Mint to discontinue their KDE version

[claydoh]

https://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=3418

Since all Mint KDE has ever been quite literally is Kubuntu with little more than a different package manager and artwork, we may see a small increase in nusers in the near future.
They use Kubuntu's packages directly from the repos and PPAs, so while it is a sad day for the loss of a Plasma brother, it is not a complete loss IMO

[oshunluvr]

IMO, Mint always seemed more popular with the beginner crowd. Maybe it will push those folks our way and fill in the gap created by KDEneon.

[kc1di]

I think for mint it was a good choice, for Kubuntu it will mean more members

[GreyGeek]

About the time their repo suffered a security breach I tried MintKDE for about 3 months.
It was, and is, a good distro, but I couldn’t see any advantage over Kubuntu, so I dropped it.
Without a KDE version the Mint desktop will not have the power and flexibility of Plasma. So, I suspect that newbies coming from Windows will feel more comfortable with KDE.


(*whispering* Don’t tell anyone but I classify KDE Neon as Kubuntu as well)

[jglen490]

I have Kubuntu 16.04.3 on my desktop and Mint 18.2 Cinnamon on my laptop. While undoubtedly there are differences, to a user there are almost no discernible differences. The same software runs on both, the same packages are available to both. In my opinion, identifying Mint as a beginner's Linux is really unfair to the many very experienced Linux users who run Mint - because they choose to do so.

I came to Kubuntu not as a higher class neighborhood, but rather because it was offered up as an easier Linux distro to install, manage, and run. And at the time, it was. That same ease in approach has been adopted by many other distros - simply because it works better that way. The difficulty of installing and administering Slackware used to be a badge of honor, but is now understood to just be a pain in the butt. While it's true that there are a lot of beginners on the Mint forums, they are still getting a lot of good advice and good answers.

I don't know when Mint's repo got hacked, but it isn't that way now. It's another Linux choice and people are actually making choices. So don't worry about what Mint is doing, just make Kubuntu the best it can be - it'll all take care of itself through the path of good reputation.

[oshunluvr]

...identifying Mint as a beginner's Linux is really unfair to the many very experienced Linux users who run Mint - because they choose to do so.

If you're referring to my previous comment, it appears maybe you concluding something not in evidence. I would like to clear the air on this point;

I personally do not consider a distro being popular with beginners as a negative. On the contrary, it means a distro that is easy to install, runs stably, and includes enough functionality to be of use to anyone - even those who are not fully immersed in the Linux world. Often, a "beginner" distro indicates the nature of support and community that is present. A plethora of tools and large number of experienced users communicating with new users is very helpful for those just starting out using Linux. Being easy to use and having a lot of support are compliments in my view.

Nor would I ever judge a users' skill level based on the distro they choose to use. We all have different things we value in our OSs and we choose based on our own experience. We all know that any distro can be modified to our liking up to our own abilities. Each-to-his-own is one of the best things about using Linux over the other choices.

Regardless, I don't think anyone is "worried" about what Mint is doing. I think the point of the OP was more about the Mint KDE userbase and what they might do. Hopefully, the users there will migrate here. The learning curve for them will be almost non-existent and the more people involved in a Linux distro the better it will become - The More The Merrier, I say! - bring 'em on!

[mr_raider]

Forgive me father for I have sinned. I have strayed from the righteous path and installed Mint KDE 18.1 on my desktop after years of Lucid/Trusty. I will do my pennance and return to kubuntu for 19.04.

For my desktop at least I can't efff around with half baked distros, so kubuntu LTS it is. I might get more experimental on the laptop and try KDE neon.

[kc1di]

Forgive me father for I have sinned. I have strayed from the righteous path and installed Mint KDE 18.1 on my desktop after years of Lucid/Trusty. I will do my pennance and return to kubuntu for 19.04.

For my desktop at least I can't efff around with half baked distros, so kubuntu LTS it is. I might get more experimental on the laptop and try KDE neon.

You won't go too far wrong with Kubuntu - it has it's quirks like any distro, but once you get it the way you like it it just seems to keep going Enjoy !
From another former Mint User.

[oshunluvr]

Forgive me father for I have sinned. I have strayed from the righteous path and installed Mint KDE 18.1 on my desktop after years of Lucid/Trusty. I will do my pennance and return to kubuntu for 19.04.

For my desktop at least I can't efff around with half baked distros, so kubuntu LTS it is. I might get more experimental on the laptop and try KDE neon.

I hope you meant 18.04 not 19.04 - next April is a long enough wait!

I have been using KDEneon since it was first available and love it. Solid and up-to-date.

[mr_raider]

Yeah 18.04. I switched from kubuntu 16.04 this spring when built my ryzen rig and wanted a clean install.

Don't you guys find neon " barebones"?

[chimak111]

And you can add exactly what you wish to flesh it out

[oshunluvr]

Very bare-bones-ish, but easy enough to install stuff...

[mr_raider]

where do KDE neon users go for support? Here or KDE forums?

You guys use apt or pkcon for updates?

[GreyGeek]

...

Don't you guys find neon " barebones"?

Not even close. Activate all the binary repos and install to your heart’s content.
Add a PPA for special apps.

Running WINE I have the IQAN PCL tool running champ. I run Orbiter 2010. I have several Steam games installed, and I use my laptop as a Minecraft server and client for my grandsons and me.
My secondary GPU is an NVIDIA GT 650M and CANNOT be set as the primary in the bios but NVIDIA’s pkgs configure it as the primary and everything runs at 200-500 fps. And, I’m running Btrfs, which makes backing up AND rolling back a 3-5 minute snap for this laptop, which has three HDs of 750Gb each.

[dequire]

where do KDE neon users go for support? Here or KDE forums?

You guys use apt or pkcon for updates?

I've been using pkcon lately but either works well. If using APT, one needs to make sure they use "apt full-upgrade" instead of "apt upgrade". That's why the Neon team recommended pkcon instead of APT.