In this post, I’d like to share my experiences in setting a Google Online Account in GNOME and KDE. Actually, I have more than one Google account, and the procedures I show can be repeated for all your Google accounts.

First, a disclaimer: I’ve always loved KDE and I’ve used that since version 3. Lately, I have started to appreciate GNOME though. I’ve been using GNOME most of the time now, in most of my computers, for a few years. But lately, I started to experiment with KDE again, and I started to install that on some of my computers.

KDE is well-known for its customizability, while GNOME is known for the opposite. However, I must admit that in GNOME settings most of the things are trivial, while in KDE, you pay a lot for its customizability.

I think setting a Google Account is a good example of what I’ve just said. Of course, I might be wrong concerning the procedure I’ll show in this post, but, from what I’ve read around, especially for KDE, there doesn’t seem to be an easier way. Of course, if you know an easier procedure I’d like to know in the comments 🙂

In the following, I’m showing how to set a Google Account so that its features, mainly the calendar and access to Google Drive, get integrated into GNOME and KDE. I tested these procedures both in Ubuntu/Kubuntu and in Manjaro GNOME/KDE, but I guess that’s the same in other distributions.

TL;DR: in Gnome it’s trivial, in KDE you need some effort.

GNOME

Just open “Online Accounts”, and choose Google. Use the web form to log in and give the permissions so that GNOME can access all your Google data. As I said, I’m focusing on the calendar and drive. Repeat the same procedure for all your Google accounts you want to connect.

Done! In Files (Nautilus) you can see on the left, the links to your Google drive (or drives, if you configured several accounts). In the Gnome Calendar, you can choose the Google calendars you want to show. The events will be automatically shown in the top Gnome shell clock and calendar widget. Notifications will be automatically shown (by Evolution). For the Gnome Contacts, things are similar. By the way, also Gnome Tasks and other Gnome applications will be automatically able to access your Google accounts data.

To summarize, one single configuration and everything else is automatically integrated.

KDE

Now be prepared for an overwhelming number of steps, most of which, I’m afraid, I find rather complex and counter-intuitive.

In particular, you won’t get access to your Google account data in a single step. In fact, I’ll first show how to mount a Google drive and then how to set up the calendar.

Mount your Google drive

Go to

System Settings -> Online Accounts -> Add New Account -> Google

As usual, you get redirected to the “Web authentication for google”, login and give the consent allowing “KDE Online Accounts” to access some of your Google information, including drive, manage your YouTube videos, access your contacts, and calendar. (This procedure can be repeated for all your Google accounts if you have many.) Note that with all the permissions you give, you’d expect that then everything is automatically configured in KDE, but that’s not the case…

Back to the system settings, you get a “Google account”, not with your Google username or email, which is what I’d expect, but a simple “google” and a progress number (of course, you can rename it).

OK, now I can access my Google drive files from Dolphin and have my local calendar automatically connected to my Google calendar? Just like in Gnome? I’m afraid not… we’re still far away from that.

If you go to Dolphin’s Network place you see no Google drive mounted, nor a mechanism to do that… First, you have to install the package kio-gdrive (at least in Kubuntu and Manjaro KDE that’s not installed by default…). After that, back to Dolphin’s Network place you can expand the “Google Drive” folder and you get asked for the Google account you had previously configured. Select that, and “Use This Account For” -> “Drive” in Accounts Details. Now you can access your Google drive from Dolphin.

Add your Google calendar

What about my Google Calendar? First, you have to install the package korganizer (or the full suite kontact); again, at least in Kubuntu and Manjaro KDE, that’s not installed by default… Great, once installed I can simply select my previously configured Google account? Ehm… no… you “just” have to go to

Settings -> Configure KOrganizer -> General -> Calendars -> Add… -> Google Groupware -> a dialog appears, click “Configure…”

Now the browser (not a web dialog as before) is opened to login into your Google account. Then, give the permissions so that “This will allow Akonadi Resources for Google Services to…” (Again, you have to do the same for all your Google accounts you want to connect to.) In the browser, you then see: “You can close this tab and return to the application now.” Go back to the dialog in KOrganizer, and your calendars and tasks should already be selected (unselect anything you don’t want). OK, now in the previous dialog you should see KOrganizer synchronizing with your Google calendar and tasks.

Now I should get notifications from Google calendars events, right? Ehm… not necessarily: you need to make sure that in the “Status and Notifications” system tray, by right-clicking on “KOrganizer Reminders”, the “Enable Reminders” and “Start Reminder Daemon at Login” are selected (I see different default behaviors under that respect in different distributions). If not, enable them and log out and log in.

OK! But what about my Google calendar events in the standard “Digital Clock” widget in the corner of the system tray? Are they automatically shown just like in GNOME? No! There’s some more work to do! First, install kdepim-addons (guess what? At least in Kubuntu and Manjaro KDE, that’s not installed by default…). Now, go to “Digital Clock Settings” -> “Calendar” -> check “PIM Events Plugin” (quite counter-intuitive!) -> Apply; now a new “PIM Events Plugin” appears on the left, select that. Fortunately, this one will automatically propose to select all the calendars that have been previously configured in KOrganizer.

something similar for kaddressbook; probably with kontact the steps will be less, but I’ve always found Kontact chaotic…

Summary

Now, I like KDE customizations possibilities (while GNOME is pretty rigid about customizations and most things cannot be customized at all), but the above steps are far too much! After a few weeks, I wouldn’t be able to remember them correctly… In KDE, even the number of steps of the above procedures is overwhelming. You have to follow complex, heterogeneous and counter-intuitive procedures in KDE, and long menu chains. Maybe it’s the distribution’s fault? I doubt. I guess it’s an issue with the overall organization and integration in the KDE desktop environment. In GNOME the integration is just part of the desktop environment.