Last week I looked at Ubuntu Linux 10.04 and found it to be a delightful surprise. This week I thought it would be fun to look at the KDE version, Kubuntu 10.04.
Alas, I was not nearly as pleased with Kubuntu as I was with Ubuntu. While there have definitely been some improvements in Kubuntu 10.04, it lacks some of the important things that defined Ubuntu 10.04.
Read on to find out why you should avoid Kubuntu Linux 10.04 LTS.
What’s New In This Release
Here’s a list of some of what’s new in this release:
The Kubuntu logo has been updated on the splash screen and in the desktop menus
KDE Plasma Desktop 4.4
Linux kernel 2.6.32
Amarok 2.3
Installer slideshow
Touchpad configuration
Firefox KDE integration
System notification updates
Gnome application system tray integration
The updated Kubuntu logo is fine but seems to only appear on the bootsplash screen and the desktop menus. Beyond that there is no other branding to indicate that Canonical is behind the release of this distro.
The new Plasma desktop has some goodies in it including an improved system tray that includes widgets, better search via Dolphin and the ability to let you browse through a recently used timeline. You can now also group windows into tabs.
The inclusion of a slideshow during the install is a great idea. It lets newbies know what’s available in this distro and helps keep the user entertained while the install concludes.
If you’re using a laptop then the touchpad configuration in System Settings is a welcome addition. I rarely use my laptop so it’s not particularly relevant for me but I’m glad to see it in this release.
The system notification updates are also helpful. When I first opened Konqueror, I was greeted with a menu asking if I wanted to install additional codecs. See the screenshot of this in the Sound and Multimedia section of the review to see what it looks like.
I’m very happy to see Firefox integrated with KDE. That’s an excellent thing for those of us who prefer Firefox as our default browsers instead of Konqueror. It’s also good to see GNOME apps blending into the KDE Plasma desktop in a more cohesive way.
The new Kubuntu logo appears in the desktop menus.
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This review shows a lot of emotions but even more subjective opinions than objective facts. Furthermore it clearly lacks background research and homework. It paints subjective image over good and bad that comes with Kubuntu, not weighting them properly.
To point out a few errors:
1.”The login screen immediately disappoints, it has nothing on it to indicate a connection with Canonical.” – This is subjective, many would say that they like default KDE KDM theme. Lack of more brand Kubuntu artwork should be regarded as bad thing but not as harshly as you do:”The login screen is a harbinger of more disappointment to come in Kubuntu.”
2. “If you are expecting Kubuntu’s desktop look and feel to resemble the gorgeous Ambiance theme used in Ubuntu 10.04, think again.” – Ok so you like GTK Ambiance theme and expect to see the ‘same’ in KDE based distro?
“Kubuntu’s desktop does not resemble Ubuntu’s at all. Frankly, I dislike it. It’s bland and dull.” – Go back to the first point: subjective and over reacted.
3. “One of the biggest problems with Kubuntu is its lack of the Ubuntu Software Center. Kubuntu uses KPackageKit to manage software and, frankly, it sucks. It’s ugly, it’s non-intuitive and it really has no place in any distro with “ubuntu” in its name.” – Even though I agree KpackageKit is not on par with Ubuntu Software Center, it is not as bad as you make it out to be. It does it’s job very well, and it is the most developed dpkg KDE based package manager.
4. “One thing I found lacking was the non-inclusion of the PiTiVi video editor. I was puzzled to find that it wasn’t available in Kubuntu. It certainly would have made sense for it to be included in the Multimedia applications menu by default for users that want to edit videos.” – Like with many other ‘strange’ things you said, this shows your lack of homework (gnome app on kde.. gnome libs + kde libs ! small CD). KDE has Kdenliv, by many THE BEST linux nonlinear video editor, light years in front of PiTiVi. But the lack of the CD space makes including Kdenlive unlikely.
5. “The default desktop theme is basic and essential branding for Canonical’s desktop product and there’s no reason for Kubuntu to look so different from Ubuntu.” – Yes there is Kubuntu is KDE distro and Ubuntu Gnome, two different technologies providing two different experiences. One to emulate other would be silly.
6. “The use of F-Spot as a replacement for GIMP has been very controversial among Ubuntu users. But in Kubuntu, neither application is installed by default. So there really is nothing for desktop users to use as an image-editing program. This is an odd decision on Canonical’s part. Why isn’t one application or the other included in Kubuntu?” – There is Gewnview that provides basic editing capabilities (even more after kipi plugins are installed). But on the repositories there is DigiKam and ShowFoto, again by many THE BEST applications of their kind. Again problem of small CD.
7 “One truly bizarre omission is Gwibber. Gwibber is the social media client found in Ubuntu but there seems to be nothing similar available in Kubuntu. This is particularly odd in light of this bit of text from the Kubuntu News page:” – haha, again gnome app on KDE distro. Firstly there are plasma widgets, and long before Ubuntu was doing ‘the social thing’ Kubuntu was ‘social from the start’ there is micro-blogging widget, facebook widget and in repository there is Choqok app for twitter and identi.ca
8 “Another inconsistency is that the title bar buttons are on the right, unlike in Ubuntu where they are on the left. ” – there is no law that says that every *ubuntu distro must have buttons on the left. However KDE can be configured to have buttons where ever you want them ;)
9 “I recommend that everybody avoid Kubuntu. If you must use a KDE-based distro, wait for the KDE version of Linux Mint. You’ll have a much better experience and you won’t waste your time with Kubuntu.”
Kubuntu has much smaller development team, and I believe that only one person is payed by Canonical to work on Kubuntu. Kubuntu is community driven.
Kubuntu has its strengths and weaknesses, but you don’t weight them properly. Kubuntu is THE FIRST distro to have the new KDE packages, it is extremely solid and stable, it provides clean KDE experience. We all would like to see more artwork and polish, but the lack of that and some Gnome apps (that have extremely good KDE replacements) can’t be the reason to give it such bashing and a score of 2.5.
I truly hope that the votes and comments you receive for this review tell you something about its quality.
Kubuntu is *almost* a community project. It has one full-time paid developer, Jonathan Riddell. Design decisions come through the Kubuntu Council and the community developers who attend UDS. We’re not bound to go along with Mark’s sense of taste, so we don’t.
I guess you missed the bit where large swaths of the Ubuntu community are mad as hell about the buttons being put on the left without any input from anyone?
You have clearly not done your homework. Your anger at the exclusion of a bunch of gnome apps that have good kde equivalents tell me that right from the get-go. The only valid point you have is that Kpackagekit isn’t completely up to snuff. However, you can’t fault the Kubuntu developers for being limited to a CD’s space.
Many would be happy if we moved up to 2GB DVDs. Then we could include Firefox, Choqok and Kdenlive, etc.
And why would you think that the KDE version should be made to look like the Gnome version and not the other way around? Why not just mod the KDE version to have Canonical logos all over the place and mod Gnome to look exactly like it?
Obviously because they cannot. It’s not only looks but also technology. It’s also about development process upstream. But you sure know nothing aobut this, otherwise you wouldn’t be stirring shit that smells bad.
Why would a BMW Series 3 car look exactly like a Mini? You like Minies: small, simple, little space needed, and idio…beginner-proof. I prefer the Series 3, while more complex for id…beginners, it’s more flexible, fast, efficient, and lets me run it the way I want.
Aren’t both of them branded? They are. Do they look the same? No, they shouldn’t.
Don’t rise bad mood in the community. Use what suits you, and let the others alone, as long as they don’t do you any bad. Peace.
DigiKam is *huge* and so not included by default. Gwenview is included, and it is a capable image viewer and editor.
Why do these comments bother having a “reply” link on each individual one when they don’t even nest? Makes it seem like you’re going to reply directly to someone, and then your comment is just hanging out there with no context after all
If you are expecting desktoplinuxreviews’s website look and feel to resemble the gorgeous linuxtoday theme, think again. desktoplinuxreviews’s website does not resemble linuxtoday’s at all. Frankly, I dislike it. It’s bland and dull.
I know that some will say “…but it’s desktoplinuxreviews you idiot! Why should it look like linuxtoday.com?” It’s called branding and desktoplinuxreviews utterly lacks any significant kind branding on the website and in general. It only shows penguins, “kinder”, superman, and “slipknot”.
Background
The default background is Penguinis, an icky light-gray penguin- mess that I immediately wanted to replace. To change your background, go into Browser Settings and click on the CSS settings to disable. There’s a whole bunch of different ones you can download to replace the default desktoplinuxreviews background.
You rock man! I like your writings. Unbiased, clean, objective, proffessional,… no, sorry to say,… but your writings really suck. If you really wanted to show how unproffessional, taste-biased and subjective you are, you really managed.
Such comments are unwelcome not only by the *buntu community alone, but also from Gnome’s. Honestly, you should be forced to install Windows and live with it.
Stange, most of the cons you mention are what I like about Kubuntu.
It gives me a standard default KDE desktop, its not in your face, I then customize it the way I want it. Its really why I like KDE, after install it takes me a few hours to get it just the way I want it, and all the software you mentioned is just a click away, I suppose if you do not have internet connection then these things are an issue….
You could have saved yourself loads of trouble by simply interviewing Riddell from the get-go. I am sure he would have “schooled” you on what KDE is and how it works as opposed to what GNOME is. Personally? After reading the review and followup comments, I no longer believe that you even know what those are. Am I being overly harsh? No. I am being honest. A good writer sticks with his/her expertise for a reason…
>Cons: Lacks a social media app like Gwibber. F-Spot, GIMP and PiTiVi are not installed by default. Ambiance theme from Ubuntu not available. Uses KPackageKit for software management, the Ubuntu Software Center is not available. The Ubuntu One online service and music store are also not included.<
Are you kidding?
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Actually, it is – a Gnome only application.
Doesn’t work either in KDE or XFCE.
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Another inconsistency is that the title bar buttons are on the right, unlike in Ubuntu where they are on the left.
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There would be little point to this, since it seems that the planned window indicators will be supported only in Gnome.
And, btw, you did not state the details of your test configuration.
It is customary when relating any experiment, and the test of an OS clearly fits this category, to state your methodology, so the results you achieved may be duplicated by others. Without this, a review lacks an objective quality.
Mackenzie wrote:
Hell yeah!!! This is SO sweet to hear. Ever since I switched to Kubuntu for the recent directions Canonical is driving Ubuntu into, I’ve always wanted to hear your words to rest assured that the dictator, however benevolent, will never impose his bad taste and (lack of) design skills on the Kubuntu community. Aaah! It feels so free in here…
If Kubuntu 10.04 is so much better than Ubuntu 10.04, why, then, do you suppose that after using KDE from 3.0 – 4.4, I have now switched from Kubuntu to Ubuntu and am a GNOME user, at least for now?
I think this release is one of the best of Kubuntu. The kubuntu devs don try to do a very tuned KDE distro, they try to be very close to upstream KDE as possible. That is what you don’t find many places where you see something very different from upstream KDE. And personally I don’t care so much if I don’t see many changes which reflect the new branding (which I think is nice).
The plus that Kubuntu has is the big community which is also from Ubuntu and the rest of *ubuntus. It is also a Debian based distro, using apt, dpkg, debs, etc.
Ubuntu if self has not so many developers paid from Canonical to work exclusively in Gnome, my work in the Kernel, Xorg/mesa/video-drivers etc. Which is something that all the *ubuntus share.
But I also think that Canonical should merge Kubuntu/Ubuntu/Xubuntu, etc. in one big branding, Ubuntu; so they will only have Ubuntu Gnome edition, Ubuntu KDE edition, etc. Like openSUSE or Fedora or Mandriva.