There is a massive list of Linux distributions available for the users, and these distros are not limited due to their features and compatibilities for different systems. Linux distros like Ubuntu, Lubuntu, Kubuntu, Arch Linux, Debian, Fedora offer unique options and features to the users. Many people are turning their way towards Kubuntu because of its compatibility. Still, there is always an argument that Kubuntu is based on Ubuntu, and it is less capable than Ubuntu. We shall overview Ubuntu and Kubuntu’s side by side in this article to provide complete details and a brief comparison between them.

Kubuntu vs. Ubuntu

What is Kubuntu?

Kubuntu is designed and developed by a global community of developers, translators, testers, and supporters. Kubuntu is developed under the Ubuntu basics. Such software must be available free, so anyone can use it in their local language and easily customize it according to their system’s requirements. This Linux distro also uses the same underlying system as it is a subpart of the Ubuntu project.

It is an open-sourced and free operating system that works well as an alternative to macOS or Windows due to its unique features.  Kubuntu consists of a KDE plasma desktop rather than GNOME, and it offers a good set of applications.

This operating system offers office, graphics, music, photography, email, and productivity in the installation so that users can get fantastic comfort.  Kubuntu also has different pre-installed applications Gwenview, Kmail, LibreOffice, Firefox, and installing more Discover software center applications. Most importantly, Kubuntu is a mobile-ready Linux distro, which means users can easily connect their desktop with the phone.

Features of Kubuntu

So here is the list of features offered by Kubuntu:

• Users can easily browse on the internet using Firefox.
• Users can browse the files and images easily.
• It has a productivity suite, and users can open or read the documents quickly.
• There is an easy chat option on the desktop.
• It has outstanding video and music features.

What is Ubuntu?

Ubuntu is a Linux operating system designed and developed for desktops and laptops and network servers. Majorly Ubuntu and three different versions and they are:

• Desktop
• Core for IoT devices
• Servers

Users can run these editions on their computers or in their virtual machines. Ubuntu is based on Debian and composed as open source and free software.

This Linux distro is developed by a UK-based company known as Canonical Ltd. using ideologies of open-sourced system development. Ubuntu is also a great alternative to different operating systems such as Mac OS or Windows because of its compatibility and features.

Features of Ubuntu

We are including some of the major features offered by Ubuntu:

• Ubuntu supports various software like VLC, Firefox, and an office suite known as LibreOffice.
• This Linux distro consists of an in-built email software known as Thunderbird that offers easy access to email like Gmail, Hotmail, etc.
• Ubuntu also has a host of free applications for viewing and editing photos.
• Users can easily manage and share the videos.
• Ubuntu offers a smart searching feature to find things quickly.
• There is a massive open-source community as Ubuntu is a free and open-source operating system.

Kubuntu Vs. Ubuntu: Head To Head Comparison Table

Kubuntu Vs. Ubuntu Compared and Which is Better?

The significant difference between Kubuntu and Ubuntu is the GUI(Graphical User Interface). Kubuntu consists of KDE, which is known as K Desktop Environment, that imitates the appearance of Windows, but Ubuntu uses a GNOME that doesn’t look like Windows. Kubuntu is a little bit faster than Ubuntu because both of these Linux distros use DPKG for package management, but the difference is the GUI of these systems. Hence, Kubuntu can be a perfect choice for those who want to use Linux but with a different user interface type.

Conclusion

It was a brief detail on Kubuntu Vs. Ubuntu with all of the required information to clear your doubts about both of these Linux distributions. As mentioned above, both Kubuntu and Ubuntu are free and open-sourced, but they are different in GUI because Kubuntu uses KDE and Ubuntu uses GNOME. There is no doubt that Ubuntu is an excellent operating system, but Kubuntu is better when it comes to the user interface and its performance.

Kubuntu is an open-source operating system built according to the Linux Kernel. Kubuntu is created under the Ubuntu ideologies like making the software available for free, so people can use it in their local language and customize it according to their requirements.

Kubuntu uses a KDE Plasma Desktop rather than a GNOME desktop environment, and it also uses the same underlying system because it is a part of the Ubuntu project.  Recently, Kubuntu has released their latest version, “20.10”, so we will give you brief details of Kubuntu update and upgrade with required descriptions in this article.

How to Upgrade Kubuntu?

We will cover Kubuntu update and upgrade from version 18.04 LTS or 19.10 to 20.10 LTS but make sure that your system meets the following requirements while upgrading the operating system:

1. If you are using a laptop, connect it with a power adapter and ensure that the current operating system is updated correctly. For example, 18.04 LTS has the latest version.
2. At last, run your release upgrade tool and reboot the system.

Now for installing new updates, you can run a plasma discover then install the available updates, so execute the following command for it:

After executing the command successfully, ensure that a package-ubuntu-release-upgrader-qt is appropriately installed in your system; run the following command in the Krunner:

In case you want to complete the upgrade using the terminal, then execute the following command in it:

Once you execute the command successfully, your system will begin to download the release upgrade tool.

After completing the procedure, restart your system for successfully upgrading the system.

Your system will be booted in Kubuntu 20.10, with a  new Plasma 5.18 desktop after restarting it.

Conclusion

So this is how you can easily do Kubuntu updates and upgrade from Kubuntu 18.04 LTS or 19.10 to 20.10. As we have explained, Kubuntu is created around Ubuntu to provide a free, open-source operating system customized according to the user. However,  Kubuntu uses the KDE Plasma Desktop instead of the GNOME desktop environment, which Ubuntu uses.  We have tried to include all of the details that don’t show an error because we have used the procedure in multiple operating systems.

In this article, I will show you how to install Kubuntu 18.04 LTS on your computer. Let’s get started.

Downloading Kubuntu 18.04 LTS:

You can download an ISO image of Kubuntu 18.04 LTS from the official website of Kubuntu at https://kubuntu.org/getkubuntu/

Once you visit the link, you should see the following window. Click on either the 64-bit Download or 32-bit Download button depending on whether you want to install the 32-bit version or 64-bit version of Kubuntu 18.04 LTS respectively.

Your download should start and it may take a while to complete.

Making a Bootable USB Stick of Kubuntu 18.04 LTS from Linux:

You can make bootable USB thumb drive of Kubuntu 18.04 LTS on Linux very easily. All you have to do is insert your USB thumb drive on your computer and run the following command to find it’s device identifier:

As you can see, the USB thumb drives device identifier is sdb. So it can be accessed as /dev/sdb

Now run the following command to make it Kubuntu 18.04 LTS bootable:

It should take a while, once it’s done, you should be able to use this USB thumb drive to install Kubuntu 18.04 LTS.

Making a Bootable USB Stick of Kubuntu 18.04 LTS from Windows:

On Windows, you can use Rufus to make bootable Kubuntu 18.04 LTS USB thumb drive.

First go to the official website of Rufus at https://rufus.akeo.ie/ and navigate to the Download section. Now click on the Rufus Portable link as marked in the screenshot below.

Rufus Portable should be downloaded. Now start Rufus and click on No.

Rufus should start.

Now insert your USB thumb drive and click on SELECT.

Now select your Kubuntu 18.04 LTS iso file and click on Open.

Now click on START.

Now click on Yes.

Now leave the defaults and click on OK.

The USB thumb drive will be formatted and all your data should be erased. If you have any important data there, it is time to move them to a safe place. Once you’re done, click on OK.

Rufus is making bootable USB thumb drive of Kubuntu 18.04 LTS…

Once the process is complete, click on CLOSE.

Your USB thumb drive should be ready to run Kubuntu 18.04 LTS Live and install Kubuntu 18.04 LTS on your computer.

Installing Kubuntu 18.04 LTS:

Now insert the bootable USB stick in your computer and select it from your computer’s BIOS. You should see the GRUB menu as shown in the screenshot below. Just select Start Kubuntu and press <Enter>.

You should be booted into the Kubuntu 18.04 LTS Live DVD. Now you can either start the Kubuntu installer or try Kubuntu before installing. I prefer you try it before installing and if everything works, then you can go for the installation.

If you clicked on Try Kubuntu, then you should see the following window. If you like it, then click on the Install Kubuntu icon as marked on the screenshot below.

The Kubuntu installer should start. Now select your language and click on Continue.

Now select your keyboard layout and click on Continue.

Now you can either select Minimal installation to install minimal version of Kubuntu or Normal installation to install the full version of Kubuntu. You can also check Install third-party software for graphics and Wi-Fi hardware and additional media formats to install third part drivers and media codecs. It requires internet connectivity. Once you’re done, click on Continue.

Now you have to select one of the installation type as shown in the screenshot below. If you want to erase your entire hard drive and install Kubuntu, then select any of the marked option and click on Install Now.

If you want to manually partition your hard drive or do dual booting, then select Manual and click on Continue. This is what I will be showing in this article, as this is where most people new to Linux gets stuck.

You may have a partition table on your hard drive. If you don’t need them, you can click on New Partition Table… to create a new partition table.

You can also delete a few partitions to make room for your new Kubuntu installation.

If you do decide to create a new partition table, then you should see the following prompt. Just click on Continue.

A new partition table should be created. Now select the free space and click on Add… to create a new partition.

If you have UEFI enabled motherboard, then create a EFI System Partition of about 512 MB of size first. If you have BIOS based motherboard, then you don’t need this partition. Just create a Root (/) partition instead and give it all the disk space you want.

Now create a Root (/) partition with the rest of the free space.

Finally, the partition table should look something like this. Now make sure your hard drive is selected on the Boot loader section and click on Install Now.

Now click on Continue.

Now select your timezone and click on Continue.

Now type in your user information and click on Continue.

The installation should start.

Once the installation is complete, you should see the following dialog box. Click on Restart Now. Your computer should reboot.

Once your computer boots, you should see the following login screen. Select your user and type in your login password and press <Enter>.

You should be logged into your Kubuntu 18.04 LTS operating system. Enjoy the power and beauty of KDE 5 Plasma desktop environment.

That’s how you install Kubuntu 18.04 LTS on your computer. Thanks for reading this article.