How to switch desktop from lxqt to plasma 6 or plasma 5

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1

Hello,

Requirements:
I have [Searched] the forum for my issue and found nothing related or helpful
I have checked the [Resources category]
I have reviewed the [Wiki] for relevant information
I have read the the [Release Notes and Errata]

OpenMandriva Lx version:
ROME

Desktop environment (KDE, LXQT…):
LXQT

Description of the issue (screenshots if relevant):
I try to switch from lxqt to plasma 6 following this step :

  • sudo dnf remove *lxqt*
  • sudo dnf install task-plasma6 task-plasma6-x11 task-plasma6-wayland

First reboot plasma won’t start. I try to launch via command line, I recived the error below :
startplasma-wayland: error while loading shared libraries: libKF6I10n.so.6: cannot open shared object file: No such file or directory.

Do you have all the dependancy in order to install plasma 6 from the repository ?

I can’t install Plasma 6 so, I will try to install plasma 5 instead, following this step :

  • sudo dnf remove *plasma*
  • sudo dnf install task-plasma
    I recived the error below :
    Total 686 kB/s | 772 MB 19:11
    Test de la transaction
    La vérification de la transaction a réussi.
    Lancement de la transaction de test
    Les paquets téléchargés ont été mis en cache jusqu’à la prochaine transaction réussie.
    Vous pouvez supprimer les paquets en cache en exécutant « dnf clean packages ».
    Erreur : Erreur de la transaction de test :
    le fichier /usr/lib64/signon/extensions/libkeyring-kwallet.so de l’installation de plasma6-signon-kwallet-extension-25.04.0-1.x86_64 entre en conflit avec le fichier du paquet lib64keyring-kwallet16-23.08.5-1.x86_64
    le fichier /usr/share/applications/kcm_kaccounts.desktop de l’installation de plasma6-kaccounts-integration-25.04.0-1.x86_64 entre en conflit avec le fichier du paquet kaccounts-integration-23.08.5-4.x86_64

I think mixing Plasma 5 and plasma 6 in the same repository is not a such good idee.
Why dnf is mixing package from plasma 6 while installing plasma 5 and vice et versa ?
Why dnf have qt6 package in dependancy while installing plasma 5 ?

For the records, I do the same many times on Fedora (From Cinnamon to Mate to Plasma) and on Debian (From XFCE to Plasma and from Plasma to XFCE) in command line for both without any issues.

Re-install from scratch can’t be the answer, I can’t download the plasma iso, my connexion is too low.

Relevant informations (hardware involved, software version, logs or output…):
Hardware:
VMware® Workstation 17 Pro (17.6.3 build-24583834) under Debian SID.

2

This is a situation where if you had asked first I would have said “don’t do that”. This is definitely doing an “ask before doing” endeavor.

  1. Before you do anything else what is always, always, always what you do when trying something like this? You back up your important, can not lose data, somewhere so you can do a fresh install. This step is not optional. Backing up user data is not optional in Windows, Apple, or Linux.

  2. Do a fresh install of ROME Plasma6. This is always the better choice.

Next if you are determined to do this know you are doing something that is an unknown to us, so you are own your own but the following should/might work:

  1. Disable autologin if enabled.

  2. Do not remove LXQt destop add Plasma6 to it.

  3. sudo dnf install task-plasma6 task-plasma6-x11 task-plasma6-wayland should work.

  4. Reboot and in the lower left corner of the sddm login screen

  5. Then reboot and at the sddm login screen in the lower left corner you can select to use Plasma session, you will have a choice of Plasma X11 or Plasma Wayland.

  6. If this works to user satisfaction then after a few weeks then think about removing lxqt packages.

3

Good Afternon,

Understood, don’t do it.

Why do I have to ask first before doing this ? I do some research and find nothing about this subject.
Why do I do something like this ? Because, I can’t find in dnfdragora, under LXQt, how to upgrade the system. The only way I found was to use om-welcome.
But when I install it under LXQt, I have a mix between french and english in the interface. Some text in french other in english, and the update function didn’t work. What ever, I follow your steps, and it work, I have plasma 6 but many application are missing like Dolphin, SystemSetting, Chromium, om-update etc The most important application, om-welcome is missing too.

Following your step, I have installed a meta package task-plasma6 , why I don’t have the full environement out of the box with all KDEs applications ?
Like Fedora doing dnf install @kde-desktop-environment

I don’t understand why, this is not fully supported and why so many dependancy and software are missing.

One other thing, I haven’t find the open-vm package.

Regards

4

Our spins are missing maintainers. This happens when you have a volunteer crew. :man_shrugging:

I have never used dnfdragora, so I can’t help you on that. I can say for a fact that this works…

sudo dnf clean all ; dnf clean all ; sudo dnf distro-sync --refresh --allowerasing 2>&1| tee dsync2-log.txt

Most of us hate meta packages, because they leave us with no way to uninstall individual programs that we don’t want or need, so we make the meta packages the bare minimum. This way, we can start with a clean full install of OMLx Plasma and just remove what we don’t want. It took me about 15 minutes to clean mine up to my satisfaction. OMLx Plasma is build with a list of packages rather than a meta package for this reason. That makes me a happy camper. :camping:

5

Take this with a grain of salt because I’m new here, BUT: I do have a lot of experience with many distributions over the many years I’ve been using Linux.

  1. Switching desktops is often fraught with problems. If you plan to attempt this, do it in a VM first, so you don’t mess up your daily driver and find yourself in a world of pain.
  2. “Community spins” are exactly that: unofficial, unsupported, use-at-your-own-risk spins. Whether they come from Canonical, Red Hat, or little-'ol OpenMandriva, remember they don’t actually come from those organizations. They come from the community. They are likely not tested very well, hacked together, and messed up. They are offered as a convenience.

So what do you do if, say, you want to use OpenMandriva but you don’t want the default Plasma desktop?

Install the default desktop anyway, and then make the attempt (in a VM) to switch to your desktop of choice. If you run into problems, at least your baseline is the real, supported, and properly configured distro, and not some similar-but-alien thing the actual devs had nothing to do with. Once you fix those problems in the VM, you can apply the procedure to your real machine.

I came most recently from the Arch world, and this is exactly why the Arch people won’t help you at all if they find you’re using a derivative or if you used a third-party script to install the distro. Since they can’t guarantee your system is configured as they’ve instructed, they’ll rudely close your thread and tell you to come back when you’ve installed Arch properly.

The people here are much nicer than that, but it does them a disservice to expect them to spend lots of time helping you troubleshoot a configuration they aren’t even responsible for. I’d rather they spend time fixing actual bugs and getting to some of those package requests (and I’m sure they would too).

So please, do us all a favor. If you want to switch from lxqt to Plasma 6, back up your data and reinstall the actual, Plasma 6-based distro. Free the team to move forward in a way we all can benefit.

3 Likes
6

If users want to try or use OMLx and do not want to use Plasma desktop that is what the Plasma slim isos are for. Slim means with minimal packages to have a functioning graphical desktop. If someone wants to use LXQt we have LXQt isos use these.

1 Like
7

Good Evening,

Sorry for not sharing your philosophy. You can close this thread.
I will stay with my Debian.

For the record, as I say in my first post, my installation of OpenMandriva was under VMWare.
I point some trouble in the repository, but you focus only on the DE switch.

If I install a DE from the repository, my expectation is to have the same experience as if I installed it from the DVD.

Good for you if you like to haven’t any software after an installation even a file explorer.

Regards

8

I guess you didn’t understand what I said. I will try to rephrase it.

I start with a full install of OMLx Plasma. Nothing is missing. It comes with everything. Since it is not a meta package, I can easily remove what I don’t need.

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9

As far is the repository issues you stated, we are moving from Plasma 5 on Rock 5 to Plasma 5 on Rock 6.0. This means that we have plasma 5 and plasma 6 packages. Now that we just published Rock 6.0, we are moving everything on ROME to plasma 6. The naming conventions will be sorted out soon. Right now, Plasma 6 packages start with plasma6, so you have to know what you are looking for. For someone who just came in, you cannot be expected to know.

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10

Asking a learning question:

KDE installed through the OM iso has customization’s/specific tools and apps built-in to its installation? …To set-up KDE the way the team thinks will best serve the users? Therefore, if you just grabbed KDE on a different distro it would not necessarily have the same tools that I am seeing and using on my native OM KDE?

Sorry for the elementary question.

And if so, I assume that that would be the same for LXQt, or any other of the DE’s OM offers through ISO installs (can’t remember them all, would have to look it up again.)

On another old computer I went from Gnome to Xfce, but it was my first time using either so I had no idea if my experience was “normal” or not. That started my affinity for Xfce as a lightweight option and dislike for Gnome before I knew anything else about them :slight_smile:

Sorry for the elementary question. Initially, I was under the impression that DE’s could be swapped largely at-will.

11

  1. No, it would not be the same. Some distros, use the Plasma meta packages. What is installed cannot be removed without removing the whole meta package. So, if you don’t need kmail, tough. We use a list of packages and each one is installed on its own and removable on its own. We choose what suits the team.

  2. The spins are on their own. What is installed is determined by the maintainer/s. We have a group doing an i3 spin right now and they are deciding exactly what will be on the default install of the ISO.

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Some distros customize their default config; some distros install the vanilla desktop and leave it at that. For example, Kubuntu installs default KDE Plasma. So does Arch. OpenMandriva’s is customized. I was surprised on my first install of OM when I saw that single-clicking opened a folder, when I know the KDE people changed that default to double-clicking on Plasma 6.

I have removed myself from the tyranny of distros’ defaults (whether they’re KDE’s defaults or the distros) by creating an install script (and assets that go with it) that sets up everything just the way I like it. This way, all I have to do post install is clone my repo to .dotfiles, cd to .dotfiles/new-setup, and run ./configure-os.sh. As you gain more experience, I highly recommend this approach, as it codifies your configuration and enables you to get up and running on a new install really fast.

But yes, to answer your question, OM’s KDE Plasma is customized. You’re not getting vanilla KDE Plasma. They’ve chosen specific defaults and installed their own theme. I can’t speak to the other flavors, though.

Beyond just the desktop, distros also customize what’s installed by default. For example OM installs the KDE PIM suite by default, which I have used since 1998, and is convenient for me. Manjaro installs Thunderbird, which I would have to remove and replace with the PIM suite. On the other hand, OM installs Telegram by default, which I don’t use.

These decisions are made for the convenience of users, but they are also what drive experienced people to a distro like Arch, where they don’t install anything by default. You must choose yourself what to install. Experienced people like that, because it means that there’s no “cruft” on the system that has to be cleaned up after install.

I think OM tries to walk a fine line here. They don’t pre-install all that much. Personally, I’d remove Telegram, but I don’t think I’d remove anything else from the default install. You need a browser, an email client, and an office suite, and I think what’s preinstalled there is appropriate.

This is long-winded, but hopefully it answers your question. :slight_smile:

13

Very helpful. Didn’t realize DE’s came in metapackage and list forms, but that makes sense. I have been trying to RTFM but some things seem best answered by humans.

Yes @sez11a , I need to build a script like that; I have already added so many items. Interesting on the PIM suite; I have loved playing with those tools so far, and didn’t realize they were optional installs.

So the OP’s main mistake was deleting LXQt before installing Plasma, not to mention he got the vanilla Plasma with zero supporting apps and will therefore be experiencing a different tool-set then every other newcomer to OM (if I’m understanding that correctly)?

I have a few other follow up questions, but I’ll do one or two at a time :slight_smile: I also can start a new Coffee Break chat if it would be better (don’t think these are support questions; I’m just asking and learning).

Yes I can see how fine a line that would be.

Thank you also for the long winded answer, that was exactly the sort of items I was wondering about.

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Yes.

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15

Thank you! I’ll hold my other questions for another day :slight_smile: Often my questions answer themselves after rtfm and playing/learning.

16

I concur. I don’t know because this is untested but I suspect that if @marc_fr had installed the plasma6 packages first then remove lxqt stuff this might have worked. My guess is some essential system package/s got removed the way it was done. If @marc_fr or any user wants to try something like this it is appropriate to mention that this is a Community effort. If you try something no one in contributor group has done/tested you are the person establishing how this will be done. It is your project. This is not being mean at all. It is that all in the OM contributor group already have “To Do” lists longer than we can keep up with. I know I do.

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