kubuntu-desktop on Ubuntu - have I got full Kubuntu?

[BruceTanner]

New to Linux last April, I installed the new Ubuntu 18.04. Over the subsequent weeks it became apparent that Kubuntu's flexibility and configurability might suit me better, so I installed kubuntu-desktop. I have not been disappointed!! It is everything I was hoping for in moving to Linux, and more. It just seems to work the way I do instead of trying to impose restrictions.

But it has left me wondering...is Ubuntu + kubintu-desktop the full Kubuntu? Am I missing anything? Have I got some sort of hybrid monster that will cause me problems in the future or is this essentially what Kubuntu is? (Everything has worked like a dream so far, including "tricky" things like an optional second monitor in portrait mode, and a wireless bluetooth mouse.) I'm not planning to try and remove Gnome, that seems like asking for trouble!

Thanks for any thoughts.

[chimak111]

If everything works as you desire, don't poke the bear

You have additional software, from the parent install, that a clean install of Kubuntu doesn't have. If you do decide to stay with Kubuntu, I suggest you do a clean install when the time comes around to move up to a new version.

[GreyGeek]

...
But it has left me wondering...is Ubuntu + kubintu-desktop the full Kubuntu? Am I missing anything? Have I got some sort of hybrid monster that will cause me problems in the future or is this essentially what Kubuntu is? (Everything has worked like a dream so far, including "tricky" things like an optional second monitor in portrait mode, and a wireless bluetooth mouse.) I'm not planning to try and remove Gnome, that seems like asking for trouble!

Thanks for any thoughts.

The "full" Kubuntu? For the basic DE, yes. However, there are tons of utilities and apps that do not install when you install the plasma-desktop in an Ubuntu install. Even if you do a fresh install from a Kubuntu 18.04 ISO there will be utilities and apps that do not install. If you check "3rd party" installs during the installation you'll get some media DRM and proprietary stuff. Otherwise, you'll have to enable those sources in the repository and then search them out.

I just did a fresh install of Kubuntu 18.04 on my grandson's Toshiba L55 skullcandy laptop. Here is what is in the menu:

No games

Graphics: Gwenview, Okular, Skanlite

Internet: FireFox

Multimedia: K3b, VLC, Pulse Audio Volume Control

Office: Okular

Settings: System Settings, Open JDK Javaa 11 Policy tool, Input Method

System: Dolphin, Info Center, K3b, KDE Partition Manager, Konsole, KSysGuard, KWalletManager, Muon Package Manager

Utilities: Ark, Kate, KCalc, Spectacle

Anything else that should appear as a menu entry YOU have to install. Like Minecraft (However, a bug in the certificates prohibits "java -jar Minecraft.jar" from running properly.). Steam apps? You need to download and install the steam.deb package from the Steam website. Want Stellarium? You have to install it. KDELiven? Ditto, etc...

You could have installed using a Kubuntu 18.04 ISO and then added the GNome desktop to your installation. The results would be about the same.

[BruceTanner]

No I am not going to "poke the bear", that is kust what I hope to avoid, I'm not into endless fiddling, hoping to get a stable system to use for the forseable future. Looks like Kubuntu could be it!

@Graygeek thank you for taking the trouble to write all that, v.helpful. I deliberately installed kubuntu-desktop rather than just plasma so that I got the aps too. I haven't found anything "missing" yet and as you say I can add lots of things just as I could under Gnome. One of the things that has impressed me most is the huge variety of stuff available, not just utilities but major apps, and all free, in every sense. :-D

With hindsight if I was doing it again I would of course just go for a clean Kubuntu but I'm hoping to avoid the pain of a re-install!

[junkle]

Hello everyone.
I would like to clarify a doubt. When installing the kubuntu-desktop on Ubuntu 18.04 which has Gnome, can give some problem for being KDE In Qt and Gnome in GTK?
There may be some incompatibility in the future?
Thank you.

[jlittle]

You should be fine. Over the years there's been occasional conflicts; when Gnome 3 came out the Gnome folks seemed to adopt a very "our way is the only correct way" and didn't care what they screwed up, but that passed. The XDG desktop standards are slowly making progress, letting DEs work together.

Installing Gnome on top of Kubuntu can end up replacing Kubuntu components leading to a less pure KDE. F.ex. MySQL workbench wanted gnome-keyring to save passwords, so now to open my kwallet I have to use gnome-keyring.