Why dont people reccomend Kubuntu as a starter option that often?
Posted by ChanceOk970@reddit | linux | View on Reddit | 36 comments
When people need to reccomend a good easy starter distro to someone coming from windows people always say either ubuntu, pop os or mint. But why? Logically, Kubuntu would probably be the best option. it has all the support and starter friendliness of ubuntu but comes with a DE that is much more similar to windows. I mean Gnome is way too different for a new user and in my opinion cinnamon is a bit…. crap. So why dont people reccomend Kubuntu?
Left_Sun_3748@reddit
Because KDE has a history and is one of the reasons KDE is less popular.
KnowZeroX@reddit
There are 2 main reasons.
First reason is ubuntu and snaps. At one point kubuntu also had flatpaks by default but Canonical forced them to remove it. People don't want to support Canonical's lockdowns. Mint and PopOs while ubuntu based remove snaps by default
Second reason is because LTS Kubuntu is still on KDE Plasma 5. If you wanted something like Mint and PopOS for KDE, that would be Tuxedo OS which gives you LTS ubuntu, without snaps and newer KDE Plasma 6
Upstairs-Comb1631@reddit
You can install some *buntu flavours without snap. Choose minimal install in setup installation.
KnowZeroX@reddit
Not really, all official ubuntu flavors have snaps. Yes, some flavors will not have snaps out of box but the moment you start installing software, they will be included even if you use apt
Upstairs-Comb1631@reddit
I agree. For now, however, you can perform blocking just like Linux Mint does. For future...
KnowZeroX@reddit
Right, but most average users aren't going to go through terminal commands/config files to do so. It is easier just to tell someone to use Mint then go the extra steps. Not to mention Mint repackages some of the snaps as debs.
Remember, the question is why people don't recommend it to new users.
Upstairs-Comb1631@reddit
Yes. This is exactly why I recommend Linux Mint.
VoidDuck@reddit
Kubuntu regular (biannual) releases always feels like beta-grade software to me every time I try them. For a polished out-of-the-box KDE experience with up-to-date software I find Fedora KDE to be a better option these days. Meanwhile the LTS releases feel like Debian stable without the backports but with snaps... I don't see much added value compared to Debian so I'd rather use the original.
SilentSinger69@reddit
GNOME is recommended because a lot of people who are coming from Windows don't want something that superficially looks like Windows, they want something that's as clean and polished and professional as Windows (or moreso), and that's what GNOME offers. Windows' biggest competitor is macOS, which is extremely different from Windows, but it doesn't matter because it's just better.
Most of the popular Linux DEs are similar to Windows because it's what people are used to and it's a very utilitarian design. GNOME aims to be different.
Destroyerb@reddit
I know I will be downvoted, but I 100% agree
Gnome takes a non-conservative approach which I really like
All the design choices (such as getting rid of those window buttons in favor of gestures like middle-click and double-click and keybinds)
No taskbar etc is exactly what I am looking for
They don't care about familiarity (which is a very good thing) and instead focus on innovation
SilentSinger69@reddit
I certainly agree with some folks who think GNOME takes it a bit too far. I personally use an extension to re-add maximize buttons, for example. But that's one small thing and it's just my personal preference. In general, I very much appreciate the fact that they try to be innovative rather than trying to answer the question, "What if computer interfaces stopped evolving in 1998?"
MaruThePug@reddit
KDE Plasma has a tendency to be a little... unstable. Not so bad that someone who knows what they're doing can't deal with it, but enough that someone unfamiliar with Linux will find that their computer just randomly becomes unusable. Cinnamon on the other had is a lot more stable, and is completely predictable in how it operates. Plus it's the distro for Linux Mint, which has put a lot of back end work into making Linux intuitive and predictable. The little things are small on their own, but they can add up to making a system much easier or harder to use, such as some apps refusing to operate in an expected way because they're secretly the snaps version and has restrictions not explained to the user.
FattyDrake@reddit
Plasma is only really unstable if you add themes to it, because you're relying on a 3rd party to keep things up to date. (They usually don't.) Vanilla Plasma (Breeze) is quite stable.
daemonpenguin@reddit
Mostly because it's not intended to be a beginner distro. It's more of an experimental distro for people who like Ubuntu and KDE, but it's not targeting new users.
evanldixon@reddit
Probably the same reason Ubuntu isn't recommended as much these days, for reasons such as snaps.
I run KUbuntu on one of my laptops, and it took a bit of work to get things configured right. Sddm took a lot of work to get the scaling right. It's otherwise fine. But due to the work I'd instead recommend Bazzite to normal people, especially those who just want to play games and don't intend to install system packages; this thing is the lowest effort of installation and post-install configuration I've seen in any OS, lower effort than even Windows these days.
svenska_aeroplan@reddit
I do. It has mostly the same stability, beginner friendly-ness, support, and critical mass of Ubuntu while being more familiar.
I'm personally not a fan of distros that go out of their way to hide Linux from new users. Kubuntu is friendly while still being a regular distro.
ChanceOk970@reddit (OP)
exactly! but im not so sure about it being a regular distro. more advanced users should definitely move to a different distro that has a bit less of a made for newbies feel to it.
svenska_aeroplan@reddit
I don't think it's really all that different from "more advanced" distros. Its beginner friendly-ness comes more from Ubuntu often being treated as the default distro and a million search results for common issues.
Gone2theDogs@reddit
Cinnamon tends to be less complicated and lighter than KDE. It's preference on styles. Personally prefer Cinnamon.
If you are new, simpler is better.
ChanceOk970@reddit (OP)
for lighter yea sure mint is better. but for someone with a good pc kde isnt very complicated either so id say its better for someone not running a 30 year old thinkpad
Gone2theDogs@reddit
You always start simple.
If you are the type to be asking others rather than research yourself. You give the simplest and easiest to use options.
ChanceOk970@reddit (OP)
ok true i give that one to you.
Gone2theDogs@reddit
KDE is a great desktop and feels far more configurable and customizable. It's obviously a more aesthetically pleasing.
But for me, I find Cinnamon gets out of my way more. I'm not a big customize configuration person. I like the lower resources because you can never have too much.
I use it with Manjaro.
Everyone should experiment, once they are comfortable.
whosdr@reddit
Running my Mint Cinnamon desktop on a 7800X3D, 7900XTX and 64GiB of RAM.
Preferences are preferences.
ChanceOk970@reddit (OP)
damn bro where did you get that kind of money lol. to be fair what matters most is that you enjoy the distro youre using. if you like mint, enjoy it 🤷♂️
whosdr@reddit
I had little to spend it on for a few years while suffering from a bone tumour. Thought I'd treat myself after successful surgery to remove it. :p
ChanceOk970@reddit (OP)
oh wow, glad youre doing ok now, enjoy the pc
whosdr@reddit
I have been! Runs my games great, did some AI inference just to figure out the limits of the tech, run lots of VMs in the background.
So far I've not had a use-case for Wayland, and when I do run a KDE desktop the first thing I end up doing is turning most of the features off. x3
OhHaiMarc@reddit
Do you have some sort of stake in Kubuntu? Or is it just the distro you have installed and you need some validation?
ChanceOk970@reddit (OP)
Neither, i just never see it reccomended anywhere and its always the one i reccomend to anyone new, so i asked this question out of pure curiousity.
Ps11889@reddit
Because Kubuntu is fine but there are better KDE implementations out there.
Comfortable-Mine6216@reddit
What's the point into using a bloatware os anyway if you are changing to the same lmao, you don't choose linux for being windows
ChanceOk970@reddit (OP)
Im just saying it could be more familiar to someone coming from windows and it can be a better introduction to linux. if they get bored, they can customize plasma however they like it.
Yeetyeetskrtskrrrt@reddit
I’d say it depends on if the person recommending is already deep into Linux or not. Most others will know what I mean when I say the community can get a little toxic sometimes. Ubuntu made that mistake a while ago with Amazon and data collection and no one has let them live it down since. At that’s what I see a lot of. If you think it’s a good recommendation, go for it! It’s a solid distro with an easy to use desktop.
Diogenes_Jeans@reddit
Desktop environments are entirely preference based, so while you may find Cinnamon to be crap, it has wide appeal to folks who long for Windows XP era desktops.
Gnome is recommended mainly because of staying power. Love it or hate it, Gnome has been around awhile, and it's kind of "the Linux desktop" because it's not like Windows and not really like Mac that much, so it has that going for it.
That said, Zorin has been my go to suggestion for anyone coming from Windows because it is much more similar to Windows in practice while giving enough opportunity to delve deeper.
But, as long as people have the opportunity to try new things and learn what they like, it's all happy for me.
Bluesboy82@reddit
Good Point. If Ubuntu, then with the K