and handling the panel(s), or "taskbar(s)".
Themes
Plasma themes define the look of panels and plasmoids. For easy system-wide installation, some such themes are available in both the official repositories and the AUR.
The easiest way to install themes is by going through the Desktop Settings control panel:
Workspace Theme > Desktop Theme > Get new Themes
This will present a nice frontend for kde-look.org that allows you to install, uninstall, or update third-party plasmoid scripts with literally just one click.
Plasmoids
The easiest way to install plasmoid scripts is by right-clicking onto a panel or the desktop:
Add Widgets > Get new Widgets > Download Widgets
This will present a nice frontend for kde-look.org that allows you to install, uninstall, or update third-party plasmoid scripts with literally just one click.
Tips and tricks
Changing Style of "old" Qt4-Applications
If the design of all Qt4-based applications is not Breeze, then you can use qtconfig-qt4
to fix it
Changing Icons in "old" Qt4-Applications
If icons of Qt4-based applications are still previous icons from KDE4, then you can use kcmshell4 icons
to fix it. You might have to unselect Breeze and back to apply.