FreeBSD 12 KDE Plasma installation

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

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 default X11 implementation for FreeBSD. Xorg is the X server of the X Window System implementation of the X.Org Foundation, and it is open source code. Then we will see how X11 is configured so that you can install a working desktop environment.

In most cases, X11 is automatically set. If your system is old or has very new hardware, it will be useful to collect some extra information about your hardware before you start the 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 to automatically detect the keyboard and the mouse. Sysutils / hal and devel / dbus ports are automatically installed by x11 / xorg dependencies, but should be enabled with the following entries in /etc/rc.conf:

nano /etc/rc.conf

dbus_enable = "YES" hald_enable = "YES"

Do a reviewmovement on your system to enable the services, or simply run the following commands 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 standard X11 configuration file in the /root directory named xorg.conf.new. X11 will attempt to detect the subsystem graphics of the system and create a configuration file that will load the correct device drivers for the detected hardware on 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.