setting up desktop

[Unktim]

I have had a couple of years experience with various ubuntu releases and now I would like to see what is out there. I have looked at several ubuntu
sprouts and I find kubuntu the most interesting. I am running kubutnu live at the moment. The problem is that I am looking at an empty screen of multicolored polygons and don't know where to go from there. I would like to see the Mate desktop but can't find it.

So far I have connected to the internet an found a few things (mostly by accident) but I really need a lot of guidance. I tried to find a beginners guide on firefox but the only thing I have found so far is a video that assumes that you are already on Mate. I am hoping that I can find a desktop environment populated with some of the basics such as some of the type found on unity (am I allowed to say that?) any information would be appreciated along with newbie-related links. unktim

PS How can I reverse the mouse button? I have a 2 button wireless mouse and I can't understand the three button terminology.

[ianp5a]

Kubuntu has KDE as the desktop environment and not Mate.

You can install Mate as well as KDE if you wanted both. You would then need to Log out, and when you log back in, you'll see options to choose Mate or KDE.

However, the easiest way to get Mate is not to choose Kubuntu, but to install Ubuntu-Mate or Linux Mint-Mate.

But I prefer to leave Kubuntu as it is.

[Unktim]

ianp5a, Thanks for the clarification unktim

[woodsmoke]

However, as to installing "Mate" (Gnomish) apps, sometimes I have gotten them to work and sometimes not.

This NOT "correct" but....you might look at KDE as:

a) having instead of "virutual desktops" a "virtual desktop" that is CALLED an "activity", yes there are a couple of "prepackaged" activities but I find them to be less than useless. Instead of there being a "virtual desktop pager" in the lower panel there is a "cashew" at the top left or right corner" that when clicked opens a "vertical panel" on the left with the "activities", there is just one with which to start. When three are made one can go to desktop settings and in the mouse actions one can make a setting to have a pager for the activities on the deskop.

HOWEVER, the devs used to have it so that the activities were always "active", possibly as a power saving thing if an activity has not been used for some quite arbitrary time one has to go back to the cashew to "restart them" or remove them.

b) one very real strengths of the KdE desktop is the "folder view" widget, it can be made to view any part of the file system.

They do NOT have to be permanent in fact I seldom leave them so.

I make a new folder view when I start working within a particular tree of the file system and then delete if i don't hink i'll need it for a while.

c) There is also a "launcher" widget, with a rocket on it that one can put launchers for daily used things such as a word processor.

However, I have found that by far the best thing for me is to:

1) create a music activity which has verious music app links on it and depending on what I want to listen to I just click the app and it starts playing...two clicks and done.

LIke I have GKmerlin on the activity with a stream already linked

I have Amarok if I want to view lyrics or album information

I have VLC if I want to watch a video. ( do a lot of editing of videos I take with a GoPro when I scuba dive.

2) a wordprocessor activity because I use one daily that has a launcher for LO and GIMP and folder views for documents and pictures,

3) Firefox

4) a bre4aking news RSS feed and e-mail activity

Of course one can access anything any time from any place, but what I just outlined is one of the reasons for the KdE desktop.

if you have any other questions, just ask someone will pop by to answer.

woodsmoke

[Unktim]

Wow, thanks woodsmoke! I copied your entire answer and saved it. I am in a period of transition right now. My 8 yr old computer is slowly dying and my new computer just arrived.
It has 8G of RAM and a 2 Tb hard drive so I am hoping I will be able to run win 7 and Kubuntu side-by-side while I learn more about kubuntu and BASH.

I have only run kubuntu live because of my 74 yr old learning curve but now I can use win 7 to do my every day business while i learn more about kubutnu and the world of linux. Your info will really give me a leg up. unktim

[GreyGeek]

....
I have only run kubuntu live because of my 74 yr old learning curve but now I can use win 7 to do my every day business while i learn more about kubutnu and the world of linux. .....

Hi Bro! I'm one year ahead of you on the "learning curve" so I know what you are going through. Win7 will dual boot with Kubuntu just fine. Being a new computer it probably has UEFI security on it. You may need the info on this web page: http://www.rodsbooks.com/refind/.