Installing BricsCAD on KDE with the Linux RPM Package

Quick answer: On KDE, install BricsCAD’s RPM package from Dolphin’s built-in terminal. Fedora and other dnf-based distributions use sudo dnf install <rpm installer name>; openSUSE and other zypper-based distributions use sudo zypper install <rpm installer name>, with one extra step to bypass signature verification.

Installing on Fedora-based KDE Systems

1. Open Dolphin (KDE’s file manager) and navigate to the folder containing the downloaded .rpm installer.
2. Right-click inside Dolphin and select Open Terminal. It opens directly in that folder.
3. Run:

sudo dnf install <rpm installer name>

4. Press Enter, then enter your password and press Enter again.
5. Press y to confirm, then Enter. The installation completes.

Replace <rpm installer name> with the exact filename of the .rpm file you downloaded.

Installing on openSUSE-based KDE Systems

1. Open Dolphin and navigate to the folder containing the downloaded .rpm installer.
2. Right-click inside Dolphin, then select Actions > Open Terminal.
3. Run:

sudo zypper install <rpm installer name>

4. Press Enter, then enter your password and press Enter again.
5. Press y to confirm, then Enter.
6. Press i to ignore signature verification, then Enter. The installation completes.

That signature-verification prompt isn’t specific to BricsCAD; zypper shows it for any package it can’t validate against an already-trusted key on your system, which is normal for software installed outside your distro’s default repositories.

If You’re Not on KDE

The above is specific to KDE’s Dolphin file manager and terminal. Other desktop environments handle RPM installation differently; GNOME, for example, offers a graphical installer that opens automatically when you double-click the .rpm file, no terminal required. If you’re not sure which desktop environment you’re running, check your distro’s settings before following terminal-based steps meant for a different one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need Fedora 35 or KDE Plasma 5.23 specifically for these steps to work? No. Those are just the versions used in Bricsys’s own examples. The dnf and zypper commands work the same way regardless of your specific distro or Plasma version; what actually matters is meeting BricsCAD’s minimum supported Linux version.

Why does openSUSE ask me to ignore signature verification? This happens with any package your system can’t verify against a locally trusted signing key, which is expected for software from outside your distro’s default repositories, not a sign of a problem with the BricsCAD installer specifically.

Is there a graphical, terminal-free way to install on KDE? Bricsys’s documented KDE process uses Dolphin’s terminal. A no-terminal graphical installer is documented for GNOME instead; KDE distributions may vary in whether their software centre supports RPM installs directly.