How To Make A Fully Customized KDE Live CD/DVD Using Kubuntu - Page 2

Step Seven: Create A Test Account To See Your Default Setting Changes

Use your current account as the working account where we do all the changes, editing and configuration changes. You will also need a test account to see how things come together as you do them. Test often (you should test each time you make a change to the default desk configuration) and make sure everything is coming together as you planned. Each time you make a change use Krusader or some other File manager in root mode and clean out the entire home folder (including the hidden folders, especially) of your test account. When you do that it will repopulate with new default folders and when you log into it will be as if you logged in for the first time. The reasoning and purpose of this is so we can see what a new user will experience when they use the Live CD/DVD for the first time. Since our global settings will only affect a new user we must make KDE think your test account has never been logged into before each time we use it.

Your initial desktop should look nothing like a standard Kubuntu desktop. Which is good because we can now modify it in any manner we choose. The following steps will take you from this to your final layout step by step. In some cases I will tell you to hand edit the files and in others I will have you use the Kiosk Admin Tool. There are some cases where you can use either method, and I will mention that. However, based on my experiences while putting this How To together I will emphasize what I feel is the better method of the two.

 

Step Eight: Set Default Kicker Options

NOTE: If you plan on using kicker_kickoff_1, or any other menu system outside of the standard KDE Menu, in your distribution install it now before continuing with the rest of this step. Make sure all panel applets you wish to use are also installed.

Most everything we want to do with the kicker panel needs to be done via the Kiosk Admin Tool. The final part of this step will require the hand editing of a file. You will see and understand why when we get to that.

Start by opening the Kiosk Admin Tool. You will find it under 'System' in the programs section of the KDE Menu.

The default profile should be the only one listed and highlighted. Click on 'Setup Profile' to start. Then click 'Panel' you will get a notice click 'OK' to continue. Click 'Setup Panel' to begin configuring the Global default settings of the kicker panel. Just as if you were on your own desktop right click on kicker to bring up the options. Start with 'Configure Panel' Here you can set the panel looks and operations. When you are all done setting up the panel use the 'Add Applet to Panel” to select what Applets you want starting up and arrange them on the panel where you want. Go back to 'Configure Panel' to make any final adjustments. When done with that click on 'Save' in Kiosk Admin Tool to save your changes. Now use the following command to do a bit of hand editing to your default settings;

kdesu kate /etc/kde-profile/default/share/config/kickerrc

Look at the line labled UntrustedApplets= and see what's listed there. If any applet you have previously selected is listed there then remove it from this line.

 

Step Nine: Select Your Default Cursor Theme

Setting of the default cursor is much easier now. First make sure that you have installed the cursor theme you wish to use as the default.
The following information is from Debian Admin.

If you want to change the default cursor theme first you need to install one of the available cursor themes:

crystalcursors
dmz-cursor-theme
xcursor-themes
comixcursors
Chameleon-custor-theme
Big-cursor

For example I am installing crystalcursors:

# aptitude install crystalcursors

This will complete the installation. Now you need to run the update-alternative to set/change the current cursor-theme, when prompted give the number of the theme and press enter.

sudo update-alternatives --config x-cursor-theme

There are 24 alternatives which provide `x-cursor-theme’.
Selection Alternative
———————————————–
1 /etc/X11/cursors/core.theme
2 /etc/X11/cursors/redglass.theme
3 /etc/X11/cursors/whiteglass.theme
4 /etc/X11/cursors/handhelds.theme
+ 5 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblue_classic.theme
6 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblue_nonanim.theme
7 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblueleft.theme
8 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblueleft_classic.theme
9 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblueleft_nonanim.theme
10 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgray.theme
11 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgray_nonanim.theme
12 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgrayleft.theme
13 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgrayleft_nonanim.theme
14 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreen.theme
15 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreen_classic.theme
16 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreen_nonanim.theme
17 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreenleft.theme
18 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreenleft_classic.theme
19 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalgreenleft_nonanim.theme
20 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalwhite.theme
21 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalwhite_nonanim.theme
* 22 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalwhiteleft.theme
23 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalwhiteleft_nonanim.theme
24 /etc/X11/cursors/crystalblue.theme
Press enter to keep the default[*], or type selection number: 23
Using ‘/etc/X11/cursors/crystalwhiteleft_nonanim.theme’ to provide ‘x-cursor-theme’

 

Step Ten: Setup the Desired Default Desktop Icons

To setup default Desktop Icons (The icons every new user will see when they first login) simply setup icons on your working desktop, use the Kiosk Admin Tool and click on 'Setup Profile' Select 'Desktop Icons' and click 'Setup Desktop Icons' then click 'Save'. This will create the file structure the default profile will use to set the default settings. Using Krusader (or some other file manager) in root mode copy the files from your working desktop directory to /etc/kde-profile/default/share/apps/kdedesktop (or kdesktop)/Desktop/

If you want functional Icons for System, Home and Trash then simply cut and paste each of the following into new text files on your desktop to create them. Each one should have its own file and it should be named appropriately:

[Desktop Entry]
Comment=Home Folder
Encoding=UTF-8
Icon=folder_home
Name=Home
Type=Link
URL=system:/home
[Desktop Entry]
Comment=Contains removed files
EmptyIcon=trashcan_empty
Encoding=UTF-8
Icon=trashcan_full
Name=Trash
Type=Link
URL=trash:/ 
[Desktop Entry]
Comment=System Folder
Encoding=UTF-8
Icon=system
Name=System
Type=Link
URL=system:/

Once the above files are created then copy them to the afore mentioned directory. Once copied all new (first time) users will get the Icons for System, Home and Trash on their desktop.

NOTE: I recommend you at least put the Trash Icon on new desktops.

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