The easiest way to run programs automatically when KDE starts is to use the Session Management feature of KDE. You can setup KDE exactly the way you'd like it to start every time you login.

Choose K-Menu->System Settings->User Account from the Desktop Menu System. Click the Session Manager button on the left. Ensure that the Restore manually saved session checkbox is enabled.

Launch all the applications you want running everytime you log in. Once you have everything set to your satisfaction, click choose K-Menu->Save Session. Every time you start KDE, you will return to this configuration.

Another method to do this is to copy the desktop entry of the application you want to autostart from /usr/share/applications to the ~/.kde/Autostart directory.

K-Menu->System Setting->Login Manager

Click on the Administrator Mode... and enter your user password to gain administrator privileges.

Select the Convenience tab. Check the Enable Autologin and select the user to autologin from the drop down menu and select an appropriate time delay.

Save and close all open applications.

Use the Ctrl-Alt-Backspace shortcut keys to restart KDE.

If Ctrl-Alt-Backspace is disabled, type

sudo /etc/init.d/kdm restart

(See the section called “Preventing the Ctrl-Alt-Backspace shortcut keys from restarting X” to disable Ctrl-Alt-Backspace.)

Make a backup copy of your existing /etc/X11/xorg.conf file.

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf_backup

Open /etc/X11/xorg.conf for editing.

kdesu kate /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Add the following lines to the end of the file:

Section	"ServerFlags"
Option	"DontZap"	"yes"
EndSection

Save the edited file. (an example)

The change will take effect the next time you log in to KDE. If you want the change to take effect immediately, restart KDE manually. (See the section called “Restart KDE without rebooting the computer”.)

Open the Run Command dialog by typing: Alt-F2

Enter the name of the program you wish to run, and press Enter.

K-Menu->System Setting->Keyboard

Under the NumLock on KDE Startup, enable the Turn On checkbox. Click on Apply to save your settings.

Start Firefox by choosing K-Menu->Internet->Firefox

Type about:config in the address bar.

Right click on the list, select New->Boolean Type network.protocol-handler.external.help as Preference Name and true as Value

Right click again on the list, select New->String Type network.protocol-handler.app.help as Preference Name and khelpcenter as Value

Open KDE Menu Editor by right-clicking on K-menu and choosing Menu Editor.

In KDE Menu Editor's left-hand pane, choose the submenu the new entry should appear in.

Choose File->New Item. In the New Item window, choose a Name. Then add the Description, Comment, and Command. Select the icon by clicking on Icon. The Command will usually be the package name, Name is what will appear on the menu, and the Comment will appear in the tooltip that appears near the menu entry. Icons are chosen from /usr/share/pixmaps directory by default, or can be chosen from anywhere in your files.

Install the superkaramba package from the Universe repository (see the section called “Managing Repositories”).

Choose: K-Menu->Utilities->Superkaramba

Visit the SuperKaramba website for downloading applets.

For international fonts, install the following packages from the Universe repository (see Chapter 3, Adding, Removing and Updating Applications):

For Microsoft TrueType core fonts, install the msttcorefonts package from the Multiverse repository (see Chapter 3, Adding, Removing and Updating Applications).

For Ghostscript fonts, install the gsfonts-x11 package (see Chapter 3, Adding, Removing and Updating Applications).

After installing any new font, rebuild the font information files by typing the following at a terminal prompt:

sudo fc-cache -f -v