Kubuntu vs Ubuntu ?

[Nibiruet]

Is there any significant difference between Ubuntu and Kubuntu?

I have always assumed it to be just the cosmetic effects of the GUI (KDE vs GNOME). However would be interested in knowing what other differences there are.

Also which (KDE or GNOME) has more SW and support?

Pardon what may sound simplistic but I am a newcomer to Linux having been with MS since the DOS days so please bear with me - thanks

[MoonRise]

Re: Kubuntu vs Ubuntu ?

This is just my opinion as I do not know the "under the hood" stuff inside and out. I've been using Kubuntu since 5.10. I switched from Ubuntu. Mostly due to the Desktop. I did use quit a few tools in Ubuntu and since switching to Kubuntu I actuall re-installed those GNOME tools in Kubuntu because they were better than the KDE supplied tools of the same. I have had more success in using Kubuntu over Ubuntu regardless of the tools. So in all I would have to say they are really the same functionally other thant what KDE/GNOME offer as a base. For the most part I've been able to get a lot of misc things to work rather well under Kubuntu even though the packages weren't specifically for Kubuntu. Case in point is the Citrix client from Citrix. It really comes down to what Desktop Control you want. KDE was easier to learn for me just because things are arranged to a logic I understand. Ubuntu was not so logical. Again a personal preference and expectation. The live DVDs were great in determining this. I do use the Ubuntu live DVD once in a while just to experiment, but I do find myself prefering Kubuntu more. Hope this gives you some clues and info.

[Nirvana]

Re: Kubuntu vs Ubuntu ?

in terms of the backend (like the kernel, and just about everything but the desktop and apps) ubuntu=kubuntu

Ubuntu is based on GNOME, which tries to be more user-friendly

Kubuntu is based on KDE, which I think is more like Windows

Also, the applications you can install are interchangable, anything installed in ubuntu can work in kubuntu, and xubuntu, and edubuntu, and even the upcoming fubuntu, and vice versa.

[Fenyx]

Re: Kubuntu vs Ubuntu ?

Well, the only difference really between Ubuntu and Kubuntu is the DE or Desktop Environment, what you meant by the GUI. Ubuntu uses GNOME and Kubuntu uses KDE. Beneath all these, Ubuntu and Kubuntu are practically the same. They have the same repositories, the same kernel, the same set of basic programs/functions/features. They really only differ with the desktop environment.

However, the difference between GNOME and KDE is more than just cosmetic. The difference runs very deep, down to its basic components. But I wouldn't post those details, which might be quite confusing, unless you ask for it.

Which DE has more software and more support? I'd say practically the same. Both have very active communities/developers. Both have a whole set of applications from your very basic text editor to multimedia players to programming/web development programs.

However, I have to clarify that there are some programs that use GTK+ as it's toolkit (a toolkit is what's responsible for how tabs, buttons, borders, etc, are displayed) but are not GNOME apps, or programs that use Qt but are not really KDE apps. The Xfce desktop environment uses GTK+, but is not a GNOME program. Similarly, the Opera web browser uses Qt, but is not a KDE app.

Most programs were designed to work in whatever desktop environment you use no matter what toolkit the program uses. Of course there will be very minor differences, but they will still work without (or with very minimal) problems.

Hope that clarifies things a bit.

[Nibiruet]

Re: Kubuntu vs Ubuntu ?

Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer; really appreciate it.

JUCATO ......
Re: However, the difference between GNOME and KDE is more than just cosmetic. The difference runs very deep, down to its basic components.

Would welcome more details whenever you have the time to spare. New to Linux but not to computing (been around since paper tape input and punch card days) .

Regards

[askrieger]

Re: Kubuntu vs Ubuntu ?

The difference in the software is that Gnome uses the GTK toolkit and most Gnome apps are written in C whereas KDE uses the Qt toolkit and most apps are written in C++. I don't think that this is the principal difference between the two, even though it is fundamental. In fact, there are themes for GTK that look like KDE themes and there are themes for Qt that look like Gnome themes. That's just artwork.

I think that the fundamental difference is the philosophical difference between the two groups of developers. KDE was started to generate a desktop environment for Linux that offered a user experience similar in quality if not in detail to that offered by other systems like SunOS, NextStep and even (dare I say it) like windoze (!tm). On the other hand, as a total outsider who is old enough to know better, it sometimes seems that Gnome was started to lure poeple away from a Linux desktop environment which used a toolkit that (a) was developed by a commercial organization, (b) had some initial licensing difficulties, (c) drew ideas from SunOS, NextStep, and you-know-who, and (d) was Not Invented Here where here was Cambridge, MA, USA. (my fair city).

Over the years, people have complained that the Gnome user interface is a moving target. Every release of Gnome introduces a different look and feel. Habits developed when using the previous Gnome won't work in the new one. Among others who have griped about this is Linus Torvalds. I believe that the problem is that Gnome really doesn't have a philosophical underpinning, but the developers feel that it should, and so they invent a new one for each release rather than sticking to pragmatic goals like consistency and efficiency.

Obviously, this is an individual opinion based on absolutely no knowledge of the interior workings of either the KDE or Gnome organizations. The tone may be influenced by the fact that I had a rough physical therapy session today, and therefore am feeling particularly curmudgeonly.

Nibiruet: I, too, cut my teeth on the KSR33 and the 042 cardpunch.