To Kubuntu or not to Kubuntu... that is the question

[canadianwriterman]

I've been using Ubuntu Breezy for the past few months or so and have come to really like it. I like the professional, clean GNOME look overall and, in using Ubuntu, I've learned how to tweak it and function in it quite well.

However, I can't shake this fascination with KDE that I have. It started when I used Xandros. I liked Xandros over SUSE and Linspire, which I had also tried. When I learned about Ubuntu, I made the switch and, as I've said, have come to like it as well. Then I tried the release of Kubuntu 5.10 and got the feeling that it was "a little rough around the edges" compared with Ubuntu. I also found it tough to do some of the things that I got used to with Ubuntu. For example, I have to edit fstab and menu.list when I do an install. When I tried to do that with Kubuntu, I kept getting permission errors, so gave up and went back to Ubuntu.

However, the KDE fascination is still there. In particular, I feel like the KDE-centric apps are more sophisticated, such as k3b and Quanta. While they work in Ubuntu, I'm the type of person who likes to use the system defaults and the apps designed to integrate with the desktop. Also, I think that there is more flexibility to customize the KDE desktop than the GNOME desktop.

So, here's the bottom line. I'm going to continue using Ubuntu until closer to the release of 6.04. Then, I'm torn between upgrading to the new Ubuntu 6.04, which has the promise of having real "spit and polish," compared with Breezy. Understanding that you folks will have an obvious bias toward Kubuntu (or you wouldn't be here, right?), what is your honest feeling about the "spit and polish" level of Kubuntu 6.04 when it comes out? I've heard that more emphasis is going to be placed on Kubuntu than perhaps has been the case in the past. Will Kubuntu 6.04 still suffer from the sense that it's the sibling that's not quite as good and isn't getting quite the same attention as it's brother (or sister) Ubuntu?

[skoal]

Re: To Kubuntu or not to Kubuntu... that is the question

However, I can't shake this fascination with KDE that I have.

Yes, sir.  That's because you have good taste.  We're all closet KDE fan bois, whether we admit to it or not.  I've recently succumbed to those same impulses myself.  So don't fight it brother.  Come on over to the dark, err, light side of the ubuntu force.

Then I tried the release of Kubuntu 5.10 and got the feeling that it was "a little rough around the edges" compared with Ubuntu.

...yes, ok.  maybe. But kubuntu is like a scruffy stud with a 5 o'clock shadow, and Ubuntu the pretty boy with the Gillette electric running 24/7.  You know the saying, "chicks dig the KDE rough, and like to feel the QT scruff...".  That's my kubuntu motto, and I'm sticking to it...

I also found it tough to do some of the things that I got used to with Ubuntu. For example, I have to edit fstab and menu.list when I do an install. When I tried to do that with Kubuntu, I kept getting permission errors, so gave up and went back to Ubuntu.

That's a system setting which can easily be taken care of with some terminal loving.  I can step you through those fixes real easy like.  KDE has nothing to do with fstab or grub's menu.lst, so there must be some small oversight on the packaged installation scripts.

However, the KDE fascination is still there. In particular, I feel like the KDE-centric apps are more sophisticated, such as k3b and Quanta. While they work in Ubuntu, I'm the type of person who likes to use the system defaults and the apps designed to integrate with the desktop. Also, I think that there is more flexibility to customize the KDE desktop than the GNOME desktop.

Preach on, brother.  Preach on...

There really isn't any comparison between certain QT apps like k3b and amarok and other GTK "equivalents" (if they even exist).  People talk about polish and eye candy here on KDE.  They couldn't be further from the truth.  For me, it's featureability and tight integration.  And lots of it. 

Will Kubuntu 6.04 still suffer from the sense that it's the sibling that's not quite as good and isn't getting quite the same attention as it's brother (or sister) Ubuntu?

I wise man once said, "Image is nothing.  Thirst is everything.  Obey your thirst..."

P.S. If any Sprite execs are reading, shoot me a pm so I can give you my paypal ID. 

[canadianwriterman]

Re: To Kubuntu or not to Kubuntu... that is the question

Skoal, thank you for your thoughts. I love the "scruffy stud" analogy... I never thought of it that way before. I'm a little unclear about your comments that "KDE has nothing to do with fstab or grub's menu.lst." Are you saying that those files don't exist in Kubuntu? What I needed to do with them is change the boot order (menu.lst) and add my Windows drive (fstab).

In Ubuntu, I simply did sudo gedit [filelocation/name], edit the file and save it. When I tried to do the same in Kubuntu, it didn't seem to work. Now, I realize that gedit was probably not the right command (but, I didn't know what the editor's name is in KDE). Also (I'm going from memory here) I don't believe sudo was right either.

The other task that I can do easily in Ubuntu, is to Run as a different user. This allows me to open Nautilus and to do things like save downloaded wallpapers in the Backgrounds directory, which is normally only accessible as root.

Anyway, you've helped edge me toward trying Kubuntu when Dapper is a bit further along.

By the way, the other things I really like about Kubuntu:

• The way the team has set up this Forum in a useful portal.
• When you go into the Ubuntu Web site, click on the Kubuntu logo on the righthand side and you get a Kubuntu Home Page that has good info on it, like what new releases and updates are available. That's something missing on the Ubuntu side.

On the down side, there seem to be very few people here on the Kubuntu forums. A lot of it has to do with sheer numbers of Kubuntu users compared with Ubuntu users, but there is also a bad duplication of Kubuntu forum discussion that feeds into the Ubuntu Forums.

[kubicle]

Re: To Kubuntu or not to Kubuntu... that is the question

In Ubuntu, I simply did sudo gedit [filelocation/name], edit the file and save it. When I tried to do the same in Kubuntu, it didn't seem to work. Now, I realize that gedit was probably not the right command (but, I didn't know what the editor's name is in KDE). Also (I'm going from memory here) I don't believe sudo was right either.

The 'sudo' command is substituted with 'kdesu' in graphical mode...try:

kdesu kwrite [filelocation/name]

or

kdesu kate [filelocation/name]

The other task that I can do easily in Ubuntu, is to Run as a different user. This allows me to open Nautilus and to do things like save downloaded wallpapers in the Backgrounds directory, which is normally only accessible as root.

You can run konqueror with root priviledges with the same 'kdesu' command

kdesu "kfmclient openProfile filemanagement"

(This one opens the 'File Management' user profile, as opposed to 'Web Browser' mode)
Of course you can make a .desktop link too for easy access

[canadianwriterman]

Re: To Kubuntu or not to Kubuntu... that is the question

Thanks, Kubicle. Much appreciated.

[skoal]

Re: To Kubuntu or not to Kubuntu... that is the question

Kubicle tackled the technical aspect of editing those files.

I'm a little unclear about your comments that "KDE has nothing to do with fstab or grub's menu.lst."

Ooops.  My apologies.  What I was trying to say was that those two files are completely separate from any KDE installation issues.  You could just do a 'server' install without ever installing Gnome or KDE and still have those two issues to worry about.  I hope that clarifies what I meant. 

* I misread your original post and thought you only had to edit those two files upon a kubuntu installation, which struck me as a bit odd.  So, in hindsight, I originally provided a completely irrelevant answer to a question not even posed.  My specialty!

[canadianwriterman]

Re: To Kubuntu or not to Kubuntu... that is the question

Posted by skoal:
So, in hindsight, I originally provided a completely irrelevant answer to a question not even posed.

As a professional writer by trade, I really enjoyed your statement, skoal. You made my day!

[tjabri]

Re: To Kubuntu or not to Kubuntu... that is the question

I've always wanted to use KDE as well, but I always thought that Kubuntu wasn't as ready as Ubuntu for various reasons. I'd still LOVE to get Kubuntu running properly on my system, but I'm having issues with some things that really bug the crap out of me.

For example: I can't configure WIFI via the network applet (which doesn't fit on my screen and I have to hide the taskbar to see the full thing) in Kubuntu because when I try to enter Administrator mode, it asks for the password, but then asks me what distribution I'm running, and once selected, it does back to the default user mode and I can't change anything on the interfaces. It seems like it just ignores my root priviledges.

Then there are no device icons on the desktop even though when I right-click on the desktop, displaying mounted parititions is checked. And adept has too much information on the screen and it's not very user friendly, like Synaptic (I know you can install synaptic, but why? Adept should work just fine).

And finally, the Konsole's fonts are screwed up (like parts of the letters look like they run into each other or something, like it's hard to tell an n from an m).

Can anyone help with those issues?

[Ryukage]

Re: To Kubuntu or not to Kubuntu... that is the question

In Ubuntu, I simply did sudo gedit [filelocation/name], edit the file and save it. When I tried to do the same in Kubuntu, it didn't seem to work. Now, I realize that gedit was probably not the right command (but, I didn't know what the editor's name is in KDE). Also (I'm going from memory here) I don't believe sudo was right either.

Others have already given you the correct command. What they didn't mention is that you can also right-click the file in Konqueror and select Actions > Edit as Root. If you prefer to do it through the GUI. You can also use "sudo nano" if you want to stay in Konsole. (kdesu is for GUI apps, sudo is still used for console apps---irritating, yes, and having run sudo recently can cause kdesu to fail in some builds.)

The other task that I can do easily in Ubuntu, is to Run as a different user. This allows me to open Nautilus and to do things like save downloaded wallpapers in the Backgrounds directory, which is normally only accessible as root.

With KDE you don't need to run as root to install stuff like that. Put wallpapers in ~/.kde/share/wallpapers (create it if it doesn't exist) and it'll find them next time you open the wallpaper settings module. There's a built-in icon theme installer, but if it doesn't work (I've read that some icon themes are improperly packaged) just unpack the them to ~/.kde/share/icons and it should pick it up. You should basically never need to touch the root-owned location for things unless you want them available to all users, any personal stuff can be put in the equivalent location under ~/.kde and it'll find it, next login if not immediately.