diff --git a/kate/main.cpp b/kate/main.cpp
--- a/kate/main.cpp
+++ b/kate/main.cpp
@@ -24,15 +24,13 @@
 #include "katewaiter.h"
 
 #include <KAboutData>
-#include <kcoreaddons_version.h> // for KAboutData::setDesktopFileName()
+#include <KConfigGroup>
 #include <KLocalizedString>
 #include <KWindowSystem>
 #include <KStartupInfo>
 #include <kdbusservice.h>
-#include <kcrash_version.h>
-#if KCrash_VERSION >= QT_VERSION_CHECK(5, 15, 0)
 #include <KCrash>
-#endif // KCrash >= 5.15
+#include <KSharedConfig>
 
 #include <QByteArray>
 #include <QCommandLineParser>
@@ -99,9 +97,7 @@
     /**
      * Enable crash handling through KCrash.
      */
-#if KCrash_VERSION >= QT_VERSION_CHECK(5, 15, 0)
     KCrash::initialize();
-#endif
 
     /**
      * Connect application with translation catalogs
@@ -123,10 +119,11 @@
     /**
      * desktop file association to make application icon work (e.g. in Wayland window decoration)
      */
-#if KCOREADDONS_VERSION >= QT_VERSION_CHECK(5, 16, 0)
     aboutData.setDesktopFileName(QStringLiteral("org.kde.kate"));
-#endif
 
+    /**
+     * authors & co.
+     */
     aboutData.addAuthor(i18n("Christoph Cullmann"), i18n("Maintainer"), QStringLiteral("cullmann@kde.org"), QStringLiteral("http://www.cullmann.io"));
     aboutData.addAuthor(i18n("Anders Lund"), i18n("Core Developer"), QStringLiteral("anders@alweb.dk"), QStringLiteral("http://www.alweb.dk"));
     aboutData.addAuthor(i18n("Joseph Wenninger"), i18n("Core Developer"), QStringLiteral("jowenn@kde.org"), QStringLiteral("http://stud3.tuwien.ac.at/~e9925371"));
@@ -595,6 +592,17 @@
      * if we arrive here, we need to start a new kate instance!
      */
 
+    /**
+     * set some KTextEditor defaults
+     */
+    {
+        KConfigGroup viewConfig(KSharedConfig::openConfig(), QStringLiteral("KTextEditor View"));
+        if (!viewConfig.exists()) {
+            viewConfig.writeEntry("Line Modification", true);
+            viewConfig.writeEntry("Line Numbers", true);
+        }
+    }
+
     /**
      * construct the real kate app object ;)
      * behaves like a singleton, one unique instance
diff --git a/src/utils/kateconfig.cpp b/src/utils/kateconfig.cpp
--- a/src/utils/kateconfig.cpp
+++ b/src/utils/kateconfig.cpp
@@ -1370,7 +1370,7 @@
     setDynWordWrapIndicators(config.readEntry(KEY_DYN_WORD_WRAP_INDICATORS, 1));
     setDynWordWrapAlignIndent(config.readEntry(KEY_DYN_WORD_WRAP_ALIGN_INDENT, 80));
 
-    setLineNumbers(config.readEntry(KEY_LINE_NUMBERS, false));
+    setLineNumbers(config.readEntry(KEY_LINE_NUMBERS, true));
 
     setScrollBarMarks(config.readEntry(KEY_SCROLL_BAR_MARKS, false));