Hands on: Ubuntu Linux – Kubuntu and Xubuntu

In April the latest version of Ubuntu Linux, Feisty Fawn, was released. In this article, we are turning our attention to Kubuntu.

As regular readers will know, Ubuntu Linux has two official desktop variants – Kubuntu, which uses the KDE desktop, and Xubuntu, with the XFCE desktop.

While you can install KDE and XFCE in Ubuntu itself (and choose between desktops on login), installing Kubuntu from scratch is the best way to get a clean install without any of the Gnome desktop packages that form the main Ubuntu distribution.

The focus of development is, of course, on Ubuntu and therefore the Gnome desktop. Many of the enhancements present in Feisty, such as the Restricted Device Manager and the automated multimedia codec installation, are not present in Kubuntu.

This means that there are some additional steps needed after installation that are a bit trickier than with a standard Ubuntu install. For this reason I would recommend that people dipping their toes in Linux for the first time, or those who want to get things up and running without any effort, should stick to Ubuntu.

Read more at Personal Computer World