🌐 OpenBSD KDE Desktop Suite

Modern, Clean, Professional KDE Plasma on OpenBSD 7.8

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🎯 Overview

OpenBSD KDE Desktop Suite provides production-ready automation scripts for setting up a modern KDE Plasma desktop environment on OpenBSD 7.8.

Unlike Xfce (lightweight but basic), KDE Plasma offers:

• ✨ Modern, polished interface with animations and effects
• 🔧 Extensive customization without editing config files
• 📦 Integrated ecosystem (Dolphin, Kate, Konsole, etc.)
• 🎨 Beautiful default theme with dark mode support
• 🚀 Excellent HiDPI support for modern displays

All scripts are:

• ✅ Syntax-validated for ksh (OpenBSD shell)
• ✅ Idempotent - safe to run multiple times
• ✅ Backup-first - preserves existing configs
• ✅ Well-documented - inline comments and clear output
• ✅ Tested - on real OpenBSD 7.8 systems

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📦 What's Included

Script	Purpose	Run As	Time
setup-root.sh	System-wide configuration	Root	10-15 min
setup-user.sh	User desktop configuration	User	5 min
setup-vmware.sh	VMware guest optimization	Root	2 min
validate-install.sh	Verify installation ✅ NEW	User	1 min
rollback.sh	Restore previous config ✅ NEW	Root	2 min

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🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

1. OpenBSD 7.8 installed with X11 file sets:

   • xbase78
   • xshare78
   • xfont78
   • xserv78

2. Internet connectivity for package downloads

3. Root access via doas

Installation (15 minutes)

# 1. Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/azazelpy/openbsd.git
cd openbsd
# 2. System configuration (run as root)
doas ksh setup-root.sh
# 3. User configuration (run as regular user)
ksh setup-user.sh
# 4. Optional: VMware optimization (only if running in VMware)
doas ksh setup-vmware.sh
# 5. Reboot
doas reboot

After reboot:

1. Login via xenodm (display manager)
2. Select KDE Plasma session
3. Enjoy your modern OpenBSD desktop!

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🛠️ Scripts Detail

1. setup-root.sh (System Configuration)

Run:doas ksh setup-root.sh

What it does:

• ✅ Configures package mirror (/etc/installurl)
• ✅ Updates all packages to latest versions
• ✅ Installs KDE Plasma desktop (kde-plasma)
• ✅ Installs KDE applications (Dolphin, Kate, Konsole, etc.)
• ✅ Sets up system daemons (D-Bus, PolicyKit, ConsoleKit2)
• ✅ Configures doas for privilege escalation
• ✅ Enables xenodm display manager
• ✅ Applies system optimizations (/etc/sysctl.conf)
• ✅ Creates configuration backups

Packages installed:

kde-plasma # Full KDE Plasma desktop
kde-apps # Core KDE applications
dolphin # File manager
kate # Text editor
konsole # Terminal emulator
firefox # Web browser
thunderbird # Email client
git # Version control
vim, nano # Text editors
htop, tmux # System tools

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2. setup-user.sh (User Configuration)

Run:ksh setup-user.sh (NOT as root)

What it does:

• ✅ Creates .xsession for KDE Plasma (xenodm)
• ✅ Creates .xinitrc for startx fallback
• ✅ Configures .profile with environment variables
• ✅ Configures .kshrc with useful aliases
• ✅ Sets up KDE configuration directory
• ✅ Creates utility scripts (lock-screen, system-info)
• ✅ Configures touchpad tapping
• ✅ Applies KDE color scheme (dark mode)

Files created:

~/.xsession # KDE session (xenodm)
~/.xinitrc # X init (startx)
~/.profile # Shell environment
~/.kshrc # Ksh aliases
~/.config/kdeglobals # KDE global settings
~/.local/bin/ # Utility scripts

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3. setup-vmware.sh (VMware Optimization)

Run:doas ksh setup-vmware.sh (only if running in VMware)

What it does:

• ✅ Installs VMware Tools (vmware-tools)
• ✅ Enables VMware services (vmtoolsd, vmblock)
• ✅ Configures automatic start at boot
• ✅ Optimizes display settings
• ✅ Enables copy-paste between host and guest

Note: Skip this script if running on bare metal or other virtualization.

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🎨 KDE vs Xfce Comparison

Feature	KDE Plasma	Xfce
Visual Appeal	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Modern, polished	⭐⭐⭐ Basic, functional
Customization	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Extensive GUI options	⭐⭐⭐ Requires config editing
Resource Usage	~600MB RAM (idle)	~400MB RAM (idle)
HiDPI Support	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent	⭐⭐ Limited
Default Apps	Full suite (Dolphin, Kate, etc.)	Basic (Thunar, Mousepad)
Theme Support	Global themes, colors, icons	Per-component themes
Effects	Desktop effects, animations	Minimal effects
Best For	Modern desktop experience	Minimalist, low-resource

Recommendation:

• Choose KDE Plasma if you want a modern, polished desktop with excellent HiDPI support
• Choose Xfce if you need minimal resource usage on older hardware

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📋 Post-Installation

First Login

1. At xenodm login screen, select your username
2. Click Session → Select KDE Plasma
3. Enter password and login
4. KDE Plasma desktop appears

Recommended First Steps

1. System Settings → Display Configuration

   • Set resolution and scaling (especially for HiDPI displays)

2. System Settings → Colors & Themes

   • Choose Global Theme (Breeze Dark recommended)

3. System Settings → Window Management

   • Configure desktop effects (optional)

4. System Settings → Shortcuts

   • Customize keyboard shortcuts

Useful Commands

# Show system information~/.local/bin/system-info
# Lock screen~/.local/bin/lock-screen
# Update all packages
doas pkg_add -u
# Check KDE version
pkg_info kde-plasma
# Restart KDE (if needed)
pkill ksmserver

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🔧 Troubleshooting

Issue: xenodm doesn't start

Solution:

# Check xenodm status
doas rcctl check xenodm
# Enable xenodm
doas rcctl enable xenodm
# Start xenodm
doas rcctl start xenodm

Issue: KDE doesn't appear in session list

Solution:

# Verify KDE installation
pkg_info kde-plasma
# Reinstall if needed
doas pkg_add -u kde-plasma
# Check X session file
ls -la /usr/local/share/xsessions/

Issue: No sound

Solution:

# Install PulseAudio
doas pkg_add pulseaudio
# Add user to audio group
doas usermod -G audio $(whoami)# Reboot
doas reboot

Issue: VMware copy-paste doesn't work

Solution:

# Verify VMware Tools installed
pkg_info vmware-tools
# Check services running
doas rcctl check vmtoolsd
doas rcctl check vmblock
# Restart services
doas rcctl restart vmtoolsd
doas rcctl restart vmblock

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📚 Documentation

Document	Description
README.md	This file - quick start and overview
INSTALL.md	Detailed installation guide
KDE-CUSTOMIZATION.md	KDE Plasma customization guide
TROUBLESHOOTING.md	Common issues and solutions
CHANGELOG.md	Version history and changes

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Areas for improvement:

• Additional KDE customizations
• More utility scripts
• Documentation improvements
• Bug fixes and optimizations

How to Contribute

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly on OpenBSD 7.8
5. Commit with clear messages
6. Submit a pull request

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

TL;DR: Use it, modify it, share it. Just don't hold us liable.

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🙏 Acknowledgments

• OpenBSD Team - For creating the most secure operating system
• KDE Community - For the beautiful Plasma desktop
• Isotop Project (sp00cky/isotop) - Original inspiration for OpenBSD desktop automation scripts

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📚 References

This project was inspired by:

• Isotop - OpenBSD desktop configuration suite (https://github.com/sp00cky/isotop)
• OpenBSD FAQ - Installation and configuration guides (https://www.openbsd.org/faq/)
• KDE Documentation - Plasma setup and customization (https://docs.kde.org/)

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📊 Repository Stats

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📞 Support

Issues: Use GitHub Issues

Discussions: Use GitHub Discussions

Documentation: Check INSTALL.md and TROUBLESHOOTING.md

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Created with ❤️ for the OpenBSD community

☘️ Quality over speed. Professional setups take time.

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Last updated: 2026-03-17Version: 2.0.0 (KDE Plasma Edition)