Kubuntu or KDE-Standard?

[StewartM]

Hello,

I have two computers, a desktop and a laptop. Both are now "Ubuntu 12.04" computers.

The laptop I kept on a 6-month release cycle. When I installed Ubuntu 11.10, because I also help maintain a number of non-techie friends' Ubuntu computers, with the demise of GNOME 2 I started investigating other desktop environments, in help them with the transitions. Among these was Kubuntu-desktop, which I liked so much that I eventually switched to Kubuntu for daily use (though I changed the boot splash back to Ubuntu, as I preferred that splash screen). I enabled the Kubuntu backports to keep abreast of the latest releases of KDE (it's now up to KDE 4.8.5)

My desktop computer was on Ubuntu 10.04 until I upgraded a little more than two weeks ago, with the release of Ubuntu 12.04.1. I searched for Kubuntu-desktop in the repositories, and did not find it. I did find the metapackage "kde-standard" and installed that, thinking that since Canonical was no longer supporting Kubuntu after the 12.04 release, it perhaps did not want to encourage its use. (Later I did find out that kubuntu-desktop *was* still in the repositories; one had to "show technical items" to find it).

I caught on that there was a difference between the two metapackages when I found out that:

1) Installing kde-standard didn't change my boot splash screen on my desktop (it had on the laptop)

2) When trying to customize the application look and feel for GNOME (or at least non-KDE) applications I couldn't get them to look the same. Here are some screenshots (with pretty much identical settings):

a) Evolution (desktop first, Laptop second)



b) Firefox (desktop first, laptop second)



BTW, I have both gtk3-oxygen-engines and gtk2-oxygen-engines on both computers.

3) The Twokinds comic I used in Kubuntu broke earlier this year and wasn't fixed. In KDE it works (I fixed in in the Kubuntu version by copying and pasting the relevant .desktop files).

4) When I enabled the backports in the desktop (originally with KDE 4.8.4), I got KDE 4.9 (!).

Now that I have found the kubuntu-desktop in the "show technical items" I am wondering if it would be OK to install that customization. I am hesitant, because:

a) For some GNOME apps like Evolution and Rhythmbox, kde-desktop actually faithfully preserves the GNOME 3 look. My Kubuntu laptop does not (I've gotten it so it looks pretty, but it's not faithful);

b) More importantly, now that I'm on KDE 4.9 by enabling the backports on my desktop, but only on 4.8.5 by doing the same on my laptop, would downloading and installing kubuntu-desktop break something? (I figured that if kubuntu-desktop was ready for 4.9, it would already be in the backports).

Replies and input appreciated.

StewartM

[StewartM]

That the backports allow installation of KDE4.9 should not be a surprise, please keep abreast of the news at kubuntu.org

Then why when I enable the same ppa for the backports I only get 4.8.5 on my Kubuntu laptop?

You don't tell us what package manager you are using, the term (and split) Technical Items does for me not ring a bell.
Be aware there's quite a difference whether you have only kubuntu-desktop installed or also kubuntu-full.

I believe on the laptop it was kubuntu-desktop.

The package manager is Synaptic.

The native package manager for Kubuntu is Muon Package Manager (not the Muon Software Center or Update Manager) and in default mode all packages are shown.
(But before all make sure you have the same repositories enabled.)
When in Muon, type Kubuntu in the filter and sort according to status.
Now compare between the computers what Kubuntu packages have a different status, ie. are or are not installed.

B.t.w, the screenshots you show indicate different themes 8)

Understood--*but* after I did the upgrades on both computers, originally Ubuntu, Software-Center was the only way to check what was available (as Muon isn't installed until you install KDE or Kubuntu).

The themes? They are the same, at least the selections on both computers (as in Application appearance, workspace appearance, etc. are identical). That why I was originally perplexed, that I couldn't get them to look identical even though I was using identical settings.

StewartM

[StewartM]

Well, today I (on the laptop, running kubuntu-desktop)

a) forced the upgrade from KDE 4.8.5 to KDE 4.9.1

b) Found that switching the theme from "Radiance" to "Ambiance" gave me the same GNOME look as I have on my desktop (running kde-standard).

Progress. (Though why I get the same themes for Rhythmbox and Evolution was beyond me).

Now I'll work on getting the kinda-boxy-looking non-KDE apps like Pidgin and Firefox on my desktop look sleeker and more modern the way that they look on the laptop.

Getting there.

StewartM