Getting Started/Build/KDE4/Kubuntu and Debian

This page details installation of kde4 requirements on Kubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy) and Debian (Testing/Unstable). For a basic functioning desktop, the recommended packages are installed with the command:

sudo aptitude install build-essential cdbs debhelper cmake \
kdesdk-scripts subversion ssh xserver-xephyr doxygen dbus-x11 \
libstreamanalyzer-dev libstrigiqtdbusclient-dev libsoprano-dev \
libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev shared-mime-info libgif-dev libssl-dev \
libboost-dev libgpgme11-dev libxine-dev libqimageblitz-dev libbz2-dev \
libdbus-1-dev libpam0g-dev libpcre3-dev libkrb5-dev libsm-dev

This installs build prerequisites such as build essential, almost all compilation requirements for kde4 (with the exception of qt4) and some recommended packages such as libssl-dev for https support. Further recommended and optional packages are listed below.

To install all the optional packages:

sudo aptitude install build-essential cdbs debhelper cmake  \
kdesdk-scripts subversion ssh xserver-xephyr doxygen graphviz libqt4-dev \
dbus-x11 libstreamanalyzer-dev libstrigiqtdbusclient-dev libxml2-dev \
libxslt1-dev shared-mime-info libgif-dev libpcre3-dev libssl-dev libbz2-dev \
libpcre3-dev libxml2-utils libpcre3-dev libopenexr-dev libjasper-dev \
libenchant-dev libavahi-common-dev libaspell-dev libasound2-dev libboost-dev \
libgpgme11-dev libldap2-dev libsasl2-dev libxine-dev libqimageblitz-dev \
libsmbclient-dev libxkbfile-dev libxcb1-dev libxklavier12-dev libxdamage-dev \
libxcomposite-dev libbluetooth-dev libusb-dev libcaptury-dev \
network-manager-dev libsmbclient-dev libsoprano-dev libsensors-dev \
libpam0g-dev libnm-util-dev libusb-dev libcfitsio3-dev libnova-dev \
libeigen-dev libopenbabel-dev libfacile-ocaml-dev libboost-python-dev \
libqca2-dev libqca2-dev libqca2-dev libsvn-dev libsvncpp-dev \
libcommoncpp2-dev

To compile the stable release of kde4 (kde4.0) also install the package libqt4-dev.

To compile kde from trunk (soon to be kde4.1) the latest Qt4.4 snapshot must be compiled from source. This is provided conveniently in the kde svn repository as qt-copy. Please read README.qt-copy for the necessary Qt options as well as currently known problems.

It may be installed with the following commands:

cs # Note: cs is not a typo.
svn checkout svn://anonsvn.kde.org/home/kde/trunk/qt-copy
cd qt-copy
./apply_patches
cb # Build Qt in a separate build directory
../../src/qt-copy/configure <Qt options here> -prefix $QTDIR
make -j2 # use 'make -j(X+1)' where X is your number of processors, to compile faster
# if we don't install, we'll just clear obj files to
# save disk space
if [ "$QTDIR" = "`pwd`" ]; then \
find . -name '*.o' -delete ; \
else make install; fi;

After installing required and desired packages, proceed to building KDE 4.

[edit] Build prerequisites

In Kubuntu 7.10 (Gutsy) and Debian (Testing/Unstable) the build prerequisites are installed with:

sudo aptitude install build-essential cdbs debhelper cmake \
kdesdk-scripts subversion ssh xserver-xephyr

Optional packages for API documentation generation:

sudo aptitude install doxygen graphviz

[edit] kdelibs dependencies

Kdelibs dependencies can be installed with:

sudo aptitude install libqt4-dev dbus-x11 \
libstreamanalyzer-dev libstrigiqtdbusclient-dev \
libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev shared-mime-info libgif-dev libpcre3-dev

[edit] Recommended packages

• libssl-dev - Needed for https support etc.
• libbz2-dev - Needed for bzip support in kio_archive and GHNS packages.
• libpcre3-dev - regular expression library. Recommended for Javascript support.

sudo aptitude install libssl-dev libbz2-dev libpcre3-dev

[edit] Optional packages

• libasound2-dev - The Alsa sound system.
• libaspell-dev - spell checking support (in kwrite etc)
• libavahi-common-dev - avahi/zeroconf service discovery
• libenchant-dev - spell checking wrapper library
• libjasper-dev - image processing library
• libopenexr-dev - image processing library
• libxml2-utils - used to validate generate doc files.

sudo aptitude install libxml2-utils libpcre3-dev libopenexr-dev \
libjasper-dev libenchant-dev libavahi-common-dev libaspell-dev \
libasound2-dev

[edit] kdepimlibs dependencies

kdepimlibs dependencies can be installed with:

sudo aptitude install libboost-dev libgpgme11-dev

[edit] kdepimlibs recommended

• libldap2-dev - For ldap support in kde4.
• libsasl2-dev - Required for imap and sieve kioslaves

sudo aptitude install libldap2-dev libsasl2-dev

[edit] kdebase dependencies

kdebase-runtime dependencies can be installed with:

sudo aptitude install libxine-dev

Note

Note that libxine1-dev depends on gnome packages due to a kubuntu gutsy packaging bug (fixed in hardy). Also kubuntu packages xinelib version 1.1.8, which has trouble playing short sounds (fixed in xinelib 1.1.9).

kdebase-apps dependencies can be installed with:

sudo aptitude install libqimageblitz-dev

[edit] kdebase-apps optional

• libxcb1-dev - X C binding - Used for video widget support in xine
• soprano - Recommended by nepomuk. See #Install soprano from svn
• libxkbfile-dev - keyboard configuration package
• libsmbclient-dev - for samba support in kde4

sudo aptitude install libsmbclient-dev libxkbfile-dev libxcb1-dev

[edit] kdebase-workspace optional

• libsmbclient-dev - for samba support in kde4
• network-manager-dev - Can be used by solid for network management
• libcaptury-dev - video capturing tool for screencasts
• libusb-dev - for usb support in solid
• libbluetooth-dev - for bluetooth support in solid
• libxcomposite-dev - for compositing support in kwin
• libxdamage-dev - for compositing support in kwin
• libxklavier11-dev - virtual keyboard
• libsoprano-dev - Qt RDF storage framework
• libsensors-dev - Support for hardware sensors (eg, temperature, fans)
• libpam0g-dev - Authentication module
• libnm-util-dev - needed to build solid with network manager

sudo aptitude install libxklavier11-dev libxdamage-dev libxcomposite-dev \
libbluetooth-dev libusb-dev libcaptury-dev network-manager-dev \
libsmbclient-dev libsoprano-dev libsensors-dev libpam0g-dev libnm-util-dev

[edit] kdeedu

The following packages are recommended if you intend to use kstars:

• libfacile-ocaml-dev - used by kalzuim.
• libboost-python-dev - optional for kig.
• libreadline-dev - Gives kalgebra a console interface.
• libopenbabel-dev - used by kalzium.
• libeigen-dev - used by kalzium.
• libusb-dev - Provides KStars INDI support.
• libcfitsio3-dev - Gives KStars support for FITS images.
• libnova-dev - A general purpose, double precision, Celestial Mechanics, Astrometry and Astrodynamics library for KStars.

sudo aptitude install libusb-dev libcfitsio3-dev libnova-dev libeigen-dev \
libopenbabel-dev libfacile-ocaml-dev libboost-python-dev

[edit] koffice

• libqca2-dev - qt cryptographic support.

[edit] kdepim

• libqca2-dev - qt cryptographic support.

[edit] kdenetwork

• libqca2-dev - qt cryptographic support. Used for jabber protocol.

[edit] kdevplatform

• libsvn-dev - subversion support for the dev platform.
• libsvncpp-dev - subversion support for the dev platform.
• libcommoncpp2-dev - teamwork integration.

[edit] kdevelop

Requires kdevplatform.

Return to building KDE 4.