Switching from Ubuntu to Kubuntu?

[todd1049]

I have used ubuntu with gnome for a few years, but with my computer unavailable for a while, I have been using my wife's machine, which has kubuntu 9.04 on it. I admit that I am starting to like it, and since I was never able to install KDE effectively in ubuntu 10.04, I am starting to wonder if I should just switch to kubuntu totally. I don't want to start any gnome/KDE flame wars, but am curious to hear from anyone who switched from ubuntu to kubuntu -- why you switched, whether you accomplished what you wanted, and whether you switched back. I would be particularly interested to know if your multimedia performance (playing DVDs and the like) was better under one desktop or the other, as that has always been a real challenge for me in ubuntu. Thanks!

[Snowhog]

Re: Switching from Ubuntu to Kubuntu?

Welcome to KFN. Flames wars on Ubuntu vs Kubuntu? You won't find such here. What I tend to find, is that users of Kubuntu seem more tolerent towards users of Ubuntu than the other way around. Here, we prefer KDE - that's why we use it, and of course, Kubuntu. But first and formost, we are Linux supporters, and anyone who uses Linux of any variant is "part of the family."

I used Ubuntu only for a very short time, when I was triple-booting. But because I find the KDE look and feel more to my liking, I removed Ubuntu, which I never used much anyway, and am a strict Kubuntu user.

DVDs play just fine on my laptop. One has to activate the appropriate repository (Medibuntu) and pull in a few packages, but other than that, it's painless. I don't play music on my laptop, and Amarok, the default Audio Multimedia app for KDE, is problematic - for some, and not others. It has promise, but falls short (IMO) on what many concider basics - recognizing MP3 players; recognizing and playing audio CDs; podcasts.

[vinnywright]

Re: Switching from Ubuntu to Kubuntu?

I have used ubuntu with gnome for a few years, but with my computer unavailable for a while, I have been using my wife's machine, which has kubuntu 9.04 on it. I admit that I am starting to like it, and since I was never able to install KDE effectively in ubuntu 10.04, I am starting to wonder if I should just switch to kubuntu totally. I don't want to start any gnome/KDE flame wars, but am curious to hear from anyone who switched from ubuntu to kubuntu -- why you switched, whether you accomplished what you wanted, and whether you switched back.

Baaa no flame wars hear

I didn't switch from 1 to the other I've always used different window managers on my box ......I just prefer KDE
as of now the Gnome-desktop got puled out somewhere in the last few upgrades ? as did XFCE-4 ? but I can still log in to fluxbox,e16,e17,and XBMC
I haven't put the Gnome-desktop back on yet just because I really never loged into it that often.

I would be particularly interested to know if your multimedia performance (playing DVDs and the like) was better under one desktop or the other, as that has always been a real challenge for me in ubuntu. Thanks!

truthfully I dident notes if 1 was better or the other ? what was the challenge for you in ubuntu with multimedia ?

I don't think I've run into a Medea type that I cant play in a wile.

VINNY

[sithlord48]

Re: Switching from Ubuntu to Kubuntu?

i have had no multimedia issues w/ kde. i only use gnome on my server for NX (cause im to lazy to make lxde default) so i can't really compare. i was never really a big gnome user, i just can't get into gnome. the only thing that may affect your playback of multimedia would be the desktop effects depending on your hardware, naturally.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Switching from Ubuntu to Kubuntu?

Welcome to Kubuntu!
May I recommend that you install Lucid Lynx and then use the PPA repositories to update to the KDE4 4.5 release.

You also may want to visit the Medibuntu site and upgrade your codecs according to the instructions there (and your architecture).

My installation runs about everything I shove at it. One reason is the powerful mimes linking devices and files to actions and applications. To put it bluntly, it has more ease of use than Windows but without Windows security shortcomings.

[bennachie]

Re: Switching from Ubuntu to Kubuntu?

No flame wars here either - I use, and appreciate the particular merits of both Gnome and KDE. The earlier versions of KDE4 had more than their fair share of problems, but 4.4, and especially 4.5 (as found in the development editions of Kubuntu 10.10) are very solid and capable. Until relatively recently, I used Ubuntu for Gnome and openSUSE for KDE. However, Kubuntu shows clear signs of becoming at least as polished a KDE platform as openSUSE, and has become my preferred KDE distro (because of the real benefits flowing from association with a relatively large Ubuntu development community).

There may be some specific users for whom Ubuntu is a better choice than Kubuntu (new users often seem to find the Gnome UI easier to handle in the first instance, Network Manager in Gnome is more elegant than KNetworkManager and definitely makes it easier for users to use mobile broadband, and heavy email users will probably find Evolution more capable than the present version of Kmail - a new version of Kmail is on the way that may change that assessment, and Thunderbird runs well on both platforms, so the last point is moot in any case). However, there are also many users for whom Kubuntu could be the better choice (highly customisable UI, excellent file manager, desktop effects better integrated, etc etc).

Rather than mixing Gnome and KDE in a single installation, I've preferred to dual-boot "clean" Ubuntu and Kubuntu installations, and use them for different tasks, where the strengths of each are most apparent. It would be nice if Grub2 could be customised as easily and fluently as Grub1 - Mandriva is arguably state-of-the-art in the latter respect - which would avoid the need to remember which "/" partition is which, but doubtless Grub2 will continue to evolve over the next year or two. YMMV, of course, that's one of the joys of Linux.

[gorgo]

Re: Switching from Ubuntu to Kubuntu?

I installed ubuntu 10.10 and used gnome for a while. then I wanted to try KDE so I installed Kubuntu via sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop, got KDE installed and working.
I tried to delete ubuntu via sudo apt-get purge ubuntu-desktop, but that didn't remove all ubuntu things. I just want to have kubuntu not ubuntu. Now I have both ubuntus things and Kubuntus things installed.
So how do I remove ubuntus things, so I just get a Kubuntu system with a clean KDE system?

[dibl]

Re: Switching from Ubuntu to Kubuntu?

So how do I remove ubuntus things, so I just get a Kubuntu system with a clean KDE system?

I think you've set yourself a painfully difficult goal there -- I wouldn't bother trying it. Why not?

- you can log into KDE from the login greeter, and the Gnome desktop need not be used
- undoubtedly you will need some of the gtk files for selected packages that you run in KDE
- while stripping out Gnome and gtk packages, you won't know when you've borked your Kubuntu system until it's too late
- hard drive space costs 15 cents per GB, so if Gnome is using 2GB, you're setting up for a pile of work to save 30 cents. It can't be worth it.

[Detonate]

Re: Switching from Ubuntu to Kubuntu?

Install both desktops and see which one you like better. I was a total Kubuntu user up through Hardy, then I switched to Gnome because the early days of KDE4 were very tedious for the user, now I'm in the process of switching back, I have both installed . I'm trying to figure out how to do a few things in Kubuntu but I am confident I will get them figured out. There are programs in both that I prefer over their counterparts in the other. For example I much prefer K3b over Brasero.

[kapil]

Re: Switching from Ubuntu to Kubuntu?

i tried kubuntu first cause i liked the kde desktop. i found it more close to windoze desktop which i have used for last 10 years. when 10.10 was released i decided to dual boot with ubuntu. (default is kubuntu )
my maximum usage is for browsing followed by media followed by imaging.
here r my personal opinions.
desktop: kde has bluish desktop similar to windows. ubuntu on the other hand has pretty fresh and different desktop feel. which gives a distinct feel (to windows users). i find ubuntu desktop more responsive. snappy. kubuntu is more elegant.

media: i installed vlc as common video app for both ubu and kubu. for music though i personally prefer amarok. i just LOVED the feature of amarok to display albums yearwise neetly in left pane. just the way i wish to see them. banshee on other hand has advantage of sync function, which supports iPod and the android devices. and another advantage is the bigger album art display. I searched several forums.. but could not make amarok to display large coverflow. something like songbird.
all in all.. no problems playing any of the formats.

pictures: digikam digikam digikam.. someone suggested me this app as an option for picasa. and IMO it is better (not lookwise) than picasa. Gwenview is also my fav app for displaying images and minor correction in images.

burner: k3b over brasero

file browser: dolphin over whatever is that in ubuntu. (lookwise though i find ubuntu file browser better,the solid black color they have used is appealing. but hey.. they will be shifting to unity anyway)

app manager: i use konsole terminal more often compared to any of the package management tool.

terminal: yakuake over the default one

one more point i would like to mention here. kubuntu being the lesser fav child of canonical has not taken much efforts to make kubuntu desktop distinct. (why would they, when the bare kde desktop is so beautiful) but i would have liked if kubuntu had some features distinct to make it a kubuntu desktop rather than just another kde desktop.

i found the ubuntu desktop to have that distinct feel. i started to use ubuntu more than kubu. but i found that i like all the application of kde over gnome. add to it.. the cool rotate function of desktop widget (notes specifically)
so kubuntu is still my fav =)

[woodsmoke]

Re: Switching from Ubuntu to Kubuntu?

Flame wars?

I don't think so, this place is just too friendly!

The thing that I "used to not like" is what I now precisely do like and that is the Plasma desktop.

So, give it a try, you might like it more than you think, there is quite a bit to "explore" so you don't know until you give it a good wringing out.

There has been some discussion of the "cashew" and stuff, but I think that is possibly just a personal preference thing.

A desktop has to, for me, do one thing first and foremost and that is it has to "work" and I mean that in the hardest sense. I do a LOT of office and online type work and I can't have crashes or laggieness or anything like that. The desktop has to also be as "efficient" as possible. I have previously relied on the Compiz cube for that but the Plasma folders are working out quite well. But, I also like to listen to music or watch a DVD at the same time and Meerkat Kubuntu is living up to what people have said about it as far as I'm concerned.

woodsmoke