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.

KDE is a popular and powerful desktop with a number of outstanding applications. The Kubuntu developers have put together a standard release of the desktop, while adding pre-configured settings, a new theme, and (as with Ubuntu) they’ve made a careful selection of applications to include.

The version of KDE supplied in Feisty is 3.5.6, released in January 2007. Other applications include the wonderful Amarok (1.4.5) for managing your music and mp3 players, Digikam (0.9.1) for your photos, K3b (1.0) for burning CDs and DVDs, and Openoffice.org (2.2.0). All these applications, together with the many utilities and tools provided by KDE itself, make this an up-to-date and solid desktop.

The installation method for Kubuntu is almost identical to Ubuntu. Just click on the install icon when you boot the Desktop CD. As ever, ensure that you have important files backed up on a separate disk before installing a new operating system. Head over to http://releases.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/feisty for the CD images, and see here for details on how to burn them.

Post-installation
Ubuntu requires a few extra packages to be installed to get the most from it. The same applies to Kubuntu. Thankfully, these steps are easier than they used to be. In all variations of Feisty Fawn, the ‘universe’ and ‘multiverse’ repositories, which hold much of the extra software people need, are now included and enabled by default.

The patent and licensing restrictions that affect Ubuntu also affect Kubuntu. Consequently, on a fresh install there is no software to play back most kinds of multimedia files. This is easily sorted out, but is not automatically performed as with Ubuntu.

Start up ‘Add/Remove Programs’ from the main menu, and enter ‘xine’ into the search box. Select ‘Xine extra plugins.’ This package will install the codecs used by Kaffeine (the audio/video player) and Amarok.