Kubuntu
Encyclopedia
Kubuntu is an official derivative of the Ubuntu
operating system
using the KDE Plasma Desktop instead of the Unity graphical environment. It is part of the Ubuntu project and uses the same underlying system. It is possible to install both the KDE Plasma Desktop (kubuntu-desktop) as well as the Unity desktop (ubuntu-desktop) on the same machine. Every package in Kubuntu shares the same repositories as Ubuntu. It is released regularly on the same schedule as Ubuntu.
, and is derived from ubuntu ("humanity"). The K at the beginning represents the KDE
community on whose platform Kubuntu is built. By coincidence, Kubuntu also means "free" in Kirundi
.
Kubuntu's Plasma Desktop is fully customizable, much more so than a GNOME or Unity desktop is without extra tools or configuration file editing. Originally designed to ease transition for users from other operating systems (such as Microsoft Windows) by allowing a similar desktop layout, the KDE Plasma Desktop incorporates widget-centric modularity that allows the user to incorporate function similar to all other operating systems and also create new functionality not found in other operating system desktops. Desktop effects are integrated in the standard KDE SC 4 installation, and enabled by default if supported.
It is worth noting that because Ubuntu and Kubuntu use the same sources/origins for their software, any application intended for one is installable, and will work, on the other. This makes it very common to see Firefox on Kubuntu or K3B on Ubuntu.
, in an interview shortly after Ubuntu (which uses the Unity desktop environment
) was started, stated:
The Kubuntu team released the first edition, Hoary Hedgehog, on April 8, 2005.
Kubuntu follows the same naming/versioning system as Ubuntu, with each release having a code name and a version number (based on the year and month of release). Canonical provides support and security updates for most Kubuntu versions for 18 months after release. Both a Desktop
version and an Alternative (installation) version (for both x86 and AMD64 platforms) are available. Kubuntu CDs were also available through the Shipit service(discontinued as of April 2011). Recent Kubuntu releases use KDE SC 4. An older KDE 3.5 edition, (as used in the Long Term Support version Hardy Heron) is also available (although currently unsupported).
architecture., the PowerPC
, IA-64 (Itanium
), and PlayStation 3
architectures (though, due to an official firmware update from Sony
released in April 2010, users of the PS3 cannot run other operating systems on their machine – a feature previously supported by OtherOS). Because Kubuntu is Ubuntu with a KDE desktop, any version available in Ubuntu is also available for Kubuntu.
The minimum system requirements for a desktop installation are a 300 MHz
x86 processor, 512 MB
of RAM, 5 GB
of hard drive space, and a video card which supports VGA
at 640x480 resolution. The recommended system requirements for the desktop installation are a 1 GHz or better x86 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 15 GB of hard drive space, and a video card which supports VGA at 1024×768 resolution, and optionally supporting visual effects.
* Note: If "Desktop effects" are desired, a supported GPU
is required.
Causes:
Responses:
Many pieces from the KDE community have matured and stabilized. Kubuntu's package manager has a category view very similar to that of the Ubuntu software center, the default web browser is now based on webkit, and many more features showcased in Ubuntu are being matched by those in Kubuntu, such as the upcoming wireless connection page in the installer discs.
Kubuntu is now used in all of the 1100 state-run schools in the Canary Islands
.
The Weta Digital
rendering cluster of 35,000 machines are computers running Kubuntu as their desktop.
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
using the KDE Plasma Desktop instead of the Unity graphical environment. It is part of the Ubuntu project and uses the same underlying system. It is possible to install both the KDE Plasma Desktop (kubuntu-desktop) as well as the Unity desktop (ubuntu-desktop) on the same machine. Every package in Kubuntu shares the same repositories as Ubuntu. It is released regularly on the same schedule as Ubuntu.
Name
"Kubuntu" means "towards humanity" in BembaBemba language
The Bemba language, ChiBemba , is a major Bantu language spoken primarily in north-eastern Zambia by the Bemba people and as a lingua franca by about 18 related ethnic groups, including the Bisa people of Mpika and Lake Bangweulu, and to a lesser extent in Katanga in the Democratic Republic of the...
, and is derived from ubuntu ("humanity"). The K at the beginning represents the KDE
KDE
KDE is an international free software community producing an integrated set of cross-platform applications designed to run on Linux, FreeBSD, Microsoft Windows, Solaris and Mac OS X systems...
community on whose platform Kubuntu is built. By coincidence, Kubuntu also means "free" in Kirundi
Kirundi
Kirundi, also known as Rundi, is a dialect of the Rwanda-Rundi language spoken by some 8.7 million people in Burundi and adjacent parts of Tanzania and Congo-Kinshasa, as well as in Uganda. It is the official language of Burundi...
.
Comparison with Ubuntu
The difference between these two sister operating systems is typically only graphical applications and tools used.| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Green | Both OSs |
| Orange | Ubuntu Default |
| Blue | Kubuntu Default |
| Software | Ubuntu | Kubuntu |
|---|---|---|
| Kernel & Core | Linux Kernel & Ubuntu Core | |
| Graphics | X.Org Server | |
| Sound | PulseAudio | |
| Multimedia | GStreamer | |
| Desktop | Unity | Plasma Desktop |
| Primary Toolkit | GTK+, Nux & Qt | Qt |
| Browser | Firefox | Rekonq |
| Office | LibreOffice | |
| Email & PIM | Thunderbird | Kontact |
Kubuntu's Plasma Desktop is fully customizable, much more so than a GNOME or Unity desktop is without extra tools or configuration file editing. Originally designed to ease transition for users from other operating systems (such as Microsoft Windows) by allowing a similar desktop layout, the KDE Plasma Desktop incorporates widget-centric modularity that allows the user to incorporate function similar to all other operating systems and also create new functionality not found in other operating system desktops. Desktop effects are integrated in the standard KDE SC 4 installation, and enabled by default if supported.
It is worth noting that because Ubuntu and Kubuntu use the same sources/origins for their software, any application intended for one is installable, and will work, on the other. This makes it very common to see Firefox on Kubuntu or K3B on Ubuntu.
History
Mark ShuttleworthMark Shuttleworth
Mark Richard Shuttleworth is a South African entrepreneur who was the second self-funded space tourist. Shuttleworth founded Canonical Ltd. and as of 2010, provides leadership for the Ubuntu operating system...
, in an interview shortly after Ubuntu (which uses the Unity desktop environment
Unity (user interface)
Unity is a shell interface for the GNOME desktop environment developed by Canonical Ltd for its Ubuntu operating system. Unity debuted in the netbook edition of Ubuntu 10.10. It is designed to make more efficient use of space given the limited screen size of netbooks, including, for example, a...
) was started, stated:
The Kubuntu team released the first edition, Hoary Hedgehog, on April 8, 2005.
Releases
| Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Red | Release no longer supported |
| Yellow | Release still supported |
| Green | Current release |
| Blue | Future release |
Kubuntu follows the same naming/versioning system as Ubuntu, with each release having a code name and a version number (based on the year and month of release). Canonical provides support and security updates for most Kubuntu versions for 18 months after release. Both a Desktop
Live CD
A live CD, live DVD, or live disc is a CD or DVD containing a bootable computer operating system. Live CDs are unique in that they have the ability to run a complete, modern operating system on a computer lacking mutable secondary storage, such as a hard disk drive...
version and an Alternative (installation) version (for both x86 and AMD64 platforms) are available. Kubuntu CDs were also available through the Shipit service(discontinued as of April 2011). Recent Kubuntu releases use KDE SC 4. An older KDE 3.5 edition, (as used in the Long Term Support version Hardy Heron) is also available (although currently unsupported).
| Version | Release date | Code name | Supported until | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.04 | 2005-04-08 | Hoary Hedgehog | 2006-10-31 | Initial release including KDE 3.4 and a selection of the most useful KDE programs. Some of these are not in the official KDE itself, including Amarok, Kaffeine Kaffeine Kaffeine is a media player for Unix-like operating systems running KDE.By default it uses xine-lib media framework but also supports GStreamer. It also supports the use of MPlayer project's binary codecs for proprietary formats... , Gwenview Gwenview Gwenview is an image viewer for the KDE Software Compilation desktop environment. The current maintainer is Aurélien Gâteau. The word "Gwen" means "white" in the Breton language and is commonly used as a first name.... , and K3b K3b K3b is a CD and DVD authoring application by KDE for Unix-like computer operating systems. It provides a graphical user interface to perform most CD/DVD burning tasks like creating an Audio CD from a set of audio files or copying a CD/DVD, as well as more advanced tasks such as burning eMoviX... . Inclusion of update-manager/upgrade-notifier; Kickstart compatibility. |
| 5.10 | 2005-10-13 | Breezy Badger | 2007-04-13 | KDE 3.4.3 and the Guidance configuration tools. It also comes with the Adept Package Manager Adept Package Manager Adept Manager is a graphical user interface to the Advanced Packaging Tool for KDE. It was developed by Peter Ročkai and was sponsored by Canonical Ltd. through the Kubuntu project, where it replaced the Kynaptic package manager.... , the first to make use of debtags for easier searching (replacing the Kynaptic package manager used in the previous release); System Settings, a re-organised kcontrol-like centre and KDE Bluetooth; Graphical boot process with progress bar (USplash); OEM Installer Support; Launchpad tracking; GCC 4.0. |
| 6.06 LTS | 2006-06-01 | Dapper Drake | 2009-06 | Long Term Support (LTS) release; Live CD and Installer on one disc; Ubiquity installer; Adept Notifier and Simplified Installer; X Display Configuration from Guidance; Better Asian language support; Avahi Avahi (software) Avahi is a free zeroconf implementation, including a system for multicast DNS/DNS-SD service discovery. It is licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License .... networking software. |
| 6.10 | 2006-10-26 | Edgy Eft | 2008-04 | KDE 3.5.5. This release adds the photo management application Digikam DigiKam digiKam is an image organizer and editor using KDE Platform. It runs on most known desktop environments and window managers if the required libraries are installed. It supports all major image file formats, and can organize collections of photographs in directory-based albums, or dynamic albums by... and accessibility profiles – benefiting people with disabilities. System Settings is also redesigned, and power management, laptop button support & networking are improved. Also features automated problem reports and Upstart Upstart Upstart is an event-based replacement for the traditional init daemon — the method by which several Unix-like computer operating systems perform tasks when the computer is started. It was written by Scott James Remnant, a former employee of Canonical Ltd.... . |
| 7.04 | 2007-04-19 | Feisty Fawn | 2008-10 | KDE 3.5.6; Migration assistant; KVM Kernel-based Virtual Machine Kernel-based Virtual Machine is a virtualization infrastructure for the Linux kernel. KVM supports native virtualization on processors with hardware virtualization extensions.... ; Easy codec/restricted drivers installation; System Settings restructured into General and Advanced categories; Improved Hewlett-Packard Hewlett-Packard Hewlett-Packard Company or HP is an American multinational information technology corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, California, USA that provides products, technologies, softwares, solutions and services to consumers, small- and medium-sized businesses and large enterprises, including... printer management; KNetworkManager NetworkManager Network Manager is a software utility aimed at simplifying the use of computer networks on Linux-based and other Unix-like operating systems.- Overview :... included; WPA Wi-Fi Protected Access Wi-Fi Protected Access and Wi-Fi Protected Access II are two security protocols and security certification programs developed by the Wi-Fi Alliance to secure wireless computer networks... support; Topic-based help system; OEM OEM OEM means the original manufacturer of a component for a product, which may be resold by another company.OEM may also refer to:-Computing:* OEM font, or OEM-US, the original character set of the IBM PC, circa 1981... installer update; PowerPC PowerPC PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM... support officially dropped. |
| 7.10 | 2007-10-18 | Gutsy Gibbon | 2009-04-18 | New background art. Ships with Strigi Strigi Strigi is a desktop search daemon, which is operating system-independent and desktop-independent. Strigi was initiated by Jos van den Oever. Strigi's goals are to be fast, use a small amount of RAM, and use flexible backends and plug-ins. A benchmark as of January 2007 showed that Strigi is faster... and Dolphin by default. Qt Qt (toolkit) Qt is a cross-platform application framework that is widely used for developing application software with a graphical user interface , and also used for developing non-GUI programs such as command-line tools and consoles for servers... port of GDebi graphical installer for package files Deb (file format) deb is the extension of the Debian software package format and the most often used name for such binary packages. Like the "Deb" part of the term Debian, it originates from the name of Debra, erstwhile girlfriend and now ex-wife of Debian's founder Ian Murdock.Debian packages are also used in... . Includes Restricted Drivers Manager for the first time. New kubuntu-restricted-extras package is available for download from the repositories. |
| 8.04 | 2008-04-24 | Hardy Heron | 2009-10 | It has two versions: KDE 3.5 and KDE 4.0 (With community support only). This version intends to provide feature parity with GNOME-based Ubuntu. This includes a port of system-config-printer to Qt Qt (toolkit) Qt is a cross-platform application framework that is widely used for developing application software with a graphical user interface , and also used for developing non-GUI programs such as command-line tools and consoles for servers... to enable printer auto-detection, easy video codec installation in Kaffeine Kaffeine Kaffeine is a media player for Unix-like operating systems running KDE.By default it uses xine-lib media framework but also supports GStreamer. It also supports the use of MPlayer project's binary codecs for proprietary formats... , a simple Compiz Compiz Compiz is one of the first compositing window managers for the X Window System that uses 3D graphics hardware to create fast compositing desktop effects for window management. The effects, such as a minimization effect and a cube workspace are implemented as loadable plugins... setup tool and inclusion of Bulletproof X in KDM, and automatic grabbing and releasing of the mouse cursor when running on a VMware VMware VMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary .... virtual machine. |
| 8.10 | 2008-10-30 | Intrepid Ibex | 2010-04-30 | KDE 4.1.2 desktop environment by default, Linux 2.6.27, Xserver X.Org Server X.Org Server refers to the X server release packages stewarded by the X.Org Foundation,which is hosted by freedesktop.org, and grants... 1.5, Adept Manager 3, KNetworkManager 0.7, KWin desktop effects by default, various Kubuntu tool integration. |
| 9.04 | 2009-04-23 | Jaunty Jackalope | 2010-10 | KDE 4.2.2 desktop environment by default, Kernel Linux kernel The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software.... 2.6.28, Xserver X.Org Server X.Org Server refers to the X server release packages stewarded by the X.Org Foundation,which is hosted by freedesktop.org, and grants... 1.6, Adept superseded by KPackageKit, implementation of the ext4 Ext4 The ext4 or fourth extended filesystem is a journaling file system for Linux, developed as the successor to ext3.It was born as a series of backward compatible extensions to ext3, many of them originally developed by Cluster File Systems for the Lustre file system between 2003 and 2006, meant to... filesystem, faster boot time., Community Supported PowerPC images added |
| 9.10 | 2009-10-29 | Karmic Koala | 2011-04-28 | KDE 4.3.2 desktop environment by default, GRUB GNU GRUB GNU GRUB is a boot loader package from the GNU Project. GRUB is the reference implementation of the Multiboot Specification, which provides a user the choice to boot one of multiple operating systems installed on a computer or select a specific kernel configuration available on a particular... 2, init system moved to Upstart Upstart Upstart is an event-based replacement for the traditional init daemon — the method by which several Unix-like computer operating systems perform tasks when the computer is started. It was written by Scott James Remnant, a former employee of Canonical Ltd.... , Kernel Linux kernel The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software.... 2.6.31 |
| 10.04 LTS | 2010-04-29 | Lucid Lynx | 2013-04 | Long Term Support (LTS) release. Security updates will be available for three years for desktops and five years for servers. KDE 4.4.2 desktop environment by default, Kernel Linux kernel The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software.... 2.6.32, KPackageKit 0.5.4, Firefox KDE integration, touchpad configuration module by default. |
| 10.10 | 2010-10-10 | Maverick Meerkat | 2012-04 | KDE Software Compilation 4.5. Faster login. Default browser changed to Rekonq Rekonq rekonq is a lightweight, QtWebKit-based web browser developed inside the free software project KDE. It is the default web browser in Kubuntu 10.10 and Chakra GNU/Linux.rekonq has been officially included into KDE Extragear the 2010-05-25... . New bluetooth stack. Pulseaudio inclusion. Updated Kpackagekit with categories. Global menu for netbook. Updated Installer. Combining of the Desktop and Netbook Editions (autodetection). |
| 11.04 | 2011-04-28 | Natty Narwhal | 2012-10 | KDE SC 4.6, Kernel Linux kernel The Linux kernel is an operating system kernel used by the Linux family of Unix-like operating systems. It is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software.... 2.6.38, GStreamer multimedia backend for Phonon, GTK Oxygen theme, games in the default install, UDisks and UPower replace HAL. |
| 11.10 | 2011-10-13 | Oneiric Ocelot | 2013-04 | KDE SC 4.7, Kernel 3.0.3, replacing kpackagekit with Muon Software Centre, kubuntu low fat setting, OpenGL ES Powered Desktop Effects, Kdepim 4.7.2 |
System requirements
The desktop version of Kubuntu currently supports the Intel x86 and the AMD64 architectures. Some releases additionally support the SPARCSPARC
SPARC is a RISC instruction set architecture developed by Sun Microsystems and introduced in mid-1987....
architecture., the PowerPC
PowerPC
PowerPC is a RISC architecture created by the 1991 Apple–IBM–Motorola alliance, known as AIM...
, IA-64 (Itanium
Itanium
Itanium is a family of 64-bit Intel microprocessors that implement the Intel Itanium architecture . Intel markets the processors for enterprise servers and high-performance computing systems...
), and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
architectures (though, due to an official firmware update from Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
released in April 2010, users of the PS3 cannot run other operating systems on their machine – a feature previously supported by OtherOS). Because Kubuntu is Ubuntu with a KDE desktop, any version available in Ubuntu is also available for Kubuntu.
The minimum system requirements for a desktop installation are a 300 MHz
Hertz
The hertz is the SI unit of frequency defined as the number of cycles per second of a periodic phenomenon. One of its most common uses is the description of the sine wave, particularly those used in radio and audio applications....
x86 processor, 512 MB
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
of RAM, 5 GB
Gigabyte
The gigabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage. The prefix giga means 109 in the International System of Units , therefore 1 gigabyte is...
of hard drive space, and a video card which supports VGA
Video Graphics Array
Video Graphics Array refers specifically to the display hardware first introduced with the IBM PS/2 line of computers in 1987, but through its widespread adoption has also come to mean either an analog computer display standard, the 15-pin D-subminiature VGA connector or the 640×480 resolution...
at 640x480 resolution. The recommended system requirements for the desktop installation are a 1 GHz or better x86 processor, 1 GB of RAM, 15 GB of hard drive space, and a video card which supports VGA at 1024×768 resolution, and optionally supporting visual effects.
| Desktop Desktop computer A desktop computer is a personal computer in a form intended for regular use at a single location, as opposed to a mobile laptop or portable computer. Early desktop computers are designed to lay flat on the desk, while modern towers stand upright... & laptop Laptop A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit... |
||
|---|---|---|
| Required | Recommended | |
| Processor Central processing unit The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in... |
1 GHz (x86) | Better than 1 GHz (x86) |
| Memory Ram -Animals:*Ram, an uncastrated male sheep*Ram cichlid, a species of freshwater fish endemic to Colombia and Venezuela-Military:*Battering ram*Ramming, a military tactic in which one vehicle runs into another... |
384 MB | 1 GB |
| Hard drive capacity | 4 GB | 10 GB |
| Video card Video card A video card, Graphics Card, or Graphics adapter is an expansion card which generates output images to a display. Most video cards offer various functions such as accelerated rendering of 3D scenes and 2D graphics, MPEG-2/MPEG-4 decoding, TV output, or the ability to connect multiple monitors... |
VGA @ 640x480 | VGA @ 1024x768 |
Graphics processing unit
A graphics processing unit or GPU is a specialized circuit designed to rapidly manipulate and alter memory in such a way so as to accelerate the building of images in a frame buffer intended for output to a display...
is required.
Quality
Before Kubuntu 10.10, there was some aggravation by members of the community and general reputation online was a commonly negative one.Causes:
- Lack of branding – since the transition to KDE SC4
- Delay of Ubuntu improvements into Kubuntu – sometimes requiring a release or two
- Stability of software
Responses:
- Project Timelord – An initiative, name inspired by Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
, to improve the developer workflow and quality of Kubuntu. - Working Upstream – Much of the work done by Kubuntu developers is done in upstream, such as furthering GHNS integration and the KDE SC 4.4 login manager theme.
- Best in class (KDE) – The use of Ubuntu's PPA system allows easy upgrading to the latest KDE SC. The argument is that if the user wants the latest KDE software, he/she runs Kubuntu.
Many pieces from the KDE community have matured and stabilized. Kubuntu's package manager has a category view very similar to that of the Ubuntu software center, the default web browser is now based on webkit, and many more features showcased in Ubuntu are being matched by those in Kubuntu, such as the upcoming wireless connection page in the installer discs.
Reception
The French Parliament announced in 2006 that they would switch over 1,000 workstations to Kubuntu by June 2007.Kubuntu is now used in all of the 1100 state-run schools in the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
.
The Weta Digital
Weta Digital
Weta Digital is a digital visual effects company based in Wellington, New Zealand. It was founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk in 1993 to produce the digital special effects for Heavenly Creatures. In 2007 Weta Digital’s Senior Visual Effects Supervisor, Joe Letteri, was...
rendering cluster of 35,000 machines are computers running Kubuntu as their desktop.
External links
- Official site
- Kubuntuguide – Help manual (unofficial), tips, FAQ, and software guide
- Kubuntu Forums (unofficial)
- Kubuntu Screenshots at TCS