KDE Linux/Install software not available in Discover

If you don't find the software you're looking for in Discover, there are a few options here, depending on what you want. All of these options are more suitable for advanced users.

Specific common software

DaVinci Resolve

DaVinci Resolve is challenging to install. If it meets your needs, consider trying KDE's Kdenlive video editor instead. If not, proceed.

First, download the DaVinci Resolve software using the official installer at https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/davinciresolve. This will get you a .run file. Ignore it for now.

Instead, run the following commands in a terminal window:

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/zelikos/davincibox/refs/heads/main/setup.sh --directory-prefix=/tmp/
chmod +x /tmp/setup.sh
/tmp/setup.sh [drag the .run file into the terminal window, or paste its path here]

For more information, see https://github.com/zelikos/davincibox/.

Software not listed above

Distrobox

Distrobox is a system for creating "containers" within which you can install anything from the software library of another Linux distribution, in a self-contained manner and with access to the files in your home directory. Distrobox works well for creating bespoke development environments that won't scatter files all over your home directory. Distrobox comes pre-installed in KDE Linux; explore it using the distrobox command-line. Toolbx is also pre-installed and supported.

Example usage:

# Download the image "quay.io/toolbx/arch-toolbox".
distrobox create -n default

# Enter it
distrobox enter default

# Do whatever you want in it. Here, we install `mc`
sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S mc

# Run `mc`. Your home directory from KDE Linux is exposed as your home directory inside the Linux container. Press F10 to close mc.
mc

# Exit the distrobox container
exit

# To find the container image:
podman image list

# To see the distrobox podman container still running:
podman ps
distrobox list
distrobox stop default

# To delete the container:
distrobox rm name
podman image list # Says "IMAGE ID" is 664c1f5776fa.
podman image rm 664c1f5776fa
podman image list

Snap

Snap is an alternative to Flatpak that includes many GUI apps as well as command-line tools and developer libraries. Snap comes pre-installed in KDE Linux; explore it using the snap command-line.

Example usage:

snap install hugo

AppImage

Apps packaged as AppImages work in KDE Linux, and many can be found at https://www.appimagehub.com. AppImages offer a reduced level of system integration compared to other software, so getting apps using Discover is preferred.

Homebrew

Homebrew is an easy-to-use system-level package manager you can install that offers a fairly large library of command-line tools and development libraries.

Warning

Using Homebrew to install anything that uses Python will break kde-builder. To use Python intentionally, use a virtual environment. See https://invent.kde.org/kde-linux/kde-linux/-/issues/278 for details, discussion, and other possible workarounds.

Nix

The Nix package manager is an advanced user-level package manager suitable for use by technically adept users, and offering a massive library of software.

Compile it yourself

If you can get the dependencies using for example Homebrew or Distrobox, you'll be able to compile anything you want.