Kubuntu has been my favorite Linux distribution since the very first release. It was made specifically for us KDE fans, branded with beautiful Kubuntu-specific artwork and themes, contained the best Qt-based software, and dared to be different. In a world ruled by Ubuntu, it’s given us KDE fans something to root for. Unfortunately, Kubuntu later became known as Canonical’s third wheel, and each release seems to steadily diminish in quality. What’s responsible for its current status, and what should be done to improve it?
Is Kubuntu Canonical’s “Blue Headed Step Child”?
The phrase “Blue Headed Step Child” has been used to describe Kubuntu for quite some time around the blogosphere, and the debate on whether or not the term has merit is never ending. This descriptor has originated from the idea that Kubuntu has never seemed to receive as many features as each Ubuntu release, and some of the most noteworthy features in Ubuntu often do not make the cut. It also has to do with Canonical not giving Kubuntu equal treatment in the release cycles.
Let’s be fair though, Ubuntu is Canonical’s main distribution, not Kubuntu, so that should be expected. Kubuntu is a “flavor” of Ubuntu that uses a different software set that caters to those that prefer the KDE environment. However, the amount of features that Kubuntu users miss out on is staggering, and should definitely be considered a problem. So, is Kubuntu the blue headed step child of Canonical? It would seem so, considering the lack of support Kubuntu seems to get and a severe lack of feature parity.
Kubuntu 8.04: LTS Status Stripped Away
The second blow to Kubuntu’s reputation was its LTS (Long Term Support) status being stripped away in version 8.04, supposedly caused by Kubuntu 8.04 being released around the same time as the big switch to KDE4. It was announced as follows by Jonathan Riddell:
Since KDE 4 is a major change to the platform, it is not currently at one of these natural rest points so would not be suitable for long term support.” He went on to say: “Instead, due to the very high interest, development efforts will be directed towards KDE 4 and releasing Kubuntu 8.04 with the option of using either KDE 3.5 or KDE 4.”
At first, I was actually happy with the decision, because I believed that not having to do an LTS release would take pressure off of the developers and allow them to give us the best KDE4 implementation they could. However, the more I thought about it, the less sense stripping away the LTS status seemed to make. For starters, KDE4 wasn’t even the default desktop, so why would it make the difference of 8.04 being an LTS release or not? In addition, the KDE4 implementation we received in the “KDE4 Remix” CD was not only terrible, but virtually completely unchanged from the sources. (There was no polish at all).
With that said, it’s easy to see that the LTS status of Kubuntu 8.04 being stripped away in vain was yet another serious blow to Kubuntu’s reputation.
Boring, Unaltered KDE4 Implementations Are Now The Norm
Unfortunately, each subsequent Kubuntu release from that point forward changed from having beautiful custom themes, wallpapers, and a login screen to having virtually no polish whatsoever. Sure, themes aren’t normally that crucial, but to Kubuntu it kind of is, as the reputation is already tarnished by the lack of feature parity with Ubuntu and no current LTS release, so having less polish certainly won’t help sway that opinion. The default themes in the KDE4 series are all great, though you can get the default anywhere. Kubuntu needs to stand on its own, like it used to.
From Kubuntu 8.10 and on, the custom themes and polish are gone, and the distribution has moved from a distro with a purpose to being merely ubuntu-minimal with KDE and Qt apps thrown on top. That’s not to say of course that the developers don’t do anything meaningful since they do give back to the KDE code as a whole and make it better for everyone else, but a lack of polish shows a lack of effort to an untrained eye.
With Ubuntu getting new wallpapers and GDM themes with each release, it’s a shame that Kubuntu cannot get that love too.
Wireless? Who Needs Wireless?!
Version 9.04 was quite possibly Kubuntu’s ultimate low, containing (again) an unpolished KDE environment, and an all new problem: Completely broken wireless. With all the complaining regarding broken wireless all over Launchpad, I’ve nicknamed 9.04 as the “Epic Fail” release and I consider it to be one of the worst distribution releases of all time.
So, what exactly happened? Well, it’s simple: If you use a laptop and think you’re going to browse the net wirelessly after installing Kubuntu 9.04, think again. It just doesn’t work. In my experience, the only way I could connect to my two wireless networks at home was to disable my wireless security altogether. I’ve tried WEP, WPA, you name it. I wasn’t alone, as this problem affected just about everyone trying to use Kubuntu wirelessly. The worst part of it is that this problem was known well before the final release, and hasn’t been fixed to this day. The only other way I found to connect to protected wireless networks was to install WICD. In retrospect, with Ubuntu 9.04 I had no problem connecting to any wireless network I tried, even on the same systems.
Of course, Kubuntu is bleeding edge, and problems are to be expected here and there. However, breaking wireless access for just about everyone is inexcusable. Why was such a failure allowed in a stable operating system? The world may never know.
The Future: Kubuntu 9.10
As soon as Kubuntu 9.10 was announced, I held my hopes up high that it would mark Kubuntu’s return to glory. Version 9.10 is definitely good so far, but still far from perfect.
When it comes to feature parity with Ubuntu, Kubuntu 9.10 will suffer more than it ever has before. Ubuntu is getting all kinds of neato stuff this time around, such as a new “Software Center”, a new login theme, icon theme, an edited GTK theme, and a bunch of really slick wallpapers. As you might have guessed, Kubuntu 9.10 will get none of that love.
Even worse yet is Ubuntu’s “One” file sharing service, which will allow you to store files in the cloud and sync them between your computers. It would totally rock if that feature was bundled with Kubuntu as well, since that’s a feature us KDE fans would love to have I’m sure. Unfortunately, like most other things, it’s specific to Ubuntu and us Kubuntu fans won’t be getting it any time soon. Do we not deserve it? Who knows. In addition, Ubuntu 9.10 even got a new XSplash boot theme which I’m told is pretty slick. Unfortunately, we won’t get that either.
Kubuntu 9.10 still suffers from wireless problems, but thankfully not as bad. In that aspect, it will be something of a required upgrade for users that suffered with wi-fi problems in 9.04. If that’s you, you’ll definitely want 9.10.
Other than Ubuntu stealing all the spotlight yet again, Kubuntu 9.10 is at least a step in the right direction, and could very well be the beginning of its return to fame as the KDE4 implementation feels solid for the very first time.
The Community Assumes Kubuntu
Another problem that Kubuntu suffers from is that people assume you’re using Ubuntu when asking for help or filing bugs. Often when I ask for assistance in the forums, I have people type fix instructions to me as if I was using Ubuntu, even though I specifically said which distro I was using. In fact, when the bug reporting system was changed recently, the instructions for filing bugs on Launchpad ignored Kubuntu altogether, I had to add a link to the Kubuntu instructions myself.
I’m hoping that the community will keep Kubuntu in mind which in turn will help it get ahead by quite a bit.
What Can Be Done?
I honestly believe that in order to get fully ahead, Kubuntu should sync with the KDE release schedule, not GNOME’s like Ubuntu does. Just like the Ubuntu developers give back to the GNOME codebase, Kubuntu developers give back to the KDE codebase which helps everyone else. Since Kubuntu syncs with the GNOME release schedule, it must be pretty hard to manage this.
Secondly, the community should not automatically assume Ubuntu in requests for help. Often, it’s specifically stated that the user is using Ubuntu, Xubuntu, Kubuntu, or whatever other *buntu right in the problem description.
Third, Kubuntu needs custom themes. It’s not that the themes that ship with KDE are bad, its just that you can get those themes anywhere, and all rolling releases ship with them. Kubuntu should stand on it’s own with at least a custom wallpaper and KDM theme. With Mandriva and SUSE customizing the environments quite a bit, it makes Kubuntu appear out of place as a KDE desktop. Even Ubuntu, it’s very own brother, gets customised themes each release.
Fourth, quality assurance needs to be improved. Reason being, serious bugs (such as wireless not working in 9.04) were reported months before release, yet never even fixed. That is not okay no matter how you look at it. Drastic regressions call for drastic solutions, even if it means foregoing a planned feature. Failures such as the wireless problem should be given the highest priority. Imagine a student such as myself missing a few days of homework due to not being able to get online while travelling. Not fun.
Fifth, Kubuntu needs feature parity with Ubuntu. These days, it seems the only features Kubuntu users get are the ones that are provided by default from having the latest KDE. How about Kubuntu having “One” support just like Ubuntu does? Why is the “Software Center” only in Ubuntu? This should be fixed.
Finally, Kubuntu needs more developers. If I was a developer, I would be thrilled to help out. More developers can put Kubuntu on the map as the best KDE distro out there, so I encourage all developers to lend a helping hand.
Conclusion
With all of the examples I’ve given, it’s easy to see why Kubuntu has earned a reputation of being Canonical’s third wheel, or blue headed step child. It doesn’t seem to get the attention it needs to reach its full potential, and the situation is getting worse, not better. As a huge fan of Kubuntu myself, I really hope the project turns around and reaches its full potential. Here’s hoping for a wonderful Kubuntu 10.04!
Jeremy is a Certified IT Technician that blogs at ITNewsToday.com in his spare time. He has over ten years of industry experience, and studies the IT industry every single day. Jeremy has become an open source enthusiast over time and is studying for his Linux+ certification. He lives in Waterford MI with his wife Krystal and son Alan.
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Ubuntu is fraught with difficulties. The branding, however, is great, and that is why it received so much success in popularity.
I regularly try many distros including (but not limited to): Debian, sabayon, mepis, mandriva, pclos, suse, kubuntu, xubuntu, sam linux, arch linux, chakra, etc, etc etc.
Ubuntu, IMHO, has no really redeeming features and I really don’t understand what Kubuntu has that “dared to be different”.
After fiddling around with Kubuntu and having crash after crash, I got tired of its glitches and stuck with PCLOS and Mandriva for my main distros.
Mandriva has the best control panel I have experienced in Linux (and it is miles beyond the Windows Control Centre). Can’t speak for MacOS cause I don’t use it.
My recommendation is to get rid of Kubuntu at your earliest convenience and move onto a more serious distribution – present recommendation is Mandriva. (You might want to wait until their next release in a month or so.)
Nice thing about Mandriva is this: It is ONE distro (with variants being One, Free, and PowerPack), and upon it you can install whatever Desktop Environment you want, and it will work the same. Unlike Ubuntu and variants which are DIFFERENT distros and all act differently (as per your own explanation). What you describe is proof to me that the Ubuntu developers are missing the big picture – you have a kernel, and then software on it to run your computer, and then a desktop environment to display your user software. The fact that Kubuntu and Ubuntu are so different shows that they just don’t get it.
IMHO
D.
I do think that Ubuntu is dropping the ball with Kubuntu in just about every area. I run Fedora with a KDE4 desktop and it blows the doors off of Kubuntu. I think it might be time for the Kubuntu community to fork Kubuntu and make it into its own independent distro. This is the only way that I can see the project advancing with the times, and like it or not Kubuntu is just a project right now. Now as for the comment made by name about Windows 7 and Snow Leopard. I will give you Snow Leopard it is a very good OS but Windows 7 is junk. Even Microsoft filed papers with the SEC that Linux desktop OS were starting to eat into their market share so I think the best is yet to come as far a Linux OS is concerned.
Any problems you may find with Kubuntu needs to be blamed on the developers if anybody. I have the Kubuntu 9.10 development distribution installed along with Ubuntu and it seems to be working great for me. It’s a lot better then 9.04. Theming is easy to do so people shouldn’t be whining about that. I agree that Kubuntu doesn’t get as much love as ubuntu and it shouldn’t. Except for some of the apps. KDE doesn’t have a lot going for it and that’s in any distro. But I still have it installed on my system as a second os. That’s exactly where it should be.
KDE doesn’t have a lot going for it and that’s in any distro.
It’s hard to agree with this.
If you’ve ever read the recent KDE changelogs, you’ll see the great deal of effort and all the potential the developers are packing into KDE.
But Kubuntu doesn’t get it. Kubuntu refuses to harness that potential. Kubuntu is really the “unwanted, rejected stepchild of Canonical”.
And all we Kubuntu fans (which obviously you aren’t) suffer for that.
I just wanted to chime in and say to everyone that says that the network manager in Kubuntu 9.04 was the only choice, that’s not true. WICD is a much better choice. I understand that it’s a GTK program and doesn’t really have a place in Kubuntu, but given the alternative (not working at all) it would have been a perfect temporary solution.
Kubuntu has always been the ugly step-child of Ubuntu. I stopped installing Kubuntu around 5.10 or 6.04 even though my preferred desktop is KDE (3.5x). I simply install install Ubuntu, then add KDE piece by piece, I find it gives me fewer of the specifically Kubuntu glosses which I always found annoying, designed to hide the awesome power and customizability of KDE 3.5 from the user. Ubuntu Hardy plus KDE 3.5.10 is an excellent distro. I don’t really care if it is called LTS or not, as long as it gets updated until April, 2010, I believe.
Unfortunately, I detested KDE 4 when it was released, and still don’t much care for it, though since 4.3 I could at least tolerate it. I say this typing on a KDE 4.32 desktop, but not really by choice, this is a sidux install from early 2007 that pushed me in to KDE 4 after Debian Lenny became stable. I live in hope that by the time the next LTS Kubuntu release is minted next April that KDE 4 won’t have me hankering for KDE 3.5 quite so much.
I think Kubuntu’s biggest mistake was moving to KDE 4.0 with Intrepid. Despite the x.0 designation KDE 4 was still buggy, feature-incomplete software, even the developers didn’t feel it was ready for wide scale adoption. Maybe the reason that the Kubuntu team didn’t feel compelled to modify KDE 4 nearly so much is that it had already lost so much customizability, whether by design or because it simply hasn’t been added back in to the DE quite yet.
I have a couple of post-Hardy Ubuntu installs, but I tend to use Gnome, maybe after Koala is released I’ll migrate back to KDE.
You’re highlighting what I think is a legitimate problem with Kubuntu: an extremely chronic NIH syndrome. Kubuntu is unbelievably reluctant to ship GTK-based software. From the top of my head, there are Qt-rewrites of Canonical’s software-properties, as well as usb-creator. Both of these tools need little to no integration with the desktop, there is no reason to not have just used their GTK counterparts. Likewise, I think too much time is spent on Konqueror, Arora, and other Qt-based web browsers, while any serious user is going to end up installing Firefox anyway. Instead of focusing on these browsers, it’d been much more useful to focus on improving Firefox’s KDE integration (this is openSUSE’s approach).
The above mania is why wicd and GNOME’s nm-applet would have never been shipped; they’re both GTK-based. So, again, Kubuntu shipped the best that was available within their criteria for selection.
There’s some argument here about how Kubuntu and Ubuntu should both use the same system software infrastructure (NetworkManager), but I can’t defend it well.
May be i’m ranting (again) but i found this theme for Gtk+ in this place:
http://blog.kims-area.com/?q=node/62
and then i realize what many people has been saying for a while
… Why KDE3 is EOL?
If gtk+ can give their ancient users the look and feel of a new
reenginered, refactored, re(ALL) kde engines with Qt, why kde3 cannot give me that feeling…
I cannot find in any place around the net no one Oxygen theme port for KDE3 as if developers forgot instantly its existence or worst, they denied its WORLWIDE user base who will never gonna get a grip on KDE4…
It’s time for a KDE3 fork, it will find a niche in its own quickly, somebody says “count with me”
I stopped using KDE when v4 came on scene. I find it too slow and non-responsive. I’ve settled on Gnome (even though I prefer the ability for more personalisation in KDE). My computer has an AMD X2-6000, 4G RAM, GTS250 video. I’ve tried Kubuntu 9.04, and also tried Ubuntu 9.04 with the full KDE4 installed through Synaptic. I still keep coming back to Gnome. I like LXDE, but there are other reasons I won’t run it for my default.
You have raised many specific concerns in your post, but I will focus on the LTS issue as I think it is a good example.
First of all, Kubuntu is a community effort. The amount of effort which can go into its development is a factor of how many volunteer developers sign up to contribute. Canonical is a business, and must focus its efforts on making the company successful. Canonical sponsors Kubuntu in order to enable the community to develop it. If you don’t like the way Kubuntu is developed, by all means, get involved and change it! Don’t wait for someone else (or Canonical) to step up.
With regard to 8.04 LTS, I was directly involved in the relevant discussions, and it was clear that extending maintenance (the bulk of which is presently sponsored by Canonical) did not make sense under the circumstances. KDE 3.5, while it may have been stable, was also obsolescent in the face of KDE 4. KDE 4 at the time was very new, and not considered supportable for an extended period either. Neither of these code bases made sense to adopt for long-term maintenance.
LTS is about extending the maintenance lifetime of the product in order to support longer-term deployments by organizations, so I’m curious why this was a disappointment for you. Did your organization want to commit to using Kubuntu on corporate desktops for three or more years? What did you really lose as a result of this pragmatic decision, and why does it upset you?
Finally, I would appreciate if the Kubuntu community would stop using the term “step child” to personify Canonical’s investment in Kubuntu. The implication is that stepfamilies are loved less, and that is not a view I wish to promote. Besides, if you want to use a biological analogy, Canonical most definitely gave birth to Kubuntu.
Cheers,
Matt Zimmerman
Ubuntu CTO
Canonical
Hi Matt, thanks for the comment. I’ll try to respond to everything but please excuse me if I miss an important point.
First of all, I’m already involved in Kubuntu. Bug testing is the area in which I help out. I’m sure you already knew that, because you’ve probably already looked at my profile before replying. I’m sure you already seen one of my replies in this same article to Jonathan Riddell, where I told him that I would be more than happy to develop some code if I was trained on how. Until then, I’ll continue to write articles to raise awareness on the weak points of different projects and where they can improve. That too, is getting involved.
Kubuntu not having LTS support was a dissapointment for very obvious reasons. First, the LTS status was removed at a time where Kubuntu was just starting to get criticized because of not having as many features as Ubuntu. That was the worst possible time to remove such a status from Kubuntu. It certainly didn’t help the perception at all. Second, it was stated that the purpose of removing LTS from Kubuntu 8.04 was to focus on KDE 4.x. This made me (and I’m sure others) think that would mean we would get an awesome KDE 4.0 implementation. The implementation we received was garbage, completely vanilla and unpolished, and it actually had more bugs (that I’ve reported directly to launchpad before release) than KDE 4.0 on any other distro. Finally, for someone that has been following Kubuntu and using it since its inception, it’s a huge dissapointment to see that (yet again) your favorite distro was snubbed for it’s more popular brother again. The LTS status doesn’t affect me personally in the area of corporate support, it’s kind of like your favorite players in a sports team not being picked for the draft that year. It’s not going to kill you, but it is REALLY dissapointing.
I will definitely stop using the term “step child” to describe Kubuntu when Kubuntu stops earning that title. I don’t want to promote a view of Kubuntu getting less love either, but when it is actually getting less love that’s hard not to do. Besides, I’m not really promoting a view as much as I am stating facts. Canonical may have given birth to Kubuntu, but giving birth to something and raising it are two completely different things.
Thanks again for the reply, and I hope my response sheds some light on my views that you may have been confused about.
wow… i think you have completely missed the point(s)
Which points did I miss? I think I pretty much covered at least most of it.
>wireless broken in 9.04
That is why branding and PR is not everything. But these two things are all that Ubuntu can reasonably get done.
exactly… people should join kubuntu, kde, or an upstream project and start submitting patches…. this is linux, not some “waiter! there’s a fly in my soup – i want a refund” comedy routine.
… and is the OP seriously asking for somebody to train him to code, or did I incorrectly translate!? Buy a book and learn, or pay somebody to fix the code you care about.
That’s not quite it.