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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- Both Kubuntu and Fedora KDE Plasma are large distributions.
- One is based connected Ubuntu, and 1 is based connected Fedora.
- There are subtle reasons wherefore you mightiness gravitate toward 1 oregon the other.
KDE Plasma has go 1 of my favourite Linux desktop environments. Not lone is it beautiful, but it's besides highly flexible, fast, and reliable.
Once you've decided connected the desktop situation that's close for you, you request to take a organisation that complements your environment. With KDE Plasma, determination are a batch of options. Two of these volition spell head-to-head here: Kubuntu and Fedora KDE Plasma.
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You mightiness wonder, "Isn't KDE Plasma ever KDE Plasma, nary substance the distribution?" That whitethorn beryllium a logical assumption, but it is not ever true. Even subtle differences tin beryllium crippled changers.
Between these 2 distributions, determination is nary close oregon incorrect prime -- they're some fantastic. However, chances are that 1 of them volition beryllium amended suited to your needs.
Let's find out.
Kubuntu
The latest mentation of the Kubuntu desktop.
The archetypal happening to cognize is that Kubuntu is based connected Ubuntu, which means it benefits from the user-friendliness of the APT bundle manager and the immense fig of applications disposable for installation. Here's a bully spot of trivia: You tin acquisition a Kubuntu laptop that performs incredibly well.
As Ubuntu (including each distributions based connected Canonical's OS) is 1 of the astir wide utilized open-source operating systems, you tin beryllium definite that Kubuntu enjoys galore of the aforesaid benefits, specified arsenic a precise ample community, extended documentation, semipermanent enactment (up to 15 years), and rock-solid stability.
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Kubuntu puts distant a reasonably untouched KDE Plasma and, of course, ships with the acheronian taxable enabled (why this is ever the case, I'll ne'er know). All the accustomed KDE Plasma bits are there, unchanged by the improvement team. It's beautiful, and it's fast.
But that's par for the people with KDE Plasma.
What distinguishes Kubuntu from Fedora? Subtlety. One happening that does acceptable Kubuntu isolated is the regularity of Ubuntu and Ubuntu rotation releases. You tin number connected 2 releases per year: a .04 and a .10, and it's similar clockwork. Even better, the upgrades from 1 merchandise to the adjacent are arsenic seamless arsenic it gets.
Another big-ticket point that sets them isolated is the default repositories. With Kubuntu, you get a monolithic magnitude of disposable apps, each from the modular repositories. You besides get Snap packages, which are Canonical's instrumentality connected the cosmopolitan bundle manager. Although Snap mightiness not beryllium the Linux community's favourite cosmopolitan bundle manager, it's inactive a large enactment for installing each sorts of applications (including proprietary software).
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Snap packages bash thin to beryllium a small slower to unfastened than Flatpak apps, but they bask the aforesaid sandboxing. Snap packages are besides pulled from a centralized repository (which is maintained by Canonical), whereas Flatpak is distributed. Because of this, immoderate see Snap packages a spot much trustworthy. I've ne'er had an contented with either Snap oregon Flatpak, truthful for me, it's a wash.
The mentation of KDE Plasma you get (out of the box) with Kubuntu is 6.5.3 moving connected Wayland. I instantly ran a afloat update and recovered the Kubuntu upgrade was a spot slower than the Fedora KDE Plasma update. However, the Fedora KDE Plasma required a reboot for the upgrades to use (which is not the lawsuit with Kubuntu -- unless the kernel is besides upgraded).
Applications and kernels
By default, Kubuntu ships with the likes of LibreOffice (v 25.8.4), Firefox (146.0), Thunderbird, Elisa, Haruna, and the accustomed KDE Plasma apps.
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Another bonus: Kubuntu ships with the Hardware Enablement Kernel, which gives you improved enactment for modern hardware.
Is Kubuntu close for you?
It boils down to 1 elemental question: Do you similar Ubuntu and KDE Plasma? If so, Kubuntu is the perfect organisation for you. If you similar the APT bundle manager implicit DNF, if you'd alternatively usage Snap packages implicit Flatpak, and if you'd bask a regular, timely merchandise schedule, spell with Kubuntu.
Fedora KDE Plasma
Fedora KDE Plasma looks somewhat much modern.
Second verse, aforesaid arsenic the first.
Fedora KDE Plasma is evidently based connected Fedora, truthful it benefits from the aforesaid underpinnings, including the DNF bundle manager and the SELinux entree power system. Fedora KDE Plasma besides leans successful to the Flatpak cosmopolitan bundle manager, though you person to alteration Flatpak enactment for the KDE Discover app store. To bash that, spell to Discover > Settings and click "Add Flathub" successful the apical close corner.
Once you've added Flatpak, you'll find a considerably larger enactment of apps disposable to install.
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When you comparison the default desktop settings betwixt Fedora KDE Plasma and Kubuntu, the Fedora instrumentality looks a spot much modern, arsenic it ships with the floating sheet enabled. Other than that, antithetic wallpaper, and antithetic icons for the commencement menu, these 2 desktops look astir identical.
They besides behave the same.
The 1 quality I tin consistently observe betwixt these 2 is that Fedora KDE Plasma has a flimsy borderline successful presumption of performance. Over the past 5 oregon truthful years, some Fedora and KDE Plasma person grown considerably faster, and erstwhile those 2 travel together, it's impressive. That's not to accidental Kubuntu is simply a slouch, but Fedora KDE Plasma conscionable seems to beryllium a spot much performant.
As for software, Fedora is known for shipping with much caller releases. However, I was amazed to observe that Kubuntu and Fedora KDE Plasma shipped with the aforesaid mentation of Firefox, and Kubuntu had a caller mentation of LibreOffice. Where Fedora KDE Plasma ships with LibreOffice 25.8.3.2, Kubuntu includes 25.8.4.2. The quality is minimal, but it took maine by surprise, arsenic I'm accustomed to Fedora shipping with much caller releases than Ubuntu.
Application installation
This is wherever Fedora KDE Plasma falls a spot down Kubuntu. With Fedora KDE Plasma, you'll find immoderate applications disposable successful the modular repositories, portion others are lone disposable via COPR, a repository that contains user-created/maintained apps.
At the aforesaid time, Fedora uses Flatpak implicit Snap, but you bash person to alteration Flathub wrong KDE Discover earlier you tin instal Flatpak apps via the GUI.
Finally, arsenic I mentioned earlier, sometimes Fedora updates spell the mode of Windows and necessitate a reboot (even if the kernel isn't upgraded). For me, that's benignant of a woody breaker.
Is Fedora KDE Plasma close for you?
If you privation a KDE Plasma-based organisation that's somewhat faster than Kubuntu, shrugs disconnected Snap packages for Flatpak, uses the DNF bundle manager, and gives you a spot much modern instrumentality connected the look of KDE Plasma retired of the box, past Fedora KDE Plasma is the organisation for you.
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Honestly, some of these distributions are outstanding, and some vessel with KDE Plasma 6.5.4. If I'm forced to urge 1 implicit the other, I'd accidental this: If you're caller to Linux, spell with Kubuntu. If you person adjacent a modicum of Linux experience, spell with Fedora KDE Plasma.
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