Ubuntu to Kubuntu – My Switch From Gnome to KDE

Well my journey into the world of Ubuntu Linux has continued to evolve. I had previously been using Ubuntu which comes with the default Gnome user interface. However, with all the recent stir about Gnome and the mono project (Which I will address in a future post), I have decided to make the move to KDE. Since I really like the Ubuntu operating system and Debian in particular, I have decided on Kubuntu has the operating system of choice.

Kubuntu is Ubuntu with the KDE user interface instead of Gnome. At first glance, I have found KDE to be much more pleasing to the eyes. KDE is very well polished, and it offers many more configuration options then its Gnome counterpart does. There are also a few changes in the range of programs that KDE offers compared to its Gnome brother. There are also other subtle differences between the two as well that I will very briefly touch base on.

File Manager

Gnome and KDE handle files in a similar fashion which is through a GUI. However, the applications that handle these operations are different. In Gnome, Nautilus is the default file manager. In KDE the default file manager is Dolphin(at least in Kubuntu). After using Dolphin, I find I like it a lot more then Nautilus because it seems overall easier to use. It also highlights the root folder in red so it gives you a better idea of exactly where you are in the file system hierarchy. It also has many more configuration options under the hood than its Gnome counterpart which allows you to make it behave exactly the way you want it.

Web Browsers

In Gnome, the default Web Browser is Mozilla Firefox. Firefox is an award winning browser and a great choice as the default browser for the Gnome desktop. The pure number of extensions available for Firefox makes it an extremely powerful and customizable Web Browser.

KDE/Kubuntu on the other hand comes with Konqueror as the default web browser. Konqueror is a web browser and a file manager and uses the KHTML rendering engine. It is compatible with Firefox plug-ins and is overall a pretty speedy browser. It comes with Ad blocking and filters set up for it by default out of the box on Kubuntu. Overall I feel Konqueror is a very capable browser. On Kubuntu, Firefox is available to install via a single click from the Kubuntu menu. I find there are a few web sites that don’t display correctly in Konqueror, this where installing Firefox on Kubuntu/KDE will be a practical choice. So in the web browsing area, Kubuntu/KDE is flexible in this regard.

Email

The Gnome default install of Ubuntu uses Evolution as the default email client. Even though regardless of if your using KDE or Gnome, the default email client can be changed to Thunderbird or whichever one you prefer. Kubuntu by default comes with Kmail. It is an email client that is comparable to Evolution. I wouldn’t say one is better then the other, however KDE does have a comparable email client which is very important to many.

Overall

Overall, I am very impressed with KDE/Kubuntu. The overall user experience and user interface is like a breath of fresh air compared to Gnome. It also does not take as long to load the OS and desktop when booting up Kubuntu compared to Ubuntu. Kubuntu has gotten the reputation of being the neglected little sister of Ubuntu. After all, Gnome and Ubuntu is the big kid on the block, and I figure most of the development goes into it because it has the larger user base. However, one can very easily adapt the document instructions for KDE rather than Gnome. This is because both Ubuntu and Kubuntu both have the same stuff underneath, the differences are in the Window managers with Ubuntu with Gnome, and Kubuntu with KDE.

If you haven’t tried Kubuntu yet or KDE, and are getting a bit restless with Gnome and Ubuntu give Kubuntu a shot, its a well thought out and very smooth OS.