Getting Started/Build/KDE4

This article shows how to download, build, install and start KDE 4 from subversion. It consolidates howtos from various sites, e.g. the old KDE developer pages. This topic shows one way that works. It does not intend to explain the obvious background behind it.

You may be interested in: http://kdesvn-build.kde.org/

To reduce complexity, we use the bash-shell (standard) throughout the tutorial.

Become the user kde-devel

useradd kde-devel
mkdir /home/kde-devel
passwd kde-devel
chown kde-devel:kde-devel /home/kde-devel 2>/dev/null || \
chown kde-devel:users /home/kde-devel

Switch to the user kde-devel: (the dash also changes to the new home directory)

su - kde-devel

Set Environment Variables

You have to add some environment variables - add these lines to ~/.bashrc.

export YACC='byacc -d'
export QTDIR=$HOME/qt-unstable
export KDEDIR=$HOME/kde
export KDEDIRS=$KDEDIR
export DBUSDIR=$KDEDIR
export PKG_CONFIG_PATH=$DBUSDIR/lib/pkgconfig:$PKG_CONFIG_PATH
export PATH=$QTDIR/bin:$KDEDIR/bin:$PATH
export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=$QTDIR/lib:$KDEDIR/lib:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH
## Uncomment if dbus doesn't work
#alias dbusstart="eval `PATH=$DBUSDIR/bin \
#$DBUSDIR/bin/dbus-launch --auto-syntax`"
function cmakekde { cmake -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=$HOME/kde \
-DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=debugfull $@ && make VERBOSE=1 && make install; }

Check out the software

svn co svn://anonsvn.kde.org/home/kde/trunk/qt-copy
svn co svn://anonsvn.kde.org/home/kde/trunk/KDE/kdelibs
wget http://www.cmake.org/files/v2.4/cmake-2.4.3.tar.gz
wget http://dbus.freedesktop.org/releases/dbus/dbus-0.94.tar.gz

Build D-Bus

tar xvfz dbus-0.94.tar.gz
cd dbus-0.94/
./configure --disable-qt --disable-qt3 --prefix=$DBUSDIR \
--localstatedir=/var && make && make install
dbus-uuidgen --ensure

Build Qt

cd ~/qt-copy && \
./configure -qt-gif -no-exceptions -debug -fast \
-prefix $QTDIR -qdbus && make && make install

Build and Install CMake

The default prefix is /usr/local, make sure /usr/local/bin is in your $PATH.

tar zxf cmake-2.4.3.tar.gz
mkdir cmake-build
cd cmake-build
../cmake-2.4.3/bootstrap
make
sudo make install

Build kdelibs

cd ~/
mkdir kdelibs-build
cd kdelibs-build
cmakekde ../kdelibs

Troubleshooting

If you have problems compiling this, first make sure the following commands can be executed: aclocal, autoconf, autoheader, gcc, g++, pkg-config.

Note

If you get "Could NOT find GIF", install the devel package of libungif (the actual name may vary on distribution).

If the problems persist, try the make-option --keep-going

Build kdepimlibs

Before kdebase you need to install kdepimlibs

cd
svn co svn://anonsvn.kde.org/home/kde/trunk/KDE/kdepimlibs
mkdir kdepimlibs-build
cd kdepimlibs-build
cmake kde ../kdepimlibs

Troubleshooting

To compile against kdelibs (not the snapshot) add

set(KDE4_IGNORE_DONTPORT TRUE)

to the CMakeLists.txt before find_package(KDE4 REQUIRED)

Build kdebase

You may need kdebase for some kioslaves.

cd
svn co svn://anonsvn.kde.org/home/kde/trunk/KDE/kdebase
mkdir kdebase-build
cd kdebase-build
cmakekde ../kdebase

Troubleshooting

If you have troubles compiling this:

• Make sure you have the libxss headers installed. (Usually you got undefined references on xscreensaver objects if you haven't those headers)
• which meinproc has to deliver /home/kde-devel/kde/bin/meinproc

Start KDE 4 Programs

To start the desktop environment itself, do:

X :1 & export DISPLAY=:1
startkde

Maybe you are logged in as your normal user (not kde-devel), want to stay in your current environment (KDE 3.5, gnome, whatever) and start a KDE 4 program. To start only kwrite from KDE 4, do:

ssh -X kde-devel@localhost
kwrite

Additional notes:

http://wiki.kde.org/tiki-index.php?page=KDECMakeIntro