Development Environments

Kubuntu Focus: Built for Developers

Developers need the best tools for the job. This is why the Kubuntu Focus comes with integrated support for JetBrains IDEs as well as easy installation for Microsoft Visual Studio Code.

• JetBrains IDEs
• Microsoft Visual Studio Code
• Kate, KDevelop, and Qt Creator
• Konsole, Vim, Emacs, and Bash
• Troubleshooting
• Revisions
• Disclaimer

Manage large projects with ease using IntelliJ IDEA.

Please read the disclaimer before proceeding. We review and update guided solutions regularly. If you have suggestions or requests, please write support@kfocus.org.

JetBrains IDEs

Kubuntu Focus computers come with JetBrains Toolbox. With it, you can install many IDEs for many different languages. JetBrains IDE solutions are used by developers worldwide and come highly recommended.

For more information about JetBrains or their IDEs, please visit their website.

Install and manage JetBrains products with JetBrains Toolbox.

Microsoft Visual Studio Code

Another popular development environment is the free Microsoft Visual Studio Code. With thousands of extensions, it has become an extremely popular development environment. Although it was originally billed as a "text editor" it has become extremely powerful as a result of its thousands of community-contributed extensions. This allows it to work as an all-in-one IDE with support for many different languages in a single project.

If you wish to use the VSCode Settings Sync feature, you will require libsecret capability. This can be provided by KeePassXC which is installed by default on all Kubuntu Focus systems. Please see the guide found here.

For more information, please visit the Visual Studio Code website.

Enjoy the power and versatility of Visual Studio Code.

Kate, KDevelop, and Qt Creator

Kubuntu comes with the advanced text editor Kate, which has most features you'd find in an IDE, such as context highlighting and git integration. It is able to support context highlighting for a plethora of languages and is very popular for quick edits. For more information, visit https://kate-editor.org.

KDevelop is a fully-featured Integrated Development Environment, perfect for C and C++ projects and other supported languages. It has great code completion and project support, along with documentation integration that keeps you close to where you're editing code. It was one of the first KDE projects, and is used by many KDE developers as their primary IDE.

Qt Creator is a cross-platform integrated development environment (IDE) built for the maximum developer experience. Qt Creator runs on Windows, Linux, and macOS desktop operating systems and allows developers to create software across desktop, mobile, and embedded platforms. You can install the community version using the Discover software manager.

Make quick edits to code with Kate.

Konsole, Vim, Emacs, and Bash

Don't forget about standard terminal tools. Both Vim and Emacs can provide extensive capabilities and scripting. Focus systems come with a comprehensive Vim environment and capabilities. For example, it supports fenced syntax in Markdown, and shortcuts to round numbers to n decimal places (;r), format JSON ([CTRL][J]) compress JSON ([CTRL][K]), remove trailing spaces (;k) and much more. Because Vim runs on the most humble devices over slow connections, one can use this just about anywhere.

Focus systems also include a few bash extensions. The gg command simply provides case-insentive search in files in the current working directory. The qwe command is a CLI bookmark system that is both easy to use and powerful - we use it all the time. You can see more here.

Edit, navigate, and transform text and source code with Vim.

Troubleshooting

Q: When using IntelliJ, the keyboard stops working sometimes. How do I fix this?

A: This typically happens when you have Zoom installed, which in-turn install IBus, a keyboard input handler. This does not work well with IntelliJ. Per this JetBrains ticket, this is still an issue. You can restart IBus, and then do the following:

• Go to IDE 'Help | Edit Custom VM options...'
• Add -Drecreate.x11.input.method=true to a new line.
• Restart the IDE.

Disclaimer

We try hard to provide a useful solution validated by professionals. However, we cannot anticipate every situation, and therefore cannot guarantee this procedure will work for your needs. Always backup your data and test the solution to determine the correct procedure for you.

THIS SOLUTION IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS “AS IS” AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOLUTION, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.