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How to install Takeoff Launcher on Kubuntu 12.04

Kubuntu 12.04 Takeoff Launcher Download deb

Takeoff Launcher, one of 2 cool reasons to use the K Desktop Environment, is a fullscreen menu (for KDE). It is one of several menu styles available for that desktop environment.

Published articles on this subject include how to compile and install it on Linux Mint 12 KDE and how to install it on Fedora 16 KDE. In this article, the steps required to replace Kickoff menu with Takeoff Launcher on Kubuntu 12.04, are presented in an easy to follow manner.

When completed, your menu will look just like the one below. Note that like virtually all distributions that use KDE, the Kickoff menu is the default on Kubuntu 12.04, a version of the Ubuntu-based distribution which should be released sometime next week. The lone exception that I am aware of, is Mageia, a desktop distribution forked from Mandriva.
Kubuntu 12.04 Takeoff Launcher

The first step to getting this done is to download a .deb file for Takeoff Launcher from here. The file to download is indicated on the image below. Save it to your home folder. If using Firefox, it should be saved by default in the Downloads folder.
Kubuntu 12.04 Takeoff Launcher Download deb

The next step, is to install it. To do that, launch a shell terminal and navigate to the folder the file was saved into. Here, the working directory is assumed to be Downloads. Type the command shown in the screen shot below to install it.
Install Takeoff Launcher deb File

After installation has completed successfully, time to install the widget. To proceed, click on the task bar of the panel and select Panel Options > Add Widgets.
Kubuntu 12.04 KDE Panel Widget

In the Add Widgets search box, typing “take” should call up the Takeoff Launcher widget. Double-click on it to add it to the panel.
Kubuntu 12.04 Takeoff Launcher Widget

This is what the menu looks like by default. I generally do not like it in fullscreen mode. If you are like me and you want to customize it, right-click on its icon on the panel and select Takeoff Settings.
Kubuntu 12.04 Takeoff Launcher Fullscreen

On the Takeoff Settings window, the options I like to mess with are indicated in this screen shot. You can use any image on your computer for the background image.
Kubuntu 12.04 Takeoff Launcher Settings

After messing with the settings, your menu should look like the one below.
Kubuntu 12.04 Takeoff Launcher

And like this, when using the search feature. Note that to access the search box, you just need to start typing.
Kubuntu 12.04 Takeoff Launcher Search

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Henri
Henri
11 years ago
Raihan
Raihan
11 years ago

its 32 bit i need 64 bit app…. how can i get? and am also new kubuntu useer cant paly song can you help me> i cant find codec

David
David
Reply to  Raihan
11 years ago
stereoplegic
stereoplegic
11 years ago

Looks nice, responds quickly; however, it doesn’t recognize category sub-folders. Ubuntu’s pre-11.04 netbook launcher, KDE’s search and launch, Elementary OS’s Slingshot launcher all suffer the same dilemma. Too bad, as I would love to implement one of them.

tracyanne
11 years ago

Thankfully there’s still a real menu available.

David
David
11 years ago

Thanks for another great tutorial. Is there a 64-bit version?

Also, did you notice that the latest build of Chakra removed the graphic package manager? For now apparently it’s command-line only.

David
David
Reply to  finid
11 years ago

Thanks, I look forward to reading it.

LinuxCanuck
LinuxCanuck
11 years ago

This did not work for me. I am running 12.04 Kubuntu, 64-bit. I have some i386 packages already so thought I would give it a try.

It installed but could not meet all of the dependencies resulting in a broken package on the system. Aptitude wanted to remove 1000 packages to fix the problem. I was able to remove takeoff and fix it, but a newbie would not have been so lucky.

Do not try this on a 64-bit machine. 🙂

Peter
Peter
Reply to  LinuxCanuck
9 years ago

I tried to install it and it installed. I even found it in the widgets list. But when I added it there was only a big red “x” in tne corner. When I klick on it with right mouse it said:
“Unknown widget” and thats it. Nothing more. No menu. So I removed it again.

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