Getting Started/Build/FAQ
< Getting Started | Build
KDE developers and users that like to stay on the "bleeding edge" often hit a compilation problem for which there is a known solution (for instance getting a new Qt snapshot). To reduce traffic on the lists, this page tries to answer the most common problems one can find when trying to compile the current development version of KDE. This doesn't apply to trying to compile previous releases or snapshots, nor does it list bugs.
General Questions
How to get the latest sources?
The recommended method is to use anonsvn to get both KDE and Qt (from the module qt-copy). Alternatively, use snapshots : get Qt from ftp.trolltech.com and KDE from ftp.kde.org and mirrors.
What else do I need to compile KDE ?
It depends on the version of KDE you want to compile.
For KDE 4
- CMake 2.4.1 or later. The CMake-project already released CMake 2.4.3 which adds some features, so it might be that KDE will require a newer CMake in the future.
- A C++ compiler with support for exceptions. GCC Version 3.3 or greater is preferred. GCC 2.95.x is not supported.
- Qt 4. KDE 4 is current tied to the next version of Qt to be released. You may use the qt-copy module to get a supported version of Qt 4.
- If you want SSL support (for instance, to support secure web sites in Konqueror), make sure you install OpenSSL, version 0.9.6 or later.
- Some free space on your hard disk and some time... :)
For KDE 3
- Automake 1.5.0 and Autoconf 2.53 or later
- a C++ compiler which supports exceptions (preferably GCC 3.3. GCC 2.95.x will also work.)
- Qt 3.3.2 or later in the Qt 3 series.
- If you want SSL support (for instance, to support secure web sites in Konqueror), make sure you install OpenSSL, version 0.9.6 or later.
- Some free space on your hard disk and some time... :)