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Run KDE on OS X via Xfree86 UNIX
This article discusses running KDE on OS X, using the XFree86 package in place of Apple's own X11 program. I have yet to try this, but thought it might be of interest here.

[robg adds: I also haven't tested this one. If you're going to try it, make sure you follow the instructions on backing up Apple's X11 code -- the article implies that using Apple's X11 server with KDE won't work, so you'll be replacing it with XFree86.]
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Run KDE on OS X via Xfree86
Authored by: CajunLuke on Sep 27, '05 09:56:05AM

I saw this on Friday (I don't remember where I got the link), and did it over the weekend. When he says it takes a long time to compile, he means it. On my 1.33 GHz iBook G4, using GCC 4.0, it took over twelve hours to compile both KDE and XDarwin. I then had to recompile KDE, as there had been an error and it wouldn't run (another six or seven hours).

It runs great in a window. If you click on the box in the upper-left-hand corner, it collapses the screen into a small green box. I keep the box in the utmost upper-left of my screen, so all I have to do is click it and my KDE desktop pops up. (It has a low enough background latency, even on my iBook, no be a non-problem, processor- and RAM-wise.) I haven't gotten OpenOffice.org 1.1.2 to run in XDarwin like I did in X11, but it works inside the KDE window.

Two things: my /usr/X11R6/etc/xinit/xinitrc file had other stuff in the "# start some nice programs" section, so I had to append the last line of the preexisting stuff with " &", then the KDE stuff below to get KDE to run (apparently every line nees the previouis line to end with " &" (space, ampersand). The other "thing" is a mini-hint: on my 1024x768 iBook, a display size that works well is 950x713. The actual aspect ratio is 950x712.5, so I rounded up. I found that 800x600 is too small (you can't access the OK, Apply, or Cancel buttons in Konqueror's preferences screen after accessign some panes in 800x600), and I don't want it filling up my whole screen. I now have XDarwin in my Login Items, so KDE boots after I login.

For the record, I'm running a 1.33GHz iBook G4, 512 MB RAM, OS X 10.4.2.



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What's wrong with KDE in Apple's X11 ?
Authored by: VRic on Sep 27, '05 10:59:31AM

Did something change lately ?

I know for a fact that I installed KDE and many KDE applications via Fink and Apple's X11 on my iBook running 10.2 then 10.3, and that I made exactly zero of those "changes that are pretty hard" mentionned in the original article. I wouldn't have been able to.

It only took the time necessary for Fink to download all needed parts (as binaries, so no compilation required).

Launching the first KDE app of each X11 session takes longer than non-KDE apps (since it has to load KDE once) but it works normally after that.

I didn't try to compile KDE apps from source though. Maybe that's where the guy's problems are: setting up the compilation to target our "default" KDE/X11 setup instead of the more common "PC" KDE/Xfree86?

Or maybe it's about running X11 in a windows to host the non-app parts of the KDE desktop. I didn't try that either as I was only interested in some KDE apps, not KDE's desktop since its only interesting feature over the underlying Mac OS would be the multiple desktops, which would be rather crippled in a window.

I guess I'll cross-post this in his comments and see if he has further explanation of the alleged problems with X11.



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OK, make that "several", not "many"
Authored by: VRic on Sep 27, '05 11:09:53AM

I only installed a handful of KDE apps in X11, but all worked normally from precompiled binaries.

And I'm being too lazy to register at forums.appletalk.com.au just to comment this article.



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Run KDE on OS X via Xfree86
Authored by: spiralscratch on Sep 27, '05 11:08:07AM

I have no idea why this is suddenly all over the Mac sites. It's been possible for a long time.

And yes, you can use Apple's X11 if you like.

http://fink.sourceforge.net/news/kde.php



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Run KDE on OS X via Xfree86
Authored by: unforeseen:X11 on Sep 28, '05 06:22:15AM

Yes, I agree, this is not newsworthy. I`ve had a complete Gnome 2.4 running on 10.3 from the day it was available through fink, on Apples X11. No Problems.

Nothing to see here, move along, move along!



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Run KDE on OS X via Xfree86
Authored by: GlowingApple on Oct 08, '05 03:48:36PM

Add a tally for me too. I've been using KDE, installed by Fink, in Apple's X11 ever since I got Tiger.

---
Jayson --When Microsoft asks you, "Where do you want to go today?" tell them "Apple."



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Run KDE on OS X via Xfree86
Authored by: samkusnetz on Sep 28, '05 09:16:16AM

re. taking a long time to compile, YES. on my 1Ghz AlBook it took a combined eight to ten hours to compile.

so far, it seems pretty cool though it's not too zippy.



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Run KDE on OS X via Xfree86
Authored by: paulsomm on Sep 30, '05 06:24:37AM

There is no reason to replace Apple's X11 with XFree86. In fact, XFree86 hasn't been significantly updated since Apple's X11 was bundled with OS X.

I've been using KDE with Apple's X11 via DarwinPorts for nearly a year now. The recent DarwinPorts update makes it painless to install, although it takes some time to compile.



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