This is in response to jofg's earlier question.  This is how I run povray:

1) I use "kate" as my scene file editor. It is GUI! :) It gives one the
capability of having multiple scene files open under tabs just as does
POV-Ray for Windows.

2) I also have open a file in the kate editor which is "POVRAY.INI" or
"POV.INI" or "ZINI.INK" or whatever.  In this file, I have put text
equivalents of all those horribly aggravating +/- switch commands.  Here is
a typical one I might use:

------BEGIN ZINI.INK FILE LISTING --------

;Input_File_Name=latest16b04.pov
;Input_File_Name=golfco05.pov
;Input_File_Name=zfixirishd07dc.pov
Input_File_Name=maze10g39.pov
;Input_File_Name=giles_clouds.pov
;Input_File_Name=team03d2.pov
; +W160 +H120 +A0.0 ; Labels are not case sensitive.
+W320 +H240 +A0.0 ; Labels are not case sensitive.
;+W640 +H480 +A0.3 ; Labels are not case sensitive.
;+W1600 +H1200 +A0.3 ; Labels are not case sensitive.

;; File output type control.
;;     T    Uncompressed Targa-24
;;     C    Compressed Targa-24
;;     P    UNIX PPM
;;     N    PNG (8-bits per colour RGB)
;;     Nc   PNG (c'' bit per colour RGB where 5 <= c <= 16)

Output_to_File=true
Output_File_Type=N8             ;; (+/-Ftype)
Output_File_Name=/home/greg/images/
;Final_Frame=110;

----------------END ZINI.INK LISTING-------------

As you can see, I can use this method to tell povray my image size
requirements, my input file name, and even whether I'm doing an animation.
You can even leave commonly used options there on the list, and just
comment them out with a ";" as I have done here. It may seem like an
aggravation to go to the trouble of writing all this until you see my next
step:

3) Have a "konsole"  (command window) open all the time. In it, simply type,
"povray zini.ink" and hit enter.  It will render the scene file you
specified in 2), with the image size and everything.   Now this may still
seem like a pain until the time has come for you to render the SECOND
iteration of your image.  And that is done via"

4) In your konsole, hit <up arrow> <enter>.  Viola! it renders your image
with two keystrokes.   (Honestly, I had thought that linux users of povray
were hopeless, 1992-vintage luddites until I discovered this trick, (and
then grew newfound appreciation again when I was shown bash)).


hope this helps.

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