FreeBSD 12 KDE Plasma installation

In previous publication we saw how you can install FreeBSD 12 on your computer, but also how to add it to your Linux distribution boot menu.

Today we will add the necessary desktop environment to have a graphical management environment.

FreeBSD and Xorg

First we will install xorg. The Xorg is the default implementation of X11 for FreeBSD. Xorg is the X server of X.Org Foundation X Window System, and is open source. Then we'll see how X11 is set up to be able to install a working desktop environment.

In most cases, X11 is adjusted automatically. If the system yours is old or has very new hardware, it will be helpful to gather some additional information about your hardware before starting setup.

We will not see it so thoroughly. Let's start with installation. Log in as root (su and enter root password). Run the following command.

pkg install xorg

Xorg uses HAL for auto detection of the keyboard and mouse. The sysutils/hal and devel/dbus ports are automatically installed dependencies of x11/xorg, but should be enabled with the following entries in /etc/rc.conf:

nano /etc/rc.conf

dbus_enable = "YES" hald_enable = "YES"

Reboot your system to activate the services, or simply run the commands below to enable them manually:

service dbus start service hald start

It's time for the first test of x11. Operates; run the following command.
If you see a graphical environment, we can continue with installing the desktop environment.

startx

In some cases, auto-tuning may not work properly, or may not set the devices exactly as you wish. In these cases, you will need to make some manual adjustments.

The first step is to create an initial configuration file. Run as root the following command (the X-Chapter):

Xorg -configure

This will create a template configuration file of X11 in the / root directory named xorg.conf.new. X11 will try to crawl the system's graphics subsystem and create a configuration file that will load the correct device drivers for the hardware detected in your system.

The next step is checking the existing settings to confirm that Xorg works with your system's graphics subsystem. Type (the X capital):

Xorg -config xorg.conf.new -retro

If a black and gray grid and an X-shaped mouse pointer appear, the setting was successful. To end the test, and to change your interface to a terminal, press Ctrl + Alt + Fn (F1 for the first virtual console) together and press Ctrl + C.

FreeBSD 12 Installing KDE

To install the ready KDE package from the network, simply type:

pkg install x11 / where5

KDE also needs the / proc file system to work properly. Add the following line to / etc / fstab with nano / etc / fstab

proc / proc procfs rw 0 0

Install and configure KDE Display Manager

pkg install x11 / sddm

After installation, add the following line to rc.conf

sddm_enable = "YES"

Edit the file with

nano /etc/rc.conf

(Tip: To save the file that you are editing to nano, press ctrl + X together. On the next screen, type y and press enter.