Binary package hint: ibus
ibus works "out of the box" on Ubuntu. It should do the same on Kubuntu as well. This is not a feature request. A working input method for international data entry is a *must* for modern desktop environments. So the absence of this is a bug.
Possibly due to the recent work for Lucid to integrate GNOME tray applications in KDE, it is possible to use the Ibus tray application and input international data into all KDE/GNOME applications (except OpenOffice) from the KDE 4 desktop environment itself. The relevant steps are outlined at http://wiki.debian.org/I18n/ibus and working on a regular Kubuntu Lucid release. Therefore, the steps outlined in the above wiki must be by default integrated into the default Kubuntu installation so that by merely installing the relevant ibus packages users of Kubuntu will be automatically enabled to enter international data.
I must confirm.
The biggest use of ibus is for asian correspondence... and let's admit it... there is a lot of them.
I only use chinese/
If 1.3 billion people can't even use the keyboard, something's wrong. (only counting mainland china)
For me (american, non-asian, power user/developer) to not have a checkmark "chinese input" that just-works is a big bad no-no.
Ubuntu almost makes it easy... last i checked, but kubuntu/kde doesn't even try.
I have never found a way that works in KDE/Kububtu to say "my primary language is english, but i have chinese friends".
Kpim (or whatever it's called) never even tried to work, scim worked OK in 3.5 days (maybe i try again).
KDE's input seems to be European only.
OK, rant finished.
Yes, I do feel better now.
-john