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 * set CUPS as default printing system  * set CUPS as default printing system (Put the following into /etc/kde3/kdeprintrc)
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  (Put the following into /etc/kde3/kdeprintrc)
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 * If you like make $HOME to your Desktop for consistency.  * If you like make $HOME to your Desktop for consistency. (Put the following into /etc/kde3/kdeglobals)
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   (Put the following into /etc/kde3/kdeglobals)

This page is to keep a lists of things you need to do in order to install a basic debian-desktop until things are integrated into debian. For more details see the subpages of ["DebianDesktop"].


Booting from a sarge install CD, provide "linux26" at the bootprompt to get a 2.6 kernel and udev installed. Install the base-system to your needs.

When prompted by "tasksel" choose following task:

 * desktop-environment

(adduser #240855) Add additional user accounts you may need (with "adduser <NAME>").

You can staticly add the users you want into appropriate groups by iterating "adduser <NAME> <GROUP>".

A more appropriate way to add many/all users by default is to use pam_group that dynamicly adds users to groups during authentification.

You probably want regular users to be members of some of the following groups: audio, floppy, cdrom, tape and maybe fax, dip ("dial-ip", connect to internet with pon/poff as set up by pppconfig) or dialout (serial port/modem). There are some groups you don't want to add users to! (i.e. like games or disk, see /usr/share/doc/base-passwd/users-and-groups).

Users that should be allowed to use usbsticks etc. need to be a member of the plugdev group. In gnome the devices will then pop up automaticly. KDE 3.3 shiped with sarge unfortunately does not let the devices show up automaticly, but users will be able to handle them with pmount/pumount and you can create a button for that.

To enable pam_group you can add it to /etc/pam.d/common-auth like this echo "auth    optinal pam_group.so" >> /etc/pam.d/common-auth

then configure /etc/security/group.conf simmilar to this:

login;*;*;Al0000-2400;users,cdrom,floppy,plugdev,audio,dip
kdm;*;*;Al0000-24000;users,cdrom,floppy,plugdev,audio,dip,video
gdm;*;*;Al0000-24000;users,cdrom,floppy,plugdev,audio,dip,video

To create new groups use "addgroup <GROUPNAME>". For example on your home PC you could create a group "family" and add the appropriate users to it. You can then make a family group directory: Do "mkdir /home/family" as root, give it to the group with "chown :family /home/family" and change its permissions "chmod 2770 /home/family" to make it a shared set-group-id directory. Finally change the default umask to 002 (unless libpam-umask is installed, this has to be set in /etc/profile and /etc/login.defs). This way groupmembers can work with each other's files in the group directory.

(default package selection) Install and configure the CUPS printing system packages as described on ["DebianCUPS"].

Start /usr/lib/openoffice/spadmin as root "add printer" and import your printers setup from /etc/foomatic/cups.

(default package selection (synaptic only recommending)) "apt-get install libgnome2-perl" if you want the Gnome debconf frontend to actually work when you install packages. You may need to configure debconf to use "Gnome" frontend with "dpkg-reconfigure debconf" (Does synaptic let debconf start in gnome or appropriate mode?).

(default package selection) Then start up synaptic and find, select and install the following packages:

  • If you need localized fonts: xfonts-base-transcoded and xfonts-*dpi-transcoded
  • zip and unzip
  • mc (midnight commander console filemanager)
  • ssh-askpass (lets ssh use a graphical password prompt window when run under X)

Are those actually needed? For what benefit? They are non-free anyway:

  • x-ttcidfont-conf (needed for the next)
  • msttcorefonts (to display some webpages and documents correctly)


Now some configuring:

Set "umask 002" in /etc/profile AND /etc/login.defs to actually make use of the private user groups in debian. (KDE will need an additionall "umask 002" in startkde, check http://bugs.debian.org/250645)

The central settings for KDE in /etc/kde3 could also need some tweaking:

  • set CUPS as default printing system (Put the following into /etc/kde3/kdeprintrc)

  ["General"]
  PrintSystem=cups
  • If you like make $HOME to your Desktop for consistency. (Put the following into /etc/kde3/kdeglobals)

   ["Paths"]
   Desktop=$HOME
   Trash=$HOME/Trash/
  • If you need particular proxy, javascript and cookie policy etc. KDE system defaults, set them in the same way, too. http://www.kde.org/areas/sysadmin has more info about the configuration files, including making settings immutable to users.

...have fun! And if you encounter bugs search the net, if the bug is not already filed, find the appropriate package and the file a bug against it, if it concerns debian simply use the "reportbug" utility for that.

--- Troubleshooting

For manual setup of the graphic you can use dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86.

An alternative automatic configuration of the x-server is to install xdebconfigurator, run it, and then dexconf to generate a valid ["XF86config"].