Wilson, Richard posted on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 03:56:15 +0100 as excerpted:
> The last time I tried Ubuntu (it was the Karmic Koala release) I noticed
> that the download install DVD's came in 2 flavors, Ubuntu and Kubuntu.
> I am used to Fedora where I tell it to install KDE when I install the
> O/S. Are there still separate installation disks/processes for Ubuntu?
> If so what's the thinking behind that? With Karmic I had to get an
> alternate Kubuntu DVD to work with my old hardware; my new hardware
> (hopefully) won't be so picky.
Disclaimer: I'm a Gentoo guy, rather far from the typical Ubuntu user,
so to the extent the below is Ubuntu specific, it's indirect knowledge.
However, I have good confidence in it being correct, not only because I
understand the technological basis for it (as explained below), but also
because I spend an hour or two a day, often more, seven days a week,
reading various FLOSS (free/libre and open source software) news sites,
which cover Ubuntu in some detail as it's arguably the most popular
distro, especially among the not too technically oriented.
If you ever run a user-builds-from-source distro like Gentoo, you'll
quickly realize just how many packages have pre-compile-configure-time
options that determine how well they integrate with various other
packages and/or environments, but at the same time, what other
dependencies they require as a result of linking against them. Binary
distros, by definition, must have already made this choice when they
configured and built the packages. Thus, they have to choose between
building in "extra" support for kde, gnome, neither, or both (and to some
extent, the same applies to the lighter desktop environments too, tho
they tend not to be quite as integrated), keeping in mind that said
support drags in extra dependencies too, even if the user doesn't use
that desktop environment.
For that reason, while it's certainly possible to install any desktop
environment you like on pretty much all of the major, general purpose
distributions, the degree to which they integrate with other apps can
vary greatly, depending on whether "extra" support for that environment
was configured at build-time or not.
AFAIK, Fedora's default choice is Gnome, so any time a pre-build
configuration choice comes up that will require gnome dependencies for
additional gnome integration, they'll be reasonably likely to turn it
on. Conversely, because KDE isn't their default desktop, they'll be more
likely to turn off configuration options that allow better integration
with kde, ESPECIALLY if turning on that option drags in major kde
dependencies (kdelibs at least and possibly parts of kdebase, especially
kde settings aka kcontrol aka systemsettings), that Fedora users might
not otherwise have on their system.
Ubuntu is also Gnome-based, so it by default tends to enable "extra"
gnome support and dependencies. However, with Ubuntu, there's also the
Kubuntu version, which would enable more KDE extra support and
dependencies while disabling the Gnome support and dependencies. Also,
because they DO have the different choices, they will tend to be a bit
stricter with these extra dependencies and support than will Fedora, so
choosing (G)ubuntu will not only mean gnome support, but probably less
_EXTRA_ kde support than Fedora has, while Kubuntu will not only have
stronger KDE support, but less Gnome support.
Again, let me stress that this is for _OPTIONAL_, _EXTRA_ support. If
you install the desktop itself, the core packages will of course be there
no matter which distro variant you choose, Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Fedora, or...
you choose. It's only the extra/optional integration stuff that is
affected.
Meanwhile, it's worth noting that Kubuntu and Ubuntu aren't the only
*buntu choices. There's also Xubuntu, with XFCE as the default, and I
believe others, Lubuntu (LXDE), etc, altho I'm not sure how many of them
there actually are and of all their names. There's also Edubuntu, an
educational-focused "spin", and some others. But in most cases, the
optional packages for these more minor versions are all pretty much the
same, it's just what gets installed by default, and the desktop wallpaper
and theme, etc, that changes. IOW, to my knowledge at least, they aren't
as different from each other if you installed and ran the same packages
and themes, as kubuntu and ubuntu are, because there's less packages with
optional support for most everything else, than there is for kde and
gnome.
--
Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs.
"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master --
and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman
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