The K Desktop Environment

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11. KDE with non-KDE applications

11.1 My non-KDE apps like emacs and kterm are running amok with large windows and strange fonts!

It probably has to do with KDE trying to "apply KDE defaults to non-KDE apps", which means it uses xrdb to apply X defaults that are supposed to mimic the color, font and other settings that you have set for KDE. However, experience tells us that this usually breaks things, particularly if you have carefully tuned the X resources of your non-KDE apps.

The official solution is to bring up the Settings->Desktop->Style config panel and disable the "apply KDE settings to non-KDE apps" checkbox. If the new setting does not seem to stick, make sure you have clicked 'ok' directly without clicking 'apply' after making the change. If it still refuses to work, there's a brute-force solution: rename or delete the $KDEDIR/share/apps/kdisplay/app-defaults directory. This will prevent KDE from finding the X resource files it applies, and solve the problem. You have to exit your session and log back in for everything to return to normal.

If you don't want to, or can't rename or delete the system-wide app-defaults directory, you can always copy it to your personal kde directory (eg. $HOME/.kde/share/apps/kdisplay/app-defaults) and then edit/add/remove files to taste.

The Settings->Desktop->Style panel exists in 1.1pre2, I am not sure of its location in previous versions (it exists since around 1.0).

11.2 StarOffice 5.0 Personal Edition for Linux

If you haven't download this monster (70 MB), get it from http://www.stardivision.com/office/so5linux_body.html.

Please remember that the best place to find answers to StarOffice-related questions isn't here. Go to StarOffice's website instead. When you get there, click on "Support" and then "Personal" and make use of the resources available there.

StarOffice freezes up!

This is no fault of KDE. Are you perchance using a S3 Virge card? If so, the problem lies with the S3 server. There are three ways to it. The RedHat Xconfigurator will sense that you have a S3 card and set you up that way, so you may need to use the old xf86config program to setup X. There is support in the SVGA server for the S3 card so you will have to use that, but the one from RedHat still gives you the freeze-up.

Solution #1

Go to http://www.xfree86.org/ and then to their FTP site and download Xbin.tgz, Xlib.tgz, and XSVGA.tgz (please note that the latest version is 3.3.3). Unzip and untar them and then copy them to /usr/X11R6. Delete the X link in /etc/X11. Create a symbolic link to the SVGA server like this:

 
ln -s /usr/X11R6/bin/XF86_SVGA /usr/X11R6/bin/X

(or using xf86config will link it if you choose it specifically). You may need to tweak your XF86Config file further to get the proper resolutions and color depth. Note that the above-mentioned directories may vary according to your system configuration.

Solution #2

Get the Xserver (I assume S3) source code. Modify the file xc/programs/Xserver/hx/xfree86/accel/s3_virge/s3im.c around line 823 Substitute

alu |= MIX_MONO_TRANSP;
with
if (alu != 0x00aa0000) alu |= MIX_MONO_TRANSP;
in function s3RealImageStipple. Compile and install the new Xserver.

Solution #3

There is a patch available from StarOffice at http://www.stardivision.com/download/support/patch1_01.tar.gz. But there's a catch! You have to install it to StarOffice after you install StarOffice, but you can't do so because StarOffice will freeze.... One way around this is to install StarOffice under the X SVGA server, install the patch and then fire up the X S3V server.

11.3 Netscape

Why does Netscape load so slow?

Netscape loads slow because it is statically linked with Motif and has to load all the widgets, etc. when it loads.

Why does Netscape crash when I visit certain websites?

What websites are you visiting? Java applets will often cause Netscape to crash. Since most people use Java applets for spinning buttons instead of something useful, just turn Java off in Netscape.

Why does Netscape display images in a pixilated manner?

When you run Netscape, try using the -install switch. For example,

netscape -install &

This will force Netscape to allocate its own colormap which would hopefully solve the problem.

How do I export Netscape bookmarks to KFM?

Look under entry: How do I import Netscape bookmarks?.

How do I make KDE use Netscape when I create a WWWUrl kdelnk instead of the builtin browser?

You need to create a .kdelnk for Netscape, then edit it (using kfm, right click & go to properties) and select the right mime-type for URLs (in application tab pick text/html, text/sgml). Then go to "Edit -> global mime-types", then to ./text and edit the properties for html and sgml -- in "Binding" tab select the default application in the list box (since you added the appropriate mime-type to Netscape's .kdelnk file, it should appear there).

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