KDE Distro

[qalimas]

I've been using Kubuntu since it came out, I love KDE. Kubuntu does a wonderful job, with the Ubuntu reps it's even nicer.

But... it's just not cutting it anymore =(

It has a few annoying bugs I don't see in any other KDE distro. And I think I'd like to experience something else just for the hell of it.

Can anyone recommend me a good, KDE centric, fast, and laptop-friendly distro? I don't want any form of SUSE. I'd PREFER something Debian-based as well, and rather up to date. As long as it isn't RPM or Source xD I've tried Arch, but it's just not cut out for a laptop, things break too much.

[wireddad]

What about PCLinuxOS?

[Rodneyck]

I love Sidux.. Debian Sid made stable....it is really fast.

www.sidux.com

I know what you mean about KDE and Ubuntu. I was running Kubuntu for several months and it was slower than most distributions out there. Both Ubuntu and Kubuntu do not win any awards in that department.

[Nils Olav]

Heres a few I'd suggest:
http://developer.kde.org/~binner/klax/
http://frugalware.org/ (doesn't have KDE preinstalled)
http://www.aegeanlinux.org/ (based on arch)
http://gobolinux.org/index.php?lang=en_US

[Nils Olav]

I love Sidux.. Debian Sid made stable....it is really fast.

www.sidux.com

I know what you mean about KDE and Ubuntu. I was running Kubuntu for several months and it was slower than most distributions out there. Both Ubuntu and Kubuntu do not win any awards in that department.

Really? to me the buntus seem a bit faster then average.

[squidmaster]

eww KDE
me no like KDE

[Rodneyck]

Really? to me the buntus seem a bit faster then average.

Try testing some other distros and you will see.

Sidux, PCLinuxOS, Gentoo, Sabayon, Foresight, Arch (although I had problems getting this one installed, but everyone says it is fast), are all fast distros, especially compared to the buntus.

[RAV TUX]

I've been using Kubuntu since it came out, I love KDE. Kubuntu does a wonderful job, with the Ubuntu reps it's even nicer.

But... it's just not cutting it anymore =(

It has a few annoying bugs I don't see in any other KDE distro. And I think I'd like to experience something else just for the hell of it.

Can anyone recommend me a good, KDE centric, fast, and laptop-friendly distro? I don't want any form of SUSE. I'd PREFER something Debian-based as well, and rather up to date. As long as it isn't RPM or Source xD I've tried Arch, but it's just not cut out for a laptop, things break too much.Sabayon Linux 3.2 x86-64 miniEdition (CD)

http://linuxtracker.org/torrents-details.php?id=3261


Sabayon Linux 3.2a x86 miniEdition (CD)

http://linuxtracker.org/torrents-details.php?id=3260

also if you buy the latest edition of Linux Pro Magazine(March 2007) it includes a DVD of 11 small distros, it includes SabayonLinux 3.2 mini Edition

[Nils Olav]

Try testing some other distros and you will see.

Sidux, PCLinuxOS, Gentoo, Sabayon, Foresight, Arch (although I had problems getting this one installed, but everyone says it is fast), are all fast distros, especially compared to the buntus.

Perhaps your right as I haven't tested all destros but, from my experience the buntus (god I love that) have pretty decent speed.

[igknighted]

PCLOS (RPM based) and Sabayon/Gentoo (source) might not be exactly what you are looking for. You could try Slackware w/ KDE (though slack can be an adventure at times, and there aren't a lot of slack packages). I would recommend looking at these distro's: Mepis (once the new version goes final), Knoppix, or even Freespire if you are looking for something very easy.

On the other hand, I think you should really consider the RPM based distro's. Opensuse is the most complete distro linux has to offer, Fedora is the most bleeding edge without being source based, Mandriva (and its ugly stepchild PCLOS) also have some nice things going for them. Plus, all of these distro's (save Fedora, but that has a strong KDE branch too) use KDE as the default desktop. The RPM tool might not be as convenient or powerful as the Debian tool, but the distro's as a whole warrant a look (after all, you install packages when you install the system and then how often after that? And besides, RPM isn't bad, its just not quite debian, which in turn is not quite as nice as a Gentoo ebuild... but thats another story).

EDIT: As far as speed, any distro can be fast if you know what you need and what you don't. Ubuntu isn't extremely fast by default, but neither are many other distro's. If it is speed that you seek, try tweaking what you have already. Finally, if you really like the *buntu base, why leave it? Sure kubuntu isn't great, but you don't need kubuntu to have kde with Ubuntu. Either build KDE from source, or install just the KDE base packages and then add on whatever else you want/need (and also remove what you don't want). You should be left with a KDE system that is snappy and fits your personal needs.

[kazuya]

For kde centric, my first recommendation to you would be pclinuxos when it goes final. I usually hate rpm-based distros, but this is the most capable and friendly kde based distro. Very very simple to use and everything just works.

Kubuntu is nice, but just plain and not as bleeding edge.
SUse is not easily workable. It is a chore to manage and it is slower or bloated.
Fedora 6 was believed to be fast as well for kde.

Mepis is one of the best kde centric distros.
Sabayon is awesome, but the gentoo heritage may make it slightly challenging to manage. It is beautiful and fast once installed though.

VectorSoho is very fast. Alas only at xorg 6.9 so far. Still waiting. This has been fast for me in the past. I need Beryl though.

I did not like Mandrake or Suse. Fedora was seemingly beautiful to me and tempting look-wise, pclinuxos is to me the best put together rpm-based distro of the bunch. I may be wrong. For power users, partial to only rpm-based distro, Fedora 6 is the best option.

I prefer slack-based distros {Zenwalk}, then Debian-based ones {Ubuntu, Mepis, Sidux}, Sabayon, and pclinuxos.

[fuscia]

you can cut down to just kde-core and still use ubuntu. aysiu has a way to do it through the cli - http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/kde-core
you may want to look through it first and not include things you want to keep (amarok, for example).

sabayon is a great version of kde, but i found installing packages to be a slow PIA compared to apt.

[Rodneyck]

you can cut down to just kde-core and still use ubuntu. aysiu has a way to do it through the cli - http://www.psychocats.net/ubuntu/kde-core
you may want to look through it first and not include things you want to keep (amarok, for example).

sabayon is a great version of kde, but i found installing packages to be a slow PIA compared to apt.

I actually recommend using pure Kubuntu rather than ubuntu with kde-base. I had more problems with the combo than on pure Kubuntu for some reasons, more apps crashed, etc. I just think Kubuntu needs more support and testing. Use it for a few months and then compare it to some of the other KDE distros mentioned and it becomes clear.

Sabayon is great, but there should be a users warning with each recommendation because that distro, like Gentoo, is not newbie friendly. Sabayon makes having Gentoo a breeze, but unless you want to hop-skip and wait for upgrading via a new version upgrade, be prepared to REALLY understand Gentoo because it breaks easily otherwise. Any upgrading of a source-based distro takes more work and more know-how, so be the type of person who wants and does not mind getting dirty under the hood. Also, with Gentoo and upgrading, it is highly recommended to keep up with updates manually, because the farther you fall behind, the more easier it is for something to break.

This is a great piece written by a long-term Gentoo user for both server and desktop that explains what I said in greater detail;
http://www.xaprb.com/blog/2006/11/21/to-gentoo-or-not-to-gentoo/

[qalimas]

I used Fedora Core 3 for a couple of months before, I'll give it another try and see how it works out. Thanks for the suggestions :D

[igknighted]

I used Fedora Core 3 for a couple of months before, I'll give it another try and see how it works out. Thanks for the suggestions :D

I am using FC6, and it is leaps and bounds better than even FC5... highly recommended.

[serlex]

PclinuxOS

[Raffo]

I'm now using Debian testing with kde...

[SunnyRabbiera]

I would throw a coin in for PClinux and Mepis, mainly Mepis as I have had good experiences with it until recently.
its interface leaves a lot to be desired though, but once its configured it runs laps around kubuntu

[nsleiman]

well i find Kubuntu fast enough to my needs :) cant recommend other distro!