[KrUsTy!]

SuperKaramba seems to be the new cool thing in desktop eye candy. It can be pretty usefull too, RSS feeds, weather, even OS X Style menu bars embedded in your desktop. First there was Karamba, but now SuperKaramba! The difference is that superkaramba has python support, and most of the cool themes now use python.

The SuperKaramba website - http://netdragon.sourceforge.net

A great place to get modules and examples of uses for superkaramba is http://www.kde-look.org in the karamba section. New stuff comming out all the time.

The superkaramba website says it only works with linux, but it works great in FBSD!

Its is a KDE app, meaning that it is built using QT, but you can use it with any window manager. You will have to have the QT libraries installed to build it though.

So you will need;
QT - /usr/ports/x11-toolkits/qt31
gmake - /usr/ports/devel/gmake
python - /usr/ports/lang/python

Before you get started, create a link that will ensure that the install goes correctly.

ln -s /usr/local/ /usr/local/kde

The install uses the path /usr/local/kde to install stuff that should really go in /usr/local/. Doing this just makes it go better and installs the binaries in the correct location.

Download the SuperKaramba source from the sourceforge website. It compiles clean with gmake.

(I'm using the latest SuperKaramba as of this time which is 0.26, but it is updated regularly...)

tar xvzf superkaramba-0.26.tar.gz

cd superkaramba-0.26

./configure

gmake install

Now SuperKaramba is installed. You will see it show up in the Utlities menu if you are using KDE. To run it just issue the command "superkaramba".

Now it does not come with any modules which it calls themes, and so now you will have to do some hunting. http://www.kde-look.org is the place for themes. All themes install quite differently, but the thing to remeber is the the script part of any theme needs to be in a place that is in your path. So I just created a folder for all these themes (/usr/local/superkaramba) and added that folder to my path.

So I'll use the Karamba Weather v 0.4 theme as an example. From the readme that comes with it, it says that you need PyXML. /usr/ports/textproc/py-xml

The k_weather.py needs to be in your path. Make the changes required to modify the weather to your area and preferences in the k_weather.py, and then launch the *.theme files via the superkaramba interface when you launch superkaramba. In this "module" you can launch three different themes, lcd, plain or liquid. The .theme file is the folders marked lcd, plain, or liquid depending on the look you want.

So it does take a bit of work to get themes running, and everyone is different, but the amount of cool things you can do is practically endless. Take a look and try some of them out!

Regular karamba (with no python support) is in the ports - /usr/ports/deskutils/karamba. I believe that it comes with some themes that are cool, and don't require python. They can be run in superkaramba without any issues along side other themes that use python.

Please post corrections and additions to this, and any info about cool themes you have working. I'll be posting screenshots of stuff I have working in just a bit.

{K}

[soup4you2]

hmm... i might need to install kde to play around......

[frisco]

I wonder how many people run X with no window manager?

[soup4you2]

been switching between fluxbox, windowmaker and waimea


But i hope you dont mind but i plan on posting your howto on my site this weekend.... i should have a howto completed sometime soon that i will be posting here also... i'm not going to say what it is though... 8)

[KrUsTy!]

soup4you2 - I don't mind, I just ask that I am clearly identified as the author, and that a link is made to the orginal post here at SE.

{K}

[soup4you2]

soup4you2 - I don't mind, I just ask that I am clearly identified as the author, and that a link is made to the orginal post here at SE.

{K}


ahh no problem.... i always do..

[elmore]

Just did this, pretty sweet! Thanks Krusty!

[hugh nicks]

i'm getting this error when trying to install SK. Any thoughts? I've even tried gmake, but same thing.

dremond# make
make all-recursive
Making all in doc
Making all in .
Making all in en
Making all in po
Making all in src
if g++ -DHAVE_CONFIG_H -I. -I. -I.. -I/usr/local/include -I/usr/X11R6/include -I/usr/X11R6/include -I/usr/X11R6/include/xmms -I/usr/X11R6/include/gtk12 -I/usr/local/include/glib12 -I/usr/local/include -I/usr/X11R6/include -pthread -DQT_THREAD_SUPPORT -D_THREAD_SAFE -Wnon-virtual-dtor -Wno-long-long -Wundef -pedantic -W -Wpointer-arith -Wmissing-prototypes -O2 -fno-exceptions -fno-check-new -MT main.o -MD -MP -MF ".deps/main.Tpo" -c -o main.o `test -f 'main.cpp' || echo './'`main.cpp; then mv ".deps/main.Tpo" ".deps/main.Po"; else rm -f ".deps/main.Tpo"; exit 1; fi
In file included from main.cpp:19:
karamba.h:12:20: Python.h: No such file or directory
In file included from main.cpp:19:
karamba.h:185: syntax error before `*' token
main.cpp:35: syntax error before `*' token
main.cpp: In function `int main(int, char**)':
main.cpp:77: `Py_Initialize' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:77: (Each undeclared identifier is reported only once for each
function it appears in.)
main.cpp:80: `PyEval_InitThreads' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:82: `mainThreadState' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:85: `PyThreadState_Get' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:88: `PyEval_ReleaseLock' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:118: `PyInterpreterState' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:118: `mainInterpreterState' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:120: `PyThreadState' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:120: `myThreadState' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:120: `PyThreadState_New' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:121: `PyThreadState_Swap' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:122: `PyEval_AcquireLock' undeclared (first use this function)
main.cpp:123: `Py_Finalize' undeclared (first use this function)
*** Error code 1

Stop in /usr/local/superkaramba-0.31/src.
*** Error code 1

Stop in /usr/local/superkaramba-0.31/src.
*** Error code 1

Stop in /usr/local/superkaramba-0.31.
*** Error code 1

Stop in /usr/local/superkaramba-0.31.

[socomm]

Seems as if you don't have python or some of the python components required by super karamba, if you like you can install a precompiled version just run pkg_add -r karamba :-P. BTW Karamba is kinda heavy, it slowed my machine down to a crawl.

[hugh nicks]

thanks socomm, but will that add the latest karamba 0.31? just released yesterday.

[socomm]

Doubtful, though only one way to find out right? However if you'd like the latest version you will probably need KDE 3.1.3, and some version of python. Grab the latest kde version on http://freebsd.kde.org , and install python from the ports( /usr/ports/lang/python ). Should work after that :). Good luck.

PS: If you have kde installed you can do a simple portupgrade( portupgrade -rR kde ) to kde 3.1.3

[hugh nicks]

doesn't work. pkg add wants to install ver 0.17, and that requires older versions of python and stuff i have already installed. i have kde 3.13 installed too, and python 2.3.1

oh well :roll:

hn

[ealwen]

Nice write up, now I just have to get KDE installed.

[soup4you2]

Nice write up, now I just have to get KDE installed.

Well there's packages.. takes no time

or theres ports, Takes fricken forever...

packages though f3@r the portupgrade.... either way it sucks..

[KrUsTy!]

i'm getting this error when trying to install SK. Any thoughts? I've even tried gmake, but same thing.

You will need to use gmake for Superkaramba.


In file included from main.cpp:19:
karamba.h:12:20: Python.h: No such file or directory


This is your clue.... Looks like it can't find you installed python libraries. I would look to make sure python is installed properly, and that the library paths are in your shell path.

I haven't built a new version of SuperKaramba in a while, so I'll try the new version out and let you know if I have any problems.

{K}

[hugh nicks]

i know i have python installed:

python-2.3_1 An interpreted object-oriented programming language

i just don't know how to check if its installed "properly"

[socomm]

Have you considered installing gDesklets (http://gdesklets.gnomedesktop.org)?

[optyk]

it's in ports -> /usr/ports/deskutils/gdesklets/

[psyche101]

Hiya All

Having the same Prob.
I am stuck on FreeBSD 4.7-RELEASE as I have neded up with a machine sporting the Ali chipset with a sis controller and cannot cvsup. - Everytime I try I get the contigmalloc 1 error on boot and I hve to rebuild. FreeBSD-questions only suggestion was to give 5.2RC a go as it might be supported there.

However all my issues aside I am keen to give SuperKarambe a go but when I try and 'make' I get

pedantic -W -Wpointer-arith -Wmissing-prototypes -Wwrite-strings -O2 -fno-exceptions -fno-check-new -c -o main.o `test -f 'main.cpp' || echo './'`main.cpp
In file included from /usr/include/string.h:50,
from /usr/X11R6/include/qcstring.h:46,
from /usr/X11R6/include/qstring.h:43,
from /usr/X11R6/include/qwindowdefs.h:44,
from /usr/X11R6/include/qwidget.h:42,
from /usr/X11R6/include/qdesktopwidget.h:42,
from /usr/X11R6/include/qapplication.h:42,
from /usr/local/include/kapplication.h:39,
from main.cpp:6:
/usr/include/sys/cdefs.h:273: warning: `_POSIX_C_SOURCE' is not defined
/usr/include/sys/cdefs.h:279: warning: `_POSIX_C_SOURCE' is not defined
In file included from main.cpp:16:
karamba.h:12: Python.h: No such file or directory
*** Error code 1

Stop in /usr/home/andy/programs/superkaramba-0.17/src.
*** Error code 1

So I have a python problem too :/. Does anyone know if I can run superkaramba without the aid of upgrading ? The rest of the system has posed little in the way of errors, and with the exceptions of this and k3b, all installs heve been nice and smooth, and I have great stability and m pleased with my 'older version'. I even tried several Linux distos, but all of them don't seem to support this chipset
Thanks for all help. :)