Which Is Faster- Kubuntu Or Ubuntu?

[elijahclarity]

Simple question:

WHICH IS FASTER- KUBUNTU OR UBUNTU dappper?

All opinions are welcome.

Plz mention in terms of startup time, login screen to desktop and general perfomance when opening apps.

I'd love to get the feedback...thanks.

I'm not considering other desktop environments right now:)

[IYY]

They're pretty much the same. Some say Kubuntu is a bit faster, but I think Gnome really has improved in speed and they are now equals.

[Ctrl+Alt+Del]

This post is flamebait deluxe, kde fanbois will tell you kde is faster, gnome fanbois will tell you their favorite desktop is faster.
That beeing said, i think gnome is a tad faster, but this depends on the amount and kind of apps you load at startup.

[elijahclarity]

I hope unbiased users who have done some benchmarking with both Kubuntu dapper and ubuntu dapper give some real feedback:) I'm asking this bcoz I've not yet installed dapper on my PC coz I'm still waiting for my CDs through shipt and downloading distros is like dreaming where I stay.

[BWF89]

1. Xubuntu
2. Ubuntu
3. Kubuntu

I think is how it is right now since KDE is alot heavier and requires more power than Gnome. Xfce is the fastest because its even lighter than Gnome or KDE.

[taurus]

Install all three of them, Gnome, KDE, XFce4, and judge them yourself!!! The easiest thing to do is install Ubuntu like you would normally do. Then, installd those KDE and XFce4 as


sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop xubuntu-desktop

Heck, you can even try fluxbox if you want a fast window manager...

[bruce89]

The thing is, "speed" of a DE can't really be measured, so this becomes difficult to compare.

[fuscia]

on my old machine, openbox was fast, kde and gnome were not. now, on my new laptop, kde is even faster than openbox, at least, that's how it seems to me. as always with this discussion, one's perceptions are all that matters.

[GeneralZod]

My thoughts (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=1011919&postcount=115) are unchanged :)

[ComplexNumber]

Which Is Faster- Kubuntu Or Ubuntu? depends largely upon what hardware you have. in general gnome tends to be faster, but it can depend upon so many factors (hardware, background services/applications, version number and how well optimised it is, etc etc)

[RAV TUX]

Simple question:

WHICH IS FASTER- KUBUNTU OR UBUNTU dappper?

All opinions are welcome.

Plz mention in terms of startup time, login screen to desktop and general perfomance when opening apps.

I'd love to get the feedback...thanks.

I'm not considering other desktop environments right now:)

What do you mean by faster?

If your talking page rendering time in a browser that will be varied depending upon the browser more so then the desktop you choose.

What exactly are you looking for?

and of course everything is hardware dependent.

Perhaps you should start by posting your hardware, then explain a little more in depth what you mean by faster, be specific and not vague.

[bruce89]

If your talking page rendering time in a browser that will be varied depending upon the browser more so then the desktop you choose.
Especially that Ubuntu ships with firefox, which is "slow" compared to epiphany, or it seems to be (menu opening wise). This is down to not using XUL.

[brucevangeorge]

I would say KDE renders faster... but that's after you trun off all those crappy, heavy effects. By default its slower because of all the flashy animations and fading and.... etc.


But I'm sticking with Gnome since its simpler to use.

[Klaidas]

My bike is the fastest. period.

[Cyraxzz]

depends mostly on your configuration. However, they are quite equal in my opinion.

[Brunellus]

next on the Internet Life Network: Sport Trolling at the ubuntuforums! Our intrepid reporter goes after the big game with irresistible flamebait: GNOME versus KDE performance issues!

[Bloodfen Razormaw]

Objective speed measurements put KDE faster for apps where they exist. In startup, KDE rivals Xfce, which needs to initialize far fewer features at startup. Konsole is much faster than gnome-terminal, and Konqueror both starts and renders faster than any mozilla browser. KDE also is much lighter than GNOME in memory, and beats Xfce in memory use when Xfce has comparable features installed.

http://www.howtocreate.co.uk/browserSpeed.html
http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/1034
http://www.kdedevelopers.org/node/1663

[croak77]

We are talking seconds or even less then a second. Does it matter if KDE starts in 4 seconds and GNOME in 5? Use whatever you like best. Don't worry about speed.

[moore.bryan]

on crappy old machines:
1. openbox
2. xubuntu
3. ubuntu
4. kubuntu
the only *real* differences i ever saw was between ob and the others... works *ridiculously well* on my machine.

[darkhatter]

I find kde and gnome are about the same, kde uses less memory but meh. if your having problems buy a new computer don't waste time trying to tweak a 500mhz computer.

[cvmostert]

I find kde and gnome are about the same, kde uses less memory but meh. if your having problems buy a new computer don't waste time trying to tweak a 500mhz computer.

I have been getting used to my slow pc. it is the one with ubuntu on, and the one i spend all my time on... the other one is to update firmware on my iaudio mp3 player and for my whife to play/work on.

Ciao

[darkhatter]

I have been getting used to my slow pc. it is the one with ubuntu on, and the one i spend all my time on... the other one is to update firmware on my iaudio mp3 player and for my whife to play/work on.

Ciao

my 500mhz died :( after I spent several dies tweaking it, so I have a thing against slow computers right now. That computer ran KDE pretty good which was a shock to me. I take that back don't waste your time with that '486'. mine makes a great router :D :D

[SoundMachine]

For web browsing, Konqueror starts in less than a second on my old sempron and renders faster than any other browser i know of, for office, Koffice is the fastest, for multimedia, Amarok is the fastest, for anything else, probably gnome, i don't know though, i never timed it.

Only thing that really bothers me about Gnome is the registry wannabe Gconf and the spreading of configuration, libraries and binary files, it doesn't make much sense to me at all.

When it comes to memory, unused memory is wasted memory.

[maniacmusician]

it's weird but it just depends on the hardware. on my 3.06 ghz with 1.5 gigs of RAM, kde runs at a decent speed. i installed it on a computer at school, with a lower processor (between 1-2 ghz) and only 256 mb of ram...but apps load faster on that computer.

i think it's cuz i have a hybrid install of xubuntu and kubuntu. I want to do a clean install but I don't want to set up all my settings for my programs again. I might try the "pure" KDE trick that aysiu has on his psychocats.net website.

[SoundMachine]

it's weird but it just depends on the hardware. on my 3.06 ghz with 1.5 gigs of RAM, kde runs at a decent speed. i installed it on a computer at school, with a lower processor (between 1-2 ghz) and only 256 mb of ram...but apps load faster on that computer.

i think it's cuz i have a hybrid install of xubuntu and kubuntu. I want to do a clean install but I don't want to set up all my settings for my programs again. I might try the "pure" KDE trick that aysiu has on his psychocats.net website.

That shouldn't be a problem as long as you are using KDE apps in Kubuntu, GTK apps are way slower in KDE than in Ubuntu/Xubuntu.

[maniacmusician]

is Swiftfox GTK?


I don't really use many gtk apps. I have the same apps installed at school. I've noticed that load times are snappier on the school comp, while my home machine seems to run them better after they've loaded.

[SoundMachine]

is Swiftfox GTK?


I don't really use many gtk apps. I have the same apps installed at school. I've noticed that load times are snappier on the school comp, while my home machine seems to run them better after they've loaded.

Yes it is, and why on earth would you use it when Konqueror is not only 10x faster but also the default filemanager/browser in KDE?

It starts in under a second (on a 2300 sempron with 512mb), has tabs, has popup blocker, has gestures, has google search, has adblock and all by default. the rendering is faster and it can use any plugin you install for firefox, seamonkey or Epiphany.

If you enable gestures you can do it globally, use it in Amarok, your file manager, your browser, your desktop, anywhere.

Swiftfox crawls in comparison.

[maniacmusician]

...I can add firefox extensions to Konqueror?? I love my fasterfo, tab mix plus, google toolbar, and ESPECIALLY google notebook. couldnt live without it.

konqueror doesn't start that fast for me. The first time that I start it after a reboot, it takes about 5-6 seconds, maybe more. after that it gets down to about 1 second. i have a 3.06 GHz with 1.5 gigs of ram....kde should be flying, but it really isn't.

but yeah, my ff extensions are pretty important to me. i'm going to go look into konqueror more.

[SoundMachine]

...I can add firefox extensions to Konqueror?? I love my fasterfo, tab mix plus, google toolbar, and ESPECIALLY google notebook. couldnt live without it.

konqueror doesn't start that fast for me. The first time that I start it after a reboot, it takes about 5-6 seconds, maybe more. after that it gets down to about 1 second. i have a 3.06 GHz with 1.5 gigs of ram....kde should be flying, but it really isn't.

but yeah, my ff extensions are pretty important to me. i'm going to go look into konqueror more.

You can get them all for Konqueror, in fact two out of the three are there by default (or was that in SuSE), anyway, they are all availble for Konqueror as well.

Konqueror relies on your settings when it comes to opening speed, i'll send you a PM when i get home and tell you where to set it and where to get the extensions you need.

[maniacmusician]

You can get them all for Konqueror, in fact two out of the three are there by default (or was that in SuSE), anyway, they are all availble for Konqueror as well.

Konqueror relies on your settings when it comes to opening speed, i'll send you a PM when i get home and tell you where to set it and where to get the extensions you need.
excellent, you are a saint.

the extension i need most of all is google notebook. essential.

I tried out google video on it. i found out something weird...when i go to watch a video, the video doesn't initially show up. I have to resize the window (maximize/restore) to get the video to show. and it's always out of sync with the audio by a couple of seconds. kinda weird.

[croak77]

I don't think konqueror supports firefox extensions just plugins like flash, mplayer, and java.

[SoundMachine]

I didn't think konqueror supports firefox extensions just plugins like flash, mplayer, and java.

Many (most) of the firefox extensions are based on java or script code and have been or with a tad of browser identification change (select your browser identification from the menu) can be installed in Konqueror.

Of course, this does not go for ALL extensions, tab mix plus is a built in function that provides the same functionality, gestures is the same, google notebook is java based last time i looked and since konqueror does support java...

Well, you get the idea.

[maniacmusician]

it's pretty cool that it can do that. i found the extensions in konqueror, trying to figure out how to add one :-k

[SoundMachine]

it's pretty cool that it can do that. i found the extensions in konqueror, trying to figure out how to add one :-k

It needs to be scripted, fortunantly there are loads of people who do this at ... argh ... some site i will tell you about when i get home.

kdeaddons.org? maybe that's what i'm thinking about. I really need to put up a vpn, half of the time i'm trying to do things the KDE way and vista just goes "huh" on me. :(

[croak77]

Many (most) of the firefox extensions are based on java or script code and have been or with a tad of browser identification change (select your browser identification from the menu) can be installed in Konqueror.

Of course, this does not go for ALL extensions, tab mix plus is a built in function that provides the same functionality, gestures is the same, google notebook is java based last time i looked and since konqueror does support java...

Well, you get the idea.

Wait. Don't the extensions require xul? Aren't you thinking of javascript not java? I thought all extension use xul, xml, javascript and xpcom api.

[maniacmusician]

It needs to be scripted, fortunantly there are loads of people who do this at ... argh ... some site i will tell you about when i get home.

kdeaddons.org? maybe that's what i'm thinking about. I really need to put up a vpn, half of the time i'm trying to do things the KDE way and vista just goes "huh" on me. :(
It's okay, i can wait till you get home.

I have a question though. Do you use Adept as your package manager in KDE? I personally found it to be pretty crappy (I know its in an early stage though), so i've been using synaptic. Do you have another recommendation? I am trying to minimize my use of GTK apps.

[SoundMachine]

Wait. Don't the extensions require xul? Aren't you thinking of javascript not java? I thought all extension use xul, xml, javascript and xpcom api.

Probably not since a whole heap of them (google notebook included) are available for other browsers such as opera and IE.

The extension in itself often has a usable script or is an application (as in the case with google notebook which is a java application that can be run without the browser) an implementation (the interface between the app and the browser script) and an installation script.

javascript, XML and java are available even in every browser (and firefox was the, what 12'th or something browser to implement it, xul is just the interpretation engine for firefox (and every other browser that uses it) the xpcom api is exclusive to the xul based browsers but no script to date depends on it. (AFAIK)

You may want to read up on java XML and javascript, these are universal and used by every browser. extensions usually have something specific that ties them to firefox if you try to install them but since they are based on XML, java or javascript and are not proprietary anyone can write a simple script to implement the same function in ANY modular browser. ;)

[SoundMachine]

It's okay, i can wait till you get home.

I have a question though. Do you use Adept as your package manager in KDE? I personally found it to be pretty crappy (I know its in an early stage though), so i've been using synaptic. Do you have another recommendation? I am trying to minimize my use of GTK apps.

Kynaptic works great if you dislike adept, however, i find adept to be more stable than synaptic so i use adept, most of all i use aptitude as in

# sudo aptitude update && sudo aptitude upgrade

Or sudo aptitude install "whatever" aptitude resolves many of the problems you might experience when using different versions, like using the X from edgy while staying with dapper for the rest. It's a smarter package manarger in my humble opinion. :)

If only smart had a QT gui i'd use that instead.

[maniacmusician]

yeah, i usually use aptitude as well. i'll try kynaptic. I just don't like the look of adept, i'm not used to it. Synaptic seems more functional to me.

anyways, off to bed. long day tomorrow.

[SoundMachine]

yeah, i usually use aptitude as well. i'll try kynaptic. I just don't like the look of adept, i'm not used to it. Synaptic seems more functional to me.

anyways, off to bed. long day tomorrow.

If you are used to Synaptic, i understand why you'd think adept looks strange, heh, anyone would.

Kynaptic is Synaptic with a QT interface so you'll like that. :)

Goodnight

[croak77]

extensions usually have something specific that ties them to firefox if you try to install them but since they are based on XML, java or javascript and are not proprietary anyone can write a simple script to implement the same function in ANY modular browser.

So firefox extensions don't work in konqueror then? You can write extensions for konqueror but I've never seen anything about using firefox extensions. If you got a link, share it. I've seen nothing. Does konqueror use XUL? Every online firefox tutorial I've seen uses XUL to create the extension.

[Bloodfen Razormaw]

Yes, Konqueror does NOT use Firefox extensions, although Firefox extensions are often ported to other browsers, including Konqueror. Konqueror has its own extension system. You can get a bunch of them from kdeaddons. However, most of what Firefox users get extensions for is supported in Konqueror by default, plus much more. It just works.

The real advantage to Konqueror, the thing that will save you not just seconds from startup times, but can save you hours each week, is the productivity it enables. When you use Konqueror, you must unlearn all the dirty habits you formed working around desktops that lack network transparency or useful reusable components. KDE is different from GNOME, Windows, OS X, etc. in that it is task/document oriented while the others are application oriented.

e.g. since Konqueror is network transparent, that link to a tarball on a web site is mostly the same as an icon for a local tarball in the file browser view, and you can extract it from a right click context menu just the same, without downloading it, opening it separately, extracting it, and manually deleting it. It is the GUI equivalent to doing "ls | grep blah | wc" instead of "ls >> temp_file" followed by "grep input temp_file >> temp_file2" followed by "wc temp_file2" followed by "rm temp_file temp_file2". Being able to log in 1 second faster in the 1 time a month you do it won't change much, but being able to do ALL your day-to-day work faster will.

[DigitalDuality]

d

[bruce89]

is Swiftfox GTK?

No, it is XUL.


Only thing that really bothers me about Gnome is the registry wannabe Gconf and the spreading of configuration, libraries and binary files, it doesn't make much sense to me at all.

Care to elaborate on that?

Gconf is a list of preferences, not a windows registry clone.


Does konqueror use XUL? Every online firefox tutorial I've seen uses XUL to create the extension.

XUL is the toolkit that Firefox uses, not all web browsers need to use it. For instance Konqueror uses QT and Epiphany uses GTK+.


I have Epiphany and its (python/C) extensions running nicely here.

[moore.bryan]

did this suddenly turn into a ff vs. konq war? ;-) ff2.0b2 renders MUCH faster on my system than konq... example, cnn.com takes 2.2 seconds in ff, 5.3 in konq...
sorry konquerors!

[maniacmusician]

yeah the new beta is pretty kickass. but i'm hoping konq will get an upgrade soon too, with the new kde emerging and all. I don't really mind the difference between 2 seconds and 5 seconds though. I'm usually multi-tasking so I don't notice. What annoys me is when the apps themselves get slow.

[moore.bryan]

What annoys me is when the apps themselves get slow.
completely agree... i replaced gnome/kde/xfce with openbox and i never run into that problem any more... :-)

[maniacmusician]

[shrug] i'm not much of a minimalist. I love the KDE apps and how they integrate with each other. It even runs really fast on my school computer. I just need to find a way to optimize it on my home machine (its 3.06Ghz with 1.5 gigs of RAM, shouldnt be very hard) and i'll be good to go.

edit: what's the website with the scripts that make ff extensions work with konqueror? I can't find it...

[chaosgeisterchen]

Warning - subjective impressions

My desktop:
AMD Sempron 64 3300+ (bad choice, argh..)
Foxconn NForce4-Mainboard
512 MB DDR-RAM, clocked 400 MHz
ATI Radeon X300, 256 MB DDR-RAM, running the R300-driver, version 6.6.1
Samsung HD1604-HDD, 160 GB, 7200 rpm, UDMA
D-Link DWL-G520+ Wireless NIC 54 Mbps
10/100 LAN, 7.1 Sound onboard

Running OS:
/dev/hda1: Kubuntu 6.06 - 2.6.15-26-k7 - KDE 3.5.3 (3.5.4 won't run decent)
/dev/hda6: data partition
/dev/hda7: Ubuntu 6.06.1 - 2.6.15-26-k7 - GNOME 2.14.2

I am mostly running Kubuntu on it (I am more a KDE-user) but I already tried out GNOME on it. While GNOME seemed to be faster first I had to realize that I fully deconfigured my Kubuntu, seems to be a problem with prelink everytime I use it (I surely made some serious mistake, probably forgot to prelink it again after installation processes...).

After having tested out a frest GNOME and KDE installation they are both quite fast. But KDE really profites from its unity-model which gives it a slight advantage. It may use less RAM than GNOME but mine is always full due to caching, I did not yet figure out how to differentiate real RAM usage from cache (I do not use Karamba or sth like that, not even GDesklets under GNOME). In my opinion, KDE is more built towards my needs, shortcuts and endless customizability are great. It may look worse than GTK manages to do now but it's still more beautiful than Luna.

Conclusion: There is no real difference. I assume GNOME will take the lead under Edgy with the speeded up GNOME 2.16(.1). KDE 3.5.3 had some serious speed improvments, but 3.5.4 had none. No problem so far, it's still fast enough to suit my needs. KDE guys will be working hard on KDE4 I assume.

GNOME integration has always been better as Ubuntu is the bigger and more supported project, as it is the root-project. Kubuntu has miles to go to catch up but I think they can manage to merge their Distribution with the desktop environment even better in future (I have high expectations towards their current project).

Well.. I missed the point. Conclusion is:

Test both thoroughly before making your decision. They are both great, it only depends on your prefences.

~cg

[N8K99]

AS has been said here many times, boot time, login time and application startup time are insignificant when compared to task process time. This is why, I use KDE. My work process is pretty much within two apps, Kontact and Konqueror. Kontact takes care of pretty much all my communications and Konqueror allows me complete transparency with files and data; I can move it around between harddrives, servers and off other websites as if the file were local, this totally saves me from having an ftp client open to upload to websites that I maintain and work on.

The only time I ever open Firefox is to transfer money in my bank account, because my bank thinks that Konqueror is some dirty cracker.

speed? Speed kills, efficiency performs. Find your groove and learn to hang in there.

[GeneralZod]

The only time I ever open Firefox is to transfer money in my bank account, because my bank thinks that Konqueror is some dirty cracker.

Have you tried User-Agent switching? That solved the problem with using Konqueror with my bank (natwest.com)

[brucevangeorge]

Sooo...

How do I get plugins to work in Konqueror?

So far I have JRE working, but I can't find a flash plugin for it.

[croak77]

Install flashplugin-nonfree it's in multiverse. Then open konqueror, Settings -> Configure Konqueror -> Plugins -> Scan for New Plugins button. It should show up.

[lzfy]

My experience is that Ubuntu is a little bit more stable but Kubuntu is faster and looks better.

[Minyaliel]

With a little tweaking (like, getting rid of the menu panel) I find that Kubuntu is faster than Ubuntu. Also, it supports Koffice, which does load considerably faster than Open Office :P If you just look for the right apps, KDE can seriously grow wings and fly. And it is pretty, you can't deny it. I use KDE both for speed and looks, so... *shrug* And no, I don't have one of those supercomputers, I usually use a pretty average laptop.

[N8K99]

Have you tried User-Agent switching? That solved the problem with using Konqueror with my bank (natwest.com)
Oh, yes, I have tried various combinations of that, I can get past the sign in and see how much money is my accounts but as soon as I try to pay bill$ or transfer funds, Citibank shuts me down and kicks me out. If only the KMyMoney2 used .QXF then I'd be able to use that for online banking as well as keeping the household accounts balanced, including student loan calculations.

[maniacmusician]

what about thing that someone mentioned about scripts that allow firefox extensions to run in konqueror?

that would so excellent.

[brucevangeorge]

Install flashplugin-nonfree it's in multiverse. Then open konqueror, Settings -> Configure Konqueror -> Plugins -> Scan for New Plugins button. It should show up.

Installed & did that. But konqueror didn't do anything. Nothing showed up.

[Pathfinder_]

after you installed it open up konqueror. go to setting -> configure konqueror -> then click on plugins on the left and press scan for new plugins. Now you should have falsh working in konqueror

[brucevangeorge]

after you installed it open up konqueror. go to setting -> configure konqueror -> then click on plugins on the left and press scan for new plugins. Now you should have falsh working in konqueror

And I'm telling you I did that. Nothing showed up.

Am I supposed to put the folder that flash is located in into that little scrollbox with all the places it scans? ANd which folder would that be?

[croak77]

Are you sure the flashplugin installed correctly? Did you answer 'yes' to accepting the license? The plugin should be located at /usr/lib/firefox/plugins/libflashplayer.so