Getting Started/Build/KDE4/Kubuntu and Debian

This page details installation of kde4 requirements on any recent Kubuntu or Debian. For a basic functioning desktop, the recommended packages are installed with the command:

sudo aptitude install build-essential xorg-dev cdbs debhelper cmake \
kdesdk-scripts subversion ssh xserver-xephyr doxygen dbus-x11 \
libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev shared-mime-info libical-dev libgif-dev libssl-dev \
libboost-dev libboost-program-options-dev libboost-graph-dev libgpgme11-dev libxine-dev \
libqimageblitz-dev libbz2-dev libdbus-1-dev libpam0g-dev libpcre3-dev \
libkrb5-dev libsm-dev libclucene0ldbl libclucene-dev libjpeg62-dev \
libxtst-dev xsltproc libxrender-dev libfontconfig1-dev automoc4

• • • • I moved libstreamanalyzer-dev libstrigiqtdbusclient-dev to the section below since that pulls in qt4.

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 xorg-dev cdbs debhelper cmake  \
kdesdk-scripts subversion ssh xserver-xephyr doxygen graphviz libqt4-dev \
dbus-x11 libdbus-1-dev libstreamanalyzer-dev libstrigiqtdbusclient-dev \
libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev shared-mime-info libgif-dev libpcre3-dev \
libclucene0ldbl libclucene-dev libjpeg62-dev libkrb5-dev libsm-dev \
libssl-dev libbz2-dev libical-dev libxml2-utils libopenexr-dev \
libjasper-dev libenchant-dev libavahi-common-dev libaspell-dev \
libasound2-dev libboost-dev libboost-program-options-dev libboost-graph-dev libgpgme11-dev \
libldap2-dev libsasl2-dev libxine-dev libqimageblitz-dev libsmbclient-dev \
libxkbfile-dev libxcb1-dev libxklavier-dev libxdamage-dev \
libxcomposite-dev libbluetooth-dev libusb-dev \
libcaptury-dev network-manager-dev libsmbclient-dev libsensors-dev \
libpam0g-dev libnm-util-dev libusb-dev libcfitsio3-dev libnova-dev \
libeigen2-dev libopenbabel-dev libfacile-ocaml-dev libboost-python-dev \
libsvn-dev libsvncpp-dev libqt4-dev libqca2-dev \
libstreamanalyzer-dev libstrigiqtdbusclient-dev \
libcommoncpp2-dev libidn11 libidn11-dev libxtst-dev librdf-dev xsltproc \
libxrender-dev libfontconfig1-dev libpci-dev libxss-dev libxft-dev \
libpolkit-dbus-dev libpolkit-grant-dev libpolkit-dev git \
libpoppler-qt4-dev libspectre-dev

Also, to enable XMMS support for the 'Now Playing' plasma data engine in kdebase, you will need to either compile XMMS from source, or install the package from a third-party XMMS package repository.

[edit] Build prerequisites

In Kubuntu 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 \
libjpeg62-dev

You may also need the automoc and libphonon-dev packages when compiling on *buntu:

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

[edit] kdepimlibs dependencies

kdepimlibs dependencies can be installed with:

sudo aptitude install libboost-dev libboost-program-options-dev libboost-graph-dev libgpgme11-dev

If compiling on *buntu you may need libical-dev:

sudo aptitude install libical-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
• 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
• libxklavier-dev - virtual keyboard
• 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 libxklavier-dev libxdamage-dev libxcomposite-dev \
libbluetooth-dev libusb-dev libcaptury-dev network-manager-dev \
libsmbclient-dev libsensors-dev libpam0g-dev libnm-util-dev

[edit] kdegraphics

• libpoppler-qt4-dev - PDF support in Okular
• libspectre-dev - postscript support in Okular

[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.
• libeigen2-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 libeigen2-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
• libboost-serialization-dev

[edit] kdevelop

• kdevplatform-dev
• kdebase-workspace-dev

Return to building KDE 4.