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Documentation : Repository : Upgrade

This section describes how to upgrade from a regular Ubuntu 12.04 install (or variants), to a cool and fresh KXStudio Desktop.
This method will work *only* in Ubuntu 12.04 based systems.

KXStudio officially supports KDE4 and partially XFCE (on 12.04/12.10, KXStudio will use UbuntuStudio desktop as base as it uses XFCE).
You can still install KXStudio if using any other Desktop Environment, but there's no meta-packages for them, and we'll not document the install process here.
Create a new topic in the forums if you want support for other DEs.


Step 1 - Enable the repositories

Open up the 'Software Sources' (usually in the System menu), and on the 3rd party separator, add this code:
ppa:kxstudio-team/kxstudio
Alternatively, you can run this command, which has the same effect:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kxstudio-team/kxstudio

Next, reload the sources (method depends on the current application), and install the package 'kxstudio-repos'. Then reload the sources again.
You can do the same thing in the command-line with:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install kxstudio-repos
sudo apt-get update

NOTE: If you're running 12.04, it's recommended to also install 'kxstudio-repos-kde49' which will update KDE4 to the stable 4.9.5 version.


Step 2 - Update the system

Once you've got the repositories set-up, it's time to upgrade the system (ie, update the software, not upgrade to a newer Ubuntu release!).

Simply use whatever tool your Desktop Environment provides (Ubuntu Software Center, Synaptic, Update Manager, KPackageKit, Muon, etc).
If you want to use the command-line, or if you just got too many dependency conflicts (can happen if you enabled many PPAs before upgrading to KXStudio), the command is:
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
Even though it says 'dist-upgrade', it will not update the Ubuntu version. In this case, 'dist' means something like "resolve conflicts, even if some stuff gets removed".

This step will take some time. Some minor questions may appear while the upgrade takes place.


Step 3 - Install the KXStudio Desktop

After the upgrade, it's time to install the main KXStudio packages.
Just like you did to install the 'kxstudio-repos' package, now install:

For KDE4 -> 'kxstudio-desktop-kde4'
For XFCE -> 'kxstudio-desktop-xfce'
For other systems install 'kxstudio-desktop-base' and the ubuntu related package, like 'lubuntu-desktop' for LXDE


Step 4 - Install the Multimedia Software

This step if almost optional. Here we install the basic software for Audio, Graphics and Video.
Just like before, it's time to install some new meta-packages. They are available as listed here (following a tree view of dependencies):

  • kxstudio-meta-all
    • kxstudio-meta-audio
      • kxstudio-meta-audio-plugins
        • kxstudio-meta-audio-plugins-dssi
        • kxstudio-meta-audio-plugins-ladspa
        • kxstudio-meta-audio-plugins-lv2
        • kxstudio-meta-audio-plugins-vamp
        • kxstudio-meta-audio-plugins-vst
    • kxstudio-meta-graphics
    • kxstudio-meta-video
  • kxstudio-meta-codecs
  • kxstudio-meta-restricted-extras
  • kxstudio-meta-non-free

Install the meta-packages you want just like before (ie, search for the package and click to install, or use in command-line: sudo apt-get install <package-name>)
See Documentation:Ubuntu:Meta-Packages for a description of these meta-packages.

Note - meta-all recommends restricted extras, and audio recommends audio-plugins.


Step 5 - Install a Kernel (Optional)

This step is optional, and mostly useful for audio production only.
Installing a kernel in KXStudio couldn't be easier - just install one of these packages:

  • kxstudio-kernel-generic
  • kxstudio-kernel-generic-pae (32bit only)
  • kxstudio-kernel-lowlatency
  • kxstudio-kernel-lowlatency-pae (32bit only)
  • kxstudio-kernel-realtime (10.04 or 12.04)
  • kxstudio-kernel-realtime-pae (10.04 or 12.04, 32bit only)

The realtime kernels are only available for 10.04 and 12.04.
Ubuntu 10.04 uses a 2.6.33 RT kernel and 12.04 uses a 3.2.0 one.


Step 6 - Reboot and update settings

After all this, it's time to reboot.
The next time you login, you'll see the KXStudio Welcome Screen to help you update your settings (and maybe the theme too).
You should also run 'cadence' and change your JACK settings to your preference.
Finally, just re-login again after updating the settings.


Step 7 - Enjoy!

Of course, now it's time to enjoy!