Kubuntu best KDE distro of 2013

[Tom_ZeCat]

I didn't realize netrunner MAG named Kubuntu as best KDE distro of 2013. Here's the link:

http://netrunner-mag.com/?p=3184

That's pretty cool. I used to use Ubuntu and noticed that I kept installing and liking KDE software. Then when Ubuntu came out with Unity, I really didn't much care for that interface, so Kubuntu seemed the logical choice. If I didn't use Kubuntu, I would probably use Mint with KDE, even though I really hate mint chocolate chip ice cream.

[MoonRise]

Seems like I remember seeing that somewhere. That is nice!

[richb]

Seems like I remember seeing that somewhere. That is nice!

In another post of the Forum

[MoonRise]

Possible. Maybe from SR? Either way good for Kubuntu.

[loaba]

I've tried SolydXK (junk) and Mint KDE (didn't "feel" right) and now Kubuntu. Really, the Mint and Ubuntu versions of KDE are pretty similar. Just, like I said, Mint's version didn't seem as nice as Kubuntu.

[woodsmoke]

didn't "feel" right

I'm glad that there is at least one other person who thinks that there is a "feel" to Kubuntu that is not present with KDE tacked onto Debian.

woodsmoke

[benny_fletch]

I'm glad that there is at least one other person who thinks that there is a "feel" to Kubuntu that is not present with KDE tacked onto Debian.

I'm the third person then. ;-)

[SteveRiley]

That's because Debian + KDE is not Kubuntu. Kubuntu is a distribution that reflects the philosophies and attitudes of its maintainers. Which, apparently, most (all?) of us here align with to some degree.

[MoonRise]

+1 ;d

[Tom_ZeCat]

That's because Debian + KDE is not Kubuntu. Kubuntu is a distribution that reflects the philosophies and attitudes of its maintainers. Which, apparently, most (all?) of us here align with to some degree.

I certainly much prefer Kubuntu's feel to anything else I've tried. I used to use Ubuntu 7.10 and then 8.04, on a different computer. I liked it okay, but I found myself installing a lot of KDE-based applications. That computer wasn't my main computer. It was a jukebox PC, and I kept using Windows XP/7 for my main stuff.

Fast forward to last year. My Ubuntu PC had long since crashed and I was feeling annoyed with Windows, especially after the release of Windows 8, which I'll be bluntly honest how I feel about it: It's total garbage. I remembered that I liked Ubuntu and KDE, so the logical thing would be to try out the latest Ubuntu and Kubuntu. I did not like Ubuntu's new Unity at all, but loved Kubuntu. It's still not completely clear to me what parts are KDE and what parts are unique to Kubuntu, but I do know the whole combination works well for me. I even much prefer how LibreOffice works under Kubuntu over how it is in Ubuntu.

To be fair, I really haven't done much in other KDE distros. The other distro that I use some is Puppy, but not as any PC's main OS. I boot it from a USB drive as a diagnostic tool. It works great for that because it's such a light distro, but I probably wouldn't use it on a full-fledged PC unless for some reason I were forced into using ancient hardware.

[Buddlespit]

I'm glad that Kubuntu was named so, but I've been piddling around with archlinux for about two weeks on my desktop pc and I've found that I can really screw up the system and fix it pretty quick and easily, unlike with Kubuntu, which usually ends up with a reinstall. Plus, I like that I don't have to install "metapackages" to get KDE up and running. Using Kubuntu, once I get my system "proper" (just the way I like it), I've installed 2000+ packages. With archlinux, I have a bit over 950 packages installed. And, I'm on a rolling release (that satisfies the tinkerer in me). Of course, installing packages in archlinux is a little more of a challenge, but I think I've got that pretty much automated.

I think Kubuntu is a wonderful starter distro. And, like SR said, the philosophies and attitudes of the maintainers AND the users are ones I wish I could find in more places (not just in Linux distros).

[richb]

Kubuntu is a finisher distro for me. Why call it a starter?

[Tom_ZeCat]

Kubuntu is a finisher distro for me. Why call it a starter?

I was thinking the same thing. I have no reason to move on to anything else. The only reason I would is if for some reason they mucked it up or of there were a bunch of software that would not run under Kubuntu but would under some other distro.

[Buddlespit]

Kubuntu is a finisher distro for me. Why call it a starter?

It's good to find a distro that can fit your needs and wants. I also liked that in Kubuntu. But I believe that the *buntu family was/is being written to allow people a way to transition away from Windows with very little documented choice in what will and will not be installed. You have the option of a base, standard or full install. And removing something you don't want from those metas can break the system. I once removed a plasma-widget and almost everything kde based became orphaned and was removed on an "aptitude dist-upgrade" without warning. This kind of distibution is fantastic for someone who is just getting started and for those who have found their niche and don't try to streamline too much.

[richb]

I fiddle with Kubuntu all the time. I have always been warned what will be removed if I was deleting something. I still do not feel I need to "advance" to a "more sophisticated" distro. But I am only a beginner with Linux, having used it for only 12 years.