FOSSwire

Konqueror as a web browser still unfortunately lags quite a way behind Firefox in terms of compatibility. For that reason, many KDE users stick with Firefox, despite the poorer integration between the desktop environment and the browser.

I have just come across a theme for Firefox 3.0 designed to make Firefox fit in better on a KDE 4.0 desktop (although it can be used on any system you like!). It makes use of the Oxygen icon set and various visual tweaks to make things a little cleaner alongside KDE 4 applications.

It is worth noting that the theme is only in alpha stage at the current time, so it might cause things to break. If problems occur, you should switch back to the default theme in Tools > Addons.

I had difficulty installing the theme from Mozilla's official Addons site, so we'll go about the process on the developer's site instead.

Navigate to http://ramonantonio.net/kde-firefox/ and click the Add to Firefox button.

You'll get a warning about Firefox preventing the website from installing software.

Click Allow, and then click on the Add to Firefox button once again. You'll get a standard add-on download window. Once you click Install and restart Firefox, the theme will be applied!

As I've already mentioned, this theme is in an early stage of development. Also, because we're installing from the site manually, not through Mozilla Add-ons, I recommend you check back with the developer's site frequently for new versions of the theme.

All in all, though, this theme is a promising solution to bridge the user experience gap between Firefox 3.0 and KDE 4.

An interesting trend I've noticed over the years is the thought process of how users install applications. Most of the time, a KDE user installing an application won't care what the application uses or what desktop it is designed for. They just simply install the application, use it, and get on with life.

The thoughts are different with the average GNOME user, however. A lot of times, when installing software, many GNOME users check to make sure the application was made for GNOME (GTK) before installing it. Why? In most cases, it is because the application will look different and won't fit in with the others on their system.

And with good reason. A bad looking interface is enough to pull anyone away from an application. Obviously, these Qt applications will look fine on KDE, but it's time to bring the love over to the GNOME desktop.

Qt 3

While there is no way to match a Qt3 theme exactly to your GTK theme, there are ways to tweak it to make it look presentable. One of these methods is by installing the QtCurve theme for KDE, which gives applications a more "GTK" look and feel. (If you really want to take it far, there is also a version of QtCurve for GTK.)

Once you install QtCurve, you could edit some configuration files to make the theme take effect, but the easiest (and most complete) way is to simply install kcontrol. Yes, that means bringing in a bunch of KDE dependencies, but don't worry, we'll fix that later.

Run kcontrol, either from Alt+F2 or in a terminal, and expand Appearance & Themes on the left sidebar. First, open the Style dialog. Under Widget Style, select QtCurve from the dropdown menu. You can also select another Qt theme if you think it more closely resembeles your GTK theme.

Next up are the icons. In the same section (Appearance & Themes), visit the Icons panel. Select Tango from the list, and finally hit Apply. Your KDE applications should now look almost the same as everything else on your system.

But, we're not done. Unless you want your system menu to be cluttered with a bunch of KControl options, you'll want to remove it (and extra dependencies, if any). Okay, now you're done, unless you want to configure Qt4 applications. If you do, continue on down.

Qt 4 and KDE 4

Thankfully, Trolltech saw the lack of integration from Qt 3. While a theme is available to integrate GTK apps into KDE, the reverse never existed. With the introduction of QGtkStyle, GNOME users will be able to enjoy KDE applications on their system and never feel out of place. QGtkStyle is not available for any distribution yet, but you are free to download the source and configure it using the same instructions as above, except by using qtconfig instead of kcontrol.

That's all you'll need for a nicer, better integrating desktop. It may be a bit of a pain to set up, but the end experience is worth it. Enjoy.

KDE-Look.org is the premier site for styles, themes and other goodies for your KDE desktop. One of the goodies offered there is wallpapers (or desktop backgrounds, if you prefer).

Obviously, they are not specific for KDE usage, as they are just standard image files, but it is nice to have them there. You can download them from the website, but for KDE users there is a better way...

Just as if you were normally changing your desktop background, right click the desktop and choose Configure Desktop. On the Background tab, you will notice a button called Get New Wallpapers.

If you click this, it will load the latest wallpapers straight off the KDE-Look website. You can browse through and preview them straight from this window. If there are any you'd like, simply click Install to download them.

They will now show up in the list of pictures labelled Picture: back in the main window. Just pick the one you just downloaded and you can apply it straight away to your desktop.

This little integration feature of KDE goes too easily unnoticed - and if you like a change of background every now and then, this can be a way to find something cool and apply it, all in just a few clicks.