In the world of Linux desktop environments, the ones that dominate are GNOME and KDE. There are several other desktop environments but these two are the leaders. Ubuntu used to have Unity but it moved to GNOME now.
If you are a fan of good old KDE desktop environment then you can either use Kubuntu (a KDE version of Ubuntu) or you can choose to install it along with Unity. Let’s see how to install KDE desktop environment on Ubuntu 18.04 and 16.04.
Install KDE desktop environment on Ubuntu
Before you start, let me tell you that there are different versions of KDE available, according to the need. We will see what are they and how to install them:
KDE Full
This is the complete KDE pack. It comes with complete package and core KDE plasma. If your laptop is good at hardware, go for this one. Since it is the complete pack (around 472 MB), it will take some time in downloading and installing. You can install it using the following command:
sudo apt-get install kde-fullKDE Standard
The standard KDE comes with standard set of KDE apps such as Kate (default text editor), Konqueror (default web browser), Kget (Download Manager), KMail (email client), Dolphin (File Manager) etc. The whole package is around 182 MB in size. You can install it using the following command:
sudo apt-get install kde-standardKDE Plasma Desktop
This is just the minimal package of KDE. No apps are installed by default. You can install them later at any time. Ideal in the case when you just want to give it a try. The download size is around 90 MB.
sudo apt-get install kde-plasma-desktopKDE Plasma Netbook [Discontinued]
No prizes for guessing that this is for netbooks. This light version is best suited with low end systems and netbooks are just that. Install it using:
sudo apt-get install kde-plasma-netbookQuestions or suggestions? Feel free to hit the comment section.
Image: KDE.org
Since i don’t have any additional repo yet on my xenial with xfce could you write which repo is the best way to get kde plasma.
The command sudo apt-get install kde-plasma-desktop installed everything on my Lubuntu 18.04 system, not just the Plasma DE. My system now has Dolphin, Konsole, Konqueror, and many other KDE related programs. Not really mad or disappointed as I was going to install the other KDE related programs in the future, however the information on this page is misleading at best.
Thank you! Your articles are very helpful.
the download size is not 90 MB for kde plasma-desktop it required 802 MB of additional disk space.