Re: [gentoo-user] The current correct way to start kde 4

[Mike Edenfield <kutulu@kutulu.org>]

On 12/28/2009 1:49 AM, Andrew Lowe wrote:
> On 28/12/2009 1:03 PM, Volker Armin Hemmann wrote:
>> On Montag 28 Dezember 2009, Kirill Lipatov wrote:
>>> well yeah. I just think that setting the kdm as the login manager is the
>>> easiest way to automatically start kde4 session after loging in.
>>> However,
>>> kdm is of course not mandatory and it can do more than just start kde4
>>
>> OP wrote he wanted 'kde' as login manager. Which implies he wants kdm.
>>
>
> Thank you gentlemen for your replies. Setting DISPLAYMANAGER to kdm in
> /etc/conf.d/xmd it will be then. My confusion comes from there being
> posts suggesting this method, others setting XSESSION in
> /etc/env.d/90xsession, things mentioning /etc/X11/sessions and so on.
> I've still got my training wheels on so it can be a bit confusing at times.

You are probably confusing KDE - the entire Qt-based desktop 
environment, with kdm - a Qt-based display manager and an 
(optional) component of KDE.

The first option will set up the KDE display manager to run 
when you boot, but it won't actually start "KDE".  The 
second will make KDE the default when you log in through the 
generic xdm display manager.  The last option will get KDE 
to show up in the list of known session types (for example, 
what you see in the drop-down list on gdm).

You don't *need* to use KDE's display manager to launch KDE, 
you just need to tell whatever display manager you have to 
start the kde4 session.  Similarly, just because you run kdm 
doesn't mean you have to launch KDE when you log in; you 
could launch any of the sessions in kdm's list.

But if you are only installing KDE on your machine, then 
there's really no good reason not to use kdm as well, and 
allow it to default to KDE4, so you should be all set.

--Mike