[RESOLVED] Is It Ubuntu or Kubuntu?

[JeffRedd]

I thought I had installed the Kubuntu OS installed but when entered “lsb_release -a” at the command line I got;

Description: Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS
Release: 22.04
Codename: jammy

For all intents and purposes I’m running Ubuntu (apparently). I got this information on the https://ubuntu.com/desktop/flavours website.

Ubuntu flavours What are Ubuntu flavours?

Ubuntu flavours offer a unique way to experience Ubuntu, each with their own choice of default applications and settings. Ubuntu flavours are owned and developed by members of our global community and backed by the full Ubuntu archive for packages and updates.

The distributions that end in “buntu” are based on the Ubuntu operating system right? I understand the different desktops for any Linux operating system.

Budgie, Cinnamon, MATE, LXQt, Plasma and Unity are all Ubuntu/Linux desktops. But there (seems to be) distributions within distributions. Like Kubuntu, Lubuntu and Xubuntu.

According to claydoh “Kubuntu IS Ubuntu at the operating system level.” and I agree with him because any set of instructions I received for Ubuntu also worked in Kubuntu.

On Ubuntu’s website that say this about Edubuntu. “Edubuntu is an official flavor of Ubuntu”. And so is Ubuntu Budgie and Ubuntu Unity.

Apparently they have “Distributions”, “Desktops” and Linux “Flavours”?

Apparently I’m running “Kubuntu 22.04.2 LTS Jammy Jellyfish KDE Plasma Version: 5.24.7”. But am I running a distribution? A desktop? Or a flavour? Apparently all three.

I guess this is the question is this.

Are Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu and Xubuntu considered different distributions? According to some websites that would be yes even though they are based on the Ubuntu operating system and kernel. Maybe they are flavors or flavours?

I’m not trying to get technical but I’m only trying to figure this out because I just installed “Lubuntu” into a small ThinkPad 11 that is not too powerful. Lubuntu is a stripped down version of Ubuntu and shares many qualities but yet it is different. Sometimes it’s hard to know what the differences are especially when there are so many desktops or Ubuntu type distributions.

So I have plasma (which is a desktop) and it is really known as KDE, which is used as the default desktop in Kubuntu. I have Kubuntu installed which is based on Ubuntu which is based on Debian which is based on Linux. Did I get it right, sort of?

Yeah I know, I should read more about it. You would not believe how much I read and the more I read the more confused I seem to get. Many people don’t agree on a lot of Linux things and some people talk/post information that is just plain wrong although I have not seen that here on “kubuntuforums. net”.

At the end of the day I guess I have the information that is really important regardless of what the terminology is or what it’s called. But it is very confusing when you're trying to compare different desktops vs distributions vs flavours or whatever you call it.

[Snowhog]

Are Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu and Xubuntu considered different distributions?

They are ‘flavors’ of Ubuntu.

[claydoh]

Are Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu and Xubuntu considered different distributions?

No, they are Ubuntu with different desktop environments, developed and packaged by separate teams. The so-called "flavours."
They are all part of Ubuntu.
*Everything* is shared, in terms of software repositories, build and other infrastructures, and the like.
Kubuntu is not *based* on ubuntu, in the sense that Ubuntu is based on Debian, or Mint, PopOS, etc. Those projects have separate infrastructures on top of Ubuntu's, and often times develop their own kernels, among other things.
Debian and Ubuntu are not cross-compatible. Most of the Ubuntu derivatives are fairly cross-compatible (but at least 95%), but mostly so that they can leverage the development work and focus on different areas. (ie lazy, and/or not reinventing the wheel)
Ubuntu is the core os, in the technical sense. No desktop is ubuntu Server. Then add on a desktop, and you have Ubuntu Desktop (gnome), Kubuntu (Plasma), and the other so-called 'flavours.'.

The individual teams only package desktop related items, for the most part.
While independent, they do need to follow the guidelines, restrictions, standards, governance and other rules. Ubuntu, or rather Canonical is still in final charge.

plasma (which is a desktop) and it is really known as KDE

Not quite.

KDE is the community, and Plasma is one (major) part. A big one, mind you. But it also includes other projects that are all sharing the same toolkit - Digikam and KMyMoney are not part of Plasma, or governed by it for example, and don't follow their release and development cadences. They may have their own independent source repositories.
(to be sure, The Desktop used to just be called KDE, and that is still recognizable and acceptable)

kubuntuforums is 100% independent from Kubuntu or Ubuntu, and does not need to adhere to whatever things someplace like Ubuntu's forums, askubuntu, Discourses, or whatever.

any people don’t agree on a lot of Linux things and some people talk/post information that is just plain wrong although I have not seen that here on “kubuntuforums. net”.

distribution? A desktop? Or a flavour? Apparently all three.

yup

[JeffRedd]

Thanks Claydoh for that informative response.

[JeffRedd]

I see (said the blind man who picked up his hammer and saw) They are "flavors" and so is Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Ubuntu Budgie, Ubuntu Cinnamon, Ubuntu Kylin and Ubuntu MATE (I just found out).

So Debian and Ubuntu are distributions?

[Snowhog]

So Debian and Ubuntu are distributions?

You are correct.

[claydoh]

So Debian and Ubuntu are distributions?

And Fedora, Suse, Arch, Gentoo, Red Hat, and all their derivatives, plus many more.....