Kubuntu 15.04

[SealLion]

The Kubuntu project has announced the release of Kubuntu 15.04, a distribution built using packages from the Ubuntu repositories and featuring desktop software provided by the KDE project. Kubuntu 15.04 offers users the Plasma 5 desktop environment and nine months of security updates. "Plasma 5, the next generation of KDE's desktop has been rewritten to make it smoother to use while retaining the familiar setup. The second set of updates to Plasma 5 are now stable enough for everyday use and is the default in this version of Kubuntu

Distribution Release: Kubuntu 15.04 (DistroWatch.com News)

KDE Plasma 5 is not entirely stable for all Linux/GNU OS but for other distros, it works well so far.

of course, there are other flavors from Canonical available. And for the 1st time, members from Canonical have made Mate for Ubuntu an official and separate flavour available.

Martin Wimpress has announced the availability of Ubuntu MATE 15.04, the project's first release as an official member of the Ubuntu family of distributions:

DistroWatch.com: Put the fun back into computing. Use Linux, BSD.

[Sazzy]

Do people still use KDE? I would've thought it had died off years ago by now.

[SealLion]

why would you ask that?

the people at the KDE community have created some of the best open-source software for the Linux/GNU community that is out there. The KDE desktop is one of the most widely used DE out there. It far super seeds the use of other DE like Mate DE, Unity, IceWM, the Openbox Window mgr., Cinnamon DE (believe it or not), LXQt, LXDE, EDE, the Deepin DE, Hawii DE, the ROX DE, Fluxbox Window mgr, Enlightenment Window mgr.,, and other DE like XFCE and Gnome (both of which come in 2nd and 3rd after KDE popularity).

File mgr. like Dolphin was rated the top file mgr available. It's feature richness far surpasses what other OS like Window's and Mac OS X have available. Even the Gnome window file browser can't beat what Dolphin provides. It can provide tagging for files and folders, viewing attributes can be set (and even remembered) independently for each window. Unlike Gnome where the ability for that file browser refuses to compensate for the history it's user set previously. Dolphin can also elect to have essential attribute information displayed in the window. There are also functions controlled by keyboard short cuts.

KDE has both the shell and the underlying technology for it. KDE is used by approx 1/3 of Linux/GNU os users. Only if one was to add all the choices that use the GNOME technology like the Cinnamon DE, GNOME, Mate, and the Unity DE, then KDE loses its position. KDE has a balance between a classic desktop, like panels, window lists, pagers, as well as a high degree of configuration.
KDE has a huge ecosystem for applications. What better DVD burner is out there than K3B? Brasero is next to the garbage, IMO.

Many of us, me included, have/had a visual similarity to the Windows GUI and interface. KDE has one of the best (along with Cinnamon) visual similarities available.
It is also more versatile than other DE. The desktop surface has many options for user space.
Desktop widgets can be modified in size so that they are more pleasing to the eye as well as more easily found by the user. If you don't like eye candy, it can be turned off.

If you are a heavy customizer or just generally like to play with customizations, KDE has a high degree of adaptability and configurability. Unlike Gnome, KDE has a tendency to preserve older options. Ever asked the Gnome team why they remove various options?

And the KDE community? No comparison to the chill reception that KDE devs have had over at Gnome. The KDE community is far more receptive than others you can imagine. Regardless of one's skills, origins, or gender, at the KDE community forums you are part of KDE.

As a side note, some users, myself including, might consider KDE to be bloated (my opinion). However, KDE with Plasma 5 (since v 4.x) has been getting a lot more resource-friendly. If you were to tell me about all the widgets and activities, I won't disagree with them on having made KDE with so may applications available a bit overdone. However, what one considers to be too much for one's uses, is entirely different than what surveys in the Linux community state, That KDE is a very popular DE.

[Sazzy]

Because it's been years since KDE was the main environment for any distro I know of and I personally don't like it very much. I don't believe it's still used more than Gnome, for one.
I also don't understand why the arguments like "a good dvd burner" matter for something like this. And I thought "linux people" hated the windows gui. (or so they claim!)

[SealLion]

... I don't believe it's still used more than Gnome, for one.
...

Survey says: KDE Plasma is the most popular desktop Linux environment | ITworld

--->February 6, 2015


Why Do Users Choose KDE? - Datamation -->January 2, 2014

.

Why do you ask if dvd burning doesn't matter for something like this?? It's an environment isn't it? With an environment, you are supplied with applications, libraries, and utilities. Basically, a complete system. And since we're obviously dealing with an environment that supplies these things, we can supply examples to elaborate on the above.

K3B is loaded with advanced burning features like overburning. Friendly interface too. Down side is you can't deal with Blu-Ray.
Brasero? You can do as much with Brasero as you can with ecto.

And what's this got to do with 'hating Windows GUI'? Where did you read that in my post? Where did you read that this has got to do with a love/hate relationship with any kind of GUI/interface with Windows?

[Sazzy]

A dvd burner is an extra application on top. It isn't really related to the window manager, or at least shouldn't be. Integration like that should be on a plugin basis, not hardcoded. I'm sure K3B is good, but using KDE should be irrelevant to how good it is. It should just work on gnome as well. It's a dvd burner after all.

I wasn't talking about you with the hate for windows UI. But that's pretty much a big argument you keep coming across when reading up why linux is so much better.

[SealLion]

.... It should just work on gnome as well.....

And I think that it actually does work on Gnome. Cin, Mate, Enlightenment WM, Openbox, etc as well. However, there may be some kde libs installed as a result. But that's kind of minor.

Regarding the UI issue. I don't believe it's to do with any kind of UI. But on that, I"m not 100 percent sure. I have come across people who prefer using Win 7 over 8. Having told me in person it's because they felt Win 8 and 8.1 have 'ugly' interface. I guess it's to do with that they don't like how Win 8 uses the desktop real-estate with all these widgets. I personally don't care for widget either. I like my screen real-estate to be clear and free of any kind of unnecessary clutter. This includes icons.

What I don't care personally for Windows is all the crap-ware that one has to put up with. For example, when you buy a newer laptop with Windows on it, Windows has pre-installed the AV and the office suite that is free for short time only before your asked to purchase it. Microsoft has this strong alliances with hardware makers and PC builders along with the tight integration of its popular office business tools with its operating systems create this enormous money-making synergy for the profitable sale of proprietary software licenses. Read the 'crap-ware' I briefly mentioned above. All of that I don't like.

I don't like Window's strong marketing and evangelism. Further elaborating on this is how Windows has this complex licensing practice. This bad practice that MS has blocks many PC makers from lowering the price of a new PC even when they pre-install Linux or sell the PC with no OS on it at all. So for example. If a laptop maker wants to sell Win licensed laptops, then MS will often require that laptop or PC maker to buy a Win license for every single laptop/desktop that they sell even if they don't install Windows on that particular machine. If they fail to comply, they pay hefty fees. Linux, as I've come to know, isn't like that.


I also don't like how Win has limited cmd available for the cmd window. Linux offers literally hundreds (maybe thousands?? not sure, but I only know the one's I'm familiar with). So much more capability. It's not an OS for advanced users just because it has terminal emulator available. (Linux is new-user friendly as well). That application offers navigational avenues that one doesn't have via normal GUI. It offers capability to have control of your own OS.