Yet another way to dress up your desktop is to let others do it for you. KDE comes with a modest collection of themes to start you off, and there are heaps more available on the web.

Themes are accessed via KDE's Systems Settings. Some distros tinker with them - I don't know why - but I prefer to use the generic controls. To find these, hit <Alt+F2> or choose Run Command from the K Menu, type kcontrol on the command line, press Run and you'll kick off the KDE Control Centre.

Click the + beside Appearances & Themes and choose Theme Manager.


[Click on images for a better view]


There's a variety of themes available. From the boring Windows-lookalike Redmond...




The the natty Plastik...




To a variety of High Contrast ones...




Individual parts of each theme are customisable so you can set things just so...




...and then save it by clicking the Create New Theme button...




Not only can you save themes for your own use but you can publish and distribute them for others on sites like kde-look. Of course lots of people have been down that path so there's already a vast repository available for download. Here's just a handful of samples...


Acqua...


[Click images for a full-screen view]


Aeris...





Baghira...





KDE3 XP...





Linux Vista...




And those are just the beginning! You can add desktop widgets with the likes of SuperKaramba (or even write your own) and add fancy toolbars with kxdocker. With Linux it's easy to banish boring desktops!

<< Back to Part II

<< Back to Part I