Acer DeVille
Wed Feb 11, 2015 1:45:28 pm
...I have went back and forth the last couple of months trying to decide exactly which Linux OS I actually wanted to use. Zorin has some features that I prefer, and mirror certain features that make me keep Windows installed. At the same time, KDE (Kubuntu), has certain features that correspond to those essential Windows features. Now there is usually work-arounds I can use, but it just kind of makes me do things the hard way. So, I finally re-partitioned, my HDD, and installed Zorin 9 alongside Kde, and for the past month I have been rebooting back and forth depending on what I needed at the moment.
Now to my screw-up, yesterday I was in the process of rebooting, and I had the thought "it would be so much easier if I could just log-out and log back in as a different user instead of completely rebooting". Then after a few more un-do-able thoughts, I had the "brilliant" (read that stupid) idea that well Zorin will run some KDE programs, and Kubuntu runs Gnome type programs, why can't I just install the KDE desktop on top of Zorin, or vice-versa, and then create two users, or log-out and change desktop environments. I've installed two, and possibly three, (I don't remember), Three D-E's on one Linux install before, and just swapped out as needed/wanted, and/or was able to use a program(s) from each DE on other DE's so I didn't have to log-out every time.
So I opened Synaptic, and installed the KDE-base DE, on top of Zorin. For the most part things are OK, I open the Dash (or start-menu as I still call-it), and I have all the programs from both DE-s available. My problem comes in when trying to change System-Settings, both the KDE, and Zorin System-Setting's utilities are installed, which doesn't allow either to work. For some of the settings, it's like oh-well I can live without that, but for some things, it is essential to change the settings, and neither utility will change it. I have tried to uninstall one then the other utility so only one is installed, but even after uninstalling one, the other still doesn't work. Like I open the Zorin utility and try to unlock the settings, and the unlock button doesn't work, I can't change anything, the KDE utility (which I prefer, it's not as dumbed-down), will unlock, but it always tells me it don't have permission to make the change, I need to use other means of changing the setting.
At this point, based on previous experience, I am afraid that if I just try to uninstall KDE, it has attached itself to the Zorin system in such a way that shared files will be deleted also, and I'll have to re-install anyway. So I don't know whether to try to uninstall, or go ahead and just reinstall Zorin and save the trouble of wasting my time trying to uninstall KDE. I have went into KDE and installed the Zorin repo's, and tried to install the programs I want from there, but one thing I like about Zorin, is when you open the "dash", there is the "Places" link, that is very similar to Windows "My Computer", KDE just doesn't have anything close. I've tried adding repo's to Zorin, and adding some of the programs from KDE I like, that didn't work either.
So My question is, Is there a way to make this work, like I have it, or do I need to just choose one or the other, and uninstall the loser, or is there a third option I don't know about that will accomplish what I'm trying to do? Another thing about Zorin I like is the fact that it is smaller in every way, which means that the Help Forum is smaller, and you get better help from the people involved, whereas in KDE, it's so large that you ask 10 questions, and get one hundred answers, and you don't see the same person twice, so the entire process is just not as coherent. I realize now I should have asked before acting, but I thought that since it worked in the past, it would work again. That is why I always say "I know just enough to be dangerous". lol. I know I should be yelled at for being stupid, but try to be gentle please LOL
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Now to my screw-up, yesterday I was in the process of rebooting, and I had the thought "it would be so much easier if I could just log-out and log back in as a different user instead of completely rebooting". Then after a few more un-do-able thoughts, I had the "brilliant" (read that stupid) idea that well Zorin will run some KDE programs, and Kubuntu runs Gnome type programs, why can't I just install the KDE desktop on top of Zorin, or vice-versa, and then create two users, or log-out and change desktop environments. I've installed two, and possibly three, (I don't remember), Three D-E's on one Linux install before, and just swapped out as needed/wanted, and/or was able to use a program(s) from each DE on other DE's so I didn't have to log-out every time.
So I opened Synaptic, and installed the KDE-base DE, on top of Zorin. For the most part things are OK, I open the Dash (or start-menu as I still call-it), and I have all the programs from both DE-s available. My problem comes in when trying to change System-Settings, both the KDE, and Zorin System-Setting's utilities are installed, which doesn't allow either to work. For some of the settings, it's like oh-well I can live without that, but for some things, it is essential to change the settings, and neither utility will change it. I have tried to uninstall one then the other utility so only one is installed, but even after uninstalling one, the other still doesn't work. Like I open the Zorin utility and try to unlock the settings, and the unlock button doesn't work, I can't change anything, the KDE utility (which I prefer, it's not as dumbed-down), will unlock, but it always tells me it don't have permission to make the change, I need to use other means of changing the setting.
At this point, based on previous experience, I am afraid that if I just try to uninstall KDE, it has attached itself to the Zorin system in such a way that shared files will be deleted also, and I'll have to re-install anyway. So I don't know whether to try to uninstall, or go ahead and just reinstall Zorin and save the trouble of wasting my time trying to uninstall KDE. I have went into KDE and installed the Zorin repo's, and tried to install the programs I want from there, but one thing I like about Zorin, is when you open the "dash", there is the "Places" link, that is very similar to Windows "My Computer", KDE just doesn't have anything close. I've tried adding repo's to Zorin, and adding some of the programs from KDE I like, that didn't work either.
So My question is, Is there a way to make this work, like I have it, or do I need to just choose one or the other, and uninstall the loser, or is there a third option I don't know about that will accomplish what I'm trying to do? Another thing about Zorin I like is the fact that it is smaller in every way, which means that the Help Forum is smaller, and you get better help from the people involved, whereas in KDE, it's so large that you ask 10 questions, and get one hundred answers, and you don't see the same person twice, so the entire process is just not as coherent. I realize now I should have asked before acting, but I thought that since it worked in the past, it would work again. That is why I always say "I know just enough to be dangerous". lol. I know I should be yelled at for being stupid, but try to be gentle please LOL
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