I am sure by now most of you must have upgraded to Ubunutu 8.10. One very important thing that I love about Ubuntu us the gnome desktop manager (GDM). However, if you did not knew, you can have different desktop managers. One of the most popular one is KDE.

KDE which stands for K Desktop Environment is a network transparent contemporary desktop environment for UNIX workstations. KDE seeks to fulfill the need for an easy to use desktop for UNIX workstations, similar to desktop environments found on Macintosh and Microsoft Windows operating systems.

Some people swear by KDE and use it as their default desktop environment and then there are others who love their Gnome Desktop Manager. KDE probably is better eye candy compared to GDM and is a good replacement. Today, we’ll see how to install KDE 4.1 on Ubuntu 8.10 (Intrepid Ibex). We’ll try to make things as simple as possible.

Adding KDE 4.1 repositories to software sources

Go to System->Administration->Software Sources

After entering your admin password you’ll be presented with a window like the one below add click on the Third-Party Software tab and click the Add button.

Add the following repositories in the Apt line and click Add Source:

deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/kubuntu-members-kde4/ubuntu intrepid main

Click the button close and you’ll be prompted to reload the software sources. Make sure you are connected to Internet. It’ll take a few minutes depending on your Internet connection speed. The next step is to install KDE 4.1.

Installing KDE 4.1

I tried to use apt URL to install by seems like it’s not working so we’ll play safe and install it using a terminal window. In the terminal window type:

sudo apt-get install kubuntu-kde4-desktop

The package is around 400 MB and will take time depending on your internet connection speed. After a while you’ll be prompt with a configuration window like the one below.

Hit Enter to reach the screen like the one below

Select your default Display Manager. The first one GDM will keep your Gnome Desktop and the second one KDM will make KDE as your default desktop manager and click enter.

That’s it after a few more seconds you’d have finished installing KDE 4.1.

Optional: Restoring default Ubuntu boot splash screen

Once you have installed KDE your bootsplash screen would change to show KDE bootsplash. To change this you’ll need Startup-manager. You can install it using Synaptic Package Manager.

Once you have installed this application you can start it by going to

System->Administration->Startup-Manager

Go to the Appearance tab in Startup-Manager window and under Usplash theme, select usplash-theme-ubuntu.

That’s it! Now just logout and select KDE 4 in “Select Session” and you should be logged in KDE. This is how the KDE desktop looks like: