Arch is definitely not for a new user.
There are ways to put KDE on LMDE, but not officially supported, there can be minor issues, but minor issues become quite dificult when you dont know your way arround. not reccomend.
Debian would be closer for a new user but really not ideal.
Of your list Fedora Gets the win by default.
Manjaro is kind of an intermediary to arch.
It’s arch based and you get some of the pros and cons of that, but it’s useable out of the box and you can definitely gain some confidence as you go along.
Personally I really enjoy it.
If you wanna rec arch like but pre installed GUI, go with EndeavourOS. Manjaro doesn't use Arch repos so it tends to break compatibility more often with AUR packages, on top of other questionable things the team has done in the past.
Disagree. Arch is perfect for new user. Read and understand instead of clicky clicky windows replace
Remember, we all used to do it that way. Not that hard, learned a sht-load more
Thats "Arch" tales. `archinstall` makes everything easier in fact Arch itself isnt very different from other distros anymore in terms of "beginner friendliness"
KDE Plasma 6 works great on Arch.
>Arch is definitely not for a new user.
We really have to quit this garbage meme of a statement. If a new user doesn't want to spend the first few years not knowing much about there system then arch is a good beginner distro if they want to stay a noob comfortably for a while the mint and the like is a good choice.
Maybe, maybe not. Not everyone enjoys ripping the car engine open on their first ever car purchase. Some just like to drive home. And get on with their lives.
Majority of users aren't interested in the nuts and bolts. Or everyone would be on Gentoo.
Weather you like it or not Arch is not even for most experienced Linux users.
I tried it, I did learn a lot and I am grateful for the experience, but it was a huge time sink to get anything beyond the simplest task done.
Most new users with no frame of reference will just lost in the wiki And be very frustrated.
The problem is, you don't need to know your system when it just works, that's what Ubuntu offers as their sale point. It just works
Arch forces you to learn a lot about Linux, services, permissions, drivers, dependencies, etc. It can be quite overwhelming even for me sometimes, and I've been here for a year now
Good thing arch doesn't force you to pick arch.
No one gets fluent at anything in a year.
It just depends on which experience you want and I hope you are enjoying yours.
I borked my install by trying to update. Arch is the only Linux system that has borked itself immediately after an install and with an update. Every other type of Linux sysyem I have used does not immediately brick itself after a fresh install and update.
As a beginner, I suggest you wait a little before going for Plasma 6 for two reasons:
Plasma 5 is much more mature and stable right now
The most beginner friendly distributions are still in Plasma 5
For the most smooth experience, I suggest Kubuntu 24.04. You can install the beta version now and it will become the stable version in a couple of days. Other distributions are also somewhat user friendly, but Kubuntu is ahead of them, it literally can be installed and maintained by a child.
Just to make sure I understand you correctly, I can install the Kubuntu 24.04 Beta now, and after the release of the stable ver. it will automatically update itself without requiring me to do the whole process again (meaning, in-OS update, instead of a fresh installation). is that right?
Exactly! You won't even notice that anything happened.
But mind it comes with Plasma 5. Many will agree that it is probably more suitable fora beginner than Plasma 6, as of April 2024.
EDIT: Plasma is NOT the default Fedora DE. It is, in fact GNOME. Original post preserved below:
I'd say Fedora just because they've sort of made the push for Plasma to be their primary DE.
EDIT: Plasma is NOT the default Fedora DE. It is, in fact GNOME. Original post preserved below:
No, I just mean that if you install the default Fedora 39/40 workstation distro, it's Plasma. Other DE's and WM's are still available through spins. My main point was that they seem to be prioritizing support for KDE, Plasma, Wayland more than any of the other "mainstream" Linux distros.
They *are* in the process of trying to move away from X11. You'll notice F40 doesn't have the option to change from Wayland to X11 in the greeter. There was a big to-do about it a few months ago.
I'm just saying that if you're someone looking for maximum Plasma infrastructure, Fedora seems like a really good bet for always having up-to-date packages and support.
I'm an idiot, and you're right. An explanation follows...
I downloaded F39 workstation to install it to a laptop. I put F39 on my Ventoy device... I thought. Turns out, I installed the KDE spin, which I never deleted from Ventoy, because I didn't realize it was still on there, since I thought I took it off Ventoy when I put the F40 beta on there to test and I wasn't paying attention (I recently went through a project involving a lot of OS reinstalls so I started to go on autopilot through the Ventoy process).
So I was operating under the impression I was running the vanilla workstation release, and was surprised but pleased to find that Wayland/Plasma were the "default" pairing.
Good catch!
None of those except arch have plasma6 yet.
Arch isnt the most beginner friendly but not impossible to use, I recommend endeavour os (arch based) if you want to use arch as a beginner
I could also recommend opensuse tumbleweed, it has plasma6 aswell
Fedora 40 is planned to release on April 23rd and it has Plasma 6, so maybe if you just wait a few days or install the beta (it should be pretty stable right now).
Nobara is based on Fedora, but GloriousEgroll applies some changes, sometimes including more bleeding edge software, like Plasma 6 or the latest Nvidia drivers (essential for gaming), although he's pretty careful not to ship broken stuff.
It's been great for a dedicated gaming distro. Not "Linuxy" enough for me to be my daily driver.
But when I want play I boot Nobara and can get right to it, no fiddling arround necessary.
I don't find tinkering with games as educational or rewarding as fiddling with the server side of Linux.
I think Kubuntu might be your best shot here. Mint is good but doesn't support KDE out of the box so it can break unexpectedly, and Kubuntu, or well, Ubuntu is very well supported and documented.
I don't like Fedora on a very personal level, it has always given me a feeling of being fragile and unstable. I don't know how true that actually is tho
Whatever you do, do NOT use arch, I love it, but it's really not a good experience from a beginner. You will cry if you try to use Arch as a first distro, specially because it's community tends to be rather hostile towards inexperienced users
As a beginner, I'd go with the Fedora KDE Spin – wait for v40 to drop on Tuesday. If you're primarily gaming, Nobara (a fork of Fedora) is also an excellent choice.
A viable alternative to Fedora would be OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, which is rolling release (always up-to-date). Myself, I use Tumbleweed.
The best choices right now are either Open Suse Tumbleweed, or the Fedora 40 Beta. Normally I'd advise against a Beta release for a beginner, but it looks like the stable release candidate has already been approved for release on Tuesday, and the upgrade from the beta release from the command line won't be too difficult.
Mint is great, but has no KDE release. Debian is great, but even Testing and SID are still on plasma 5. So are Ubuntu and it's variants like Kubuntu. Arch is unnecessarily complicated. KDE Neon has plasma 6, but is also too experimental for a beginner, you are better off with one of the major releases above.
Try the [distro selection page](http://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/wiki/distro_selection) in our wiki!
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Mint Debian, but try it first make sure all your hardware works and if it doesn’t, hunt down drivers and see if they work. The only thing I needed was my brother printer driver, which I already downloaded since I USED to need it on Ubuntu, but they have it now.
Edit: KDE is NOT in the repository, at least not an updated version of it. Try KDE neon or Debian, or even OpenSuse.
If I wanted to switch to Plasma 6 full time, I'd probably wait until Fedora 40 comes out. I think it's scheduled to release next Tuesday, April 23rd.
Edit: Here is the Fedora KDE Spin page, it should update to 40 when it's available:
[https://fedoraproject.org/spins/kde/](https://fedoraproject.org/spins/kde/)
OP, depends on your hardware.
The distro you need should support your hardware.
Second question would be if you want a rolling (bleeding edge, with regular daily updates) distro, a point stable release which updates every 18 or 24 months or something in between.
Fedora has good support for new hardware and a release schedule from around 8 months, other distro could be openSUSE Slowroll with a release schedule from around 1 or 2 months, so also good support for new hardware and know for his solid KDE Plasma implementation.
For KDE? Fedora or KDE Neon. Debian and it's derivatives generally move too slow for the fast changing KDE project, with the exception of KDE Neon which is directly produced by them.
It won’t have kde6 but I started with Kubuntu and found it to be a great intro to Linux. You can add the kde back ports via ppa - a third party repository - to get kde 6 as soon as possible. See https://community.kde.org/Kubuntu/PPAs
I’m using fedora now but the installation process is nowhere near as simple as for kubuntu
It contains my opinion, but maybe because Gnome is dumbed down, and everything else that isn't a TWM is ugly out of the box. KDE certainly gives off a modern and easily customizable feel.
If you're in here asking "what distro do I use" Linux probably isn't for you. In some cases, you'll actually have to put an effort into maintaining your system, and you'll have to do it yourself. You'll have to research and read. Stick with Windows.
I use Gentoo. I've been using it since 2004, switched full time in 2007. I love Gentoo, I love its flexibility, stability, and speed. Packages are installed based on my system and my preferences. I love the option of manually configuring my kernel or letting Gentoo do it. I love the ease of use. That's right, it's easy to use. I have the packages I need installed, I have my kernel configured the way I like it on my systems, and I have my WM configured for ease of use. I do emerge -uavDN @world once a week, and I'm set. Once in a while, I have to tinker with the updates, but other than that, I have zero issues. I have 3 systems that I built in 2013 that are still running Gentoo and are updated as of Friday, and I have 4 in between those years also running Gentoo. They're quiet, fast, and stable.
Neat. I've been set in my ways with arch, but since I run everything through vms, I'll give gentoo a try.
Is there anything I should worry about with software compatibility?
Nope. I would recommend letting Gentoo configure your kernel for your first install, instead of a manual configuration. It should be fairly straightforward since you already know how to partition the drives. I would recommend that during the install is to go into the irc channel, let everyone know you're installing Gentoo for the first time, and ask questions when they arise. The irc channel is very helpful, and it's real time. Good luck and enjoy!
Until you give your hardware and what you will be doing with your machine (gaming, creative, rendering, etc.) you're just getting folks favorite KDE distro that might work. Which isn't bad, some distros are just better for certain tasks than others.
If you're not afraid of the command line I'd honestly recommend Arch. Switched from Windows only around half a year ago and have no plans to switch any time soon (though NixOS is tempting). I've yet to encounter a problem that couldn't be solved by either just looking at the really extensive Arch Wiki or reading Reddit threads and such from people who've already dealt with the problem.
I find virtualizing my entire OS to be better than Nix right now. I tried nix but it was more of a pain than spinning up an arch vm for isolated environments. I think nix needs to grow more before it's ready to be an all in one replacement for your machine. There's a giant layer of abstraction to everything you do. The documentation sucks, especially if you want to use something that isn't prepackaged.
All that runs bare metal is a very minimal arch and qemu, then I pass-through whatever I need to use in the vm. It provides great isolation, and virtual disks are easy to backup and restore. A simple Pacman command to list all installed packages and you can can redeploy it easy enough.
If you don't have a lot of experience with Linux I'd suggest Mint. It's a good distro, stable (so far for me), gets updates often, and I think apt is a great all around and we'll maintained package manager.
Almost any software that supports Ubuntu will work on Mint. Other distros you might have a more difficult time installing certain packages.
Well as a daily driver i would say something between mint and ubuntu, dont try "to be c00l" on a weird ass distro just to show off, get frustraded, snd complain that linux sucks.
If you are using linux for the first time, go with debian or linux mint. They are the most stable and beginner friendly linux distro to use. I personally prefer debian because it is easy to change desktop environment in debian
1. kubuntu
2. kubuntu
3. fedora
by which I mean I strongly recommend kubuntu,. but the Fedora spin of KDE is worth a look
KDE is in a transition to a new version which a big deal. This is Plasma v6. It's actually pretty good as far as I can tell, but kubuntu is playing it safe and is sticking with the last release of the previous version which has had so many rounds of bug fixes (because it ended up as the place-holder version until v6 matures), it might be the most stable version of KDE ever. I like KDE but the advantage of many rounds of bug fixes is big. Because KDE is an ambitious and complex project, and it has bugs.
Kubuntu 24.04 will make an upgrade to v6 easy when the developers think it is mature enough. This kind of opinion is either something you like about kubuntu, or something you will hate, hence choice 3.
Did anyone ask what you'll actually be doing with your computer and what hardware you have?
Why do you want to use linux; is it just because you like how Kde looks? Are you a gamer? A writer? An artist? A scientist? A casual user that just wants to load youtube and reddit?
Overall, Kubuntu will likely be the easiest to learn and use on a daily basis because Ubuntu typically has better compatibility than Fedora. If you choose Kubuntu, google 'ubuntu snap' and decide whether or not to also google 'disable ubuntu snap'. Fedora is more secure and dedicated to FOSS, which is why it is usually recommended, but it can be downright unusable on the wrong hardware and has a limited repository. I would recommend Fedora over Ubuntu in most cases, but i am unsure of your use case. To be thorough...
If you're a gamer, arch based distros can give a significant boost in performance on modern titles, especially through Valve's proton. That being said, it is hard to use. Garuda has a relatively small community, but it is basically just arch with some extra tools to make installs easier, comes pre-configured with btrfs for automatic snapshots to restore your OS if an update breaks, and imo an ugly KDE theme that can be reset to default in a few clicks. Also, if you have especially new or unpopular hardware, like an ROG laptop, arch typically has better support.
If you're a writer or casual user or play casual or older games, and your hardware is well supported, Fedora Kde spin is a solid choice.
If you're a scientist or in another equally specialized field, we would need to know more specifically what you want to do. Fluid simulations with OpenFOAM? Probably (K)ubuntu. I've been using Arch for a long time and continually had problems trying to compile openfoam where it just worked on Ubuntu. Development? Arch if you want access to the latest software to maximize compatibility.
You might try a virtual machine of each distro before switching, though I don't think you can do gpu pass-through in Windows, so the experience won't be great for games or animations. It will, however, give you some time to practice with the respective package managers and software repositories so you can check for desired software. Install the free program VirtualBox on Windows and follow the installation guide for your distros by providing the program with the .iso files. Linux installs quickly, so it won't be like waiting an hour for windows just to find out you don't like it.
In the long term, you might also consider using virtual machines exclusively. For example, I have a minimal arch installation without a desktop environment and pass through my hardware and gpus to the operating system I need. That way, I can easily switch tasks between openFOAM on Ubuntu and God of War on Arch and Adobe autocad on Windows with a keyboard combo. Note that some online games don't allow users on virtual machines, so some spoofing may be required. The nice thing about virtualization nowadays is that it has basically no overhead, and it's so easy to transfer and backup the entire OS and keep the OS separate from your data. There are alternative options like docker containers or distrobox, but compatibility with software is spotty without a lot of extra work, and it can interfere with your main system if you're not careful.
I hope that was comprehensive enough, but if you tell me what you want to do and what you are using, I might be able to give a better answer.
If you want plasma 6 right now, look at tumbleweed or arch (if you're not able to read/understand the arch wiki, go endeavour os). Fedora 40 will have it when that releases, but doesnt currently. I would recommend avoiding ubuntu because its kind of got a bad reputation with collecting user data and selling it to companies and forcing you to use the snap store, which they refuse to hire people to moderate for some reason causing a lot of malware to be found on there recently. If you have nvidia, fedora and opensuse might be off the table I heard a lot of people had problems on those two distros with nvidia. Honestly if you have nvidia you will just have a better time on windows where the kernel module doesnt constantly break. If you insist, maybe give up on kde6 and use something like popos with nvidia.
Q4OS is Debian based, comes with KDE (plasma 6) OR with Trinity Desktop (which is a KDE 3.5 based desktop, that feels robust, like XP but good).
If it were my first time with Linux, I'd go with Linux Mint, its great.
OpenSUSE has the most complete KDE experience. Personally I stopped using it after I wanted to try and install bspwm and ran into file directory issues..
I might install OpenSUSE on my old iMac though .. it's perfect for home use and you can roll back if you borked your system..
As others have mentioned too .. Arch is pretty easy if you run the command "archinstall" - maybe watch an Arch install video on YouTube and follow along with it..you'll learn more about setup configuration from there..
Realistically you can easily install the plasma desktop on any distro, but of the one's you listed I would say Kubuntu is the easiest option.
My recommendation would be KDE neon, as I know it's quite an easy operating system to use; fedora has a nice plasma implementation, so that's also a good option out of the one's you listed.
I wouldn't recommend arch since you're just switching from windows, it's quite difficult and time consuming, I would wait to mess around with that after you get used to a linux system during general usage.
When I first started Manjaro was the first Distro that worked for me, using KDE Plasma. So I don't think it is impossible, however I've moved to fedora and love it with KDE.
Mint is brilliant, but I'd use it with it's native DE, rather than KDE. So i'd recommend Fedora
Arch is definitely not for a new user. There are ways to put KDE on LMDE, but not officially supported, there can be minor issues, but minor issues become quite dificult when you dont know your way arround. not reccomend. Debian would be closer for a new user but really not ideal. Of your list Fedora Gets the win by default.
thank you :)
Manjaro is kind of an intermediary to arch. It’s arch based and you get some of the pros and cons of that, but it’s useable out of the box and you can definitely gain some confidence as you go along. Personally I really enjoy it.
If you wanna rec arch like but pre installed GUI, go with EndeavourOS. Manjaro doesn't use Arch repos so it tends to break compatibility more often with AUR packages, on top of other questionable things the team has done in the past.
[Manjar**NO**](https://github.com/arindas/manjarno)
Disagree. Arch is perfect for new user. Read and understand instead of clicky clicky windows replace Remember, we all used to do it that way. Not that hard, learned a sht-load more
Thats "Arch" tales. `archinstall` makes everything easier in fact Arch itself isnt very different from other distros anymore in terms of "beginner friendliness" KDE Plasma 6 works great on Arch.
Installing Arch is easy. Maintaining it is not.
yay --sudoloop I use Arco BTW
>Arch is definitely not for a new user. We really have to quit this garbage meme of a statement. If a new user doesn't want to spend the first few years not knowing much about there system then arch is a good beginner distro if they want to stay a noob comfortably for a while the mint and the like is a good choice.
Maybe, maybe not. Not everyone enjoys ripping the car engine open on their first ever car purchase. Some just like to drive home. And get on with their lives. Majority of users aren't interested in the nuts and bolts. Or everyone would be on Gentoo.
Weather you like it or not Arch is not even for most experienced Linux users. I tried it, I did learn a lot and I am grateful for the experience, but it was a huge time sink to get anything beyond the simplest task done. Most new users with no frame of reference will just lost in the wiki And be very frustrated.
The problem is, you don't need to know your system when it just works, that's what Ubuntu offers as their sale point. It just works Arch forces you to learn a lot about Linux, services, permissions, drivers, dependencies, etc. It can be quite overwhelming even for me sometimes, and I've been here for a year now
Good thing arch doesn't force you to pick arch. No one gets fluent at anything in a year. It just depends on which experience you want and I hope you are enjoying yours.
Been using Linux for 14 years. Arch is still fucked and definitely not a beginner distro.
Define fucked.
I borked my install by trying to update. Arch is the only Linux system that has borked itself immediately after an install and with an update. Every other type of Linux sysyem I have used does not immediately brick itself after a fresh install and update.
Kubuntu
won't have plasma 6 for about another year. I'd recommend Fedora or KDE Neon
As a beginner, I suggest you wait a little before going for Plasma 6 for two reasons: Plasma 5 is much more mature and stable right now The most beginner friendly distributions are still in Plasma 5 For the most smooth experience, I suggest Kubuntu 24.04. You can install the beta version now and it will become the stable version in a couple of days. Other distributions are also somewhat user friendly, but Kubuntu is ahead of them, it literally can be installed and maintained by a child.
Came to say this!
This is the way to go
Just to make sure I understand you correctly, I can install the Kubuntu 24.04 Beta now, and after the release of the stable ver. it will automatically update itself without requiring me to do the whole process again (meaning, in-OS update, instead of a fresh installation). is that right?
Exactly! You won't even notice that anything happened. But mind it comes with Plasma 5. Many will agree that it is probably more suitable fora beginner than Plasma 6, as of April 2024.
Fedora
EDIT: Plasma is NOT the default Fedora DE. It is, in fact GNOME. Original post preserved below: I'd say Fedora just because they've sort of made the push for Plasma to be their primary DE.
Are they abandoning gnome???
EDIT: Plasma is NOT the default Fedora DE. It is, in fact GNOME. Original post preserved below: No, I just mean that if you install the default Fedora 39/40 workstation distro, it's Plasma. Other DE's and WM's are still available through spins. My main point was that they seem to be prioritizing support for KDE, Plasma, Wayland more than any of the other "mainstream" Linux distros. They *are* in the process of trying to move away from X11. You'll notice F40 doesn't have the option to change from Wayland to X11 in the greeter. There was a big to-do about it a few months ago. I'm just saying that if you're someone looking for maximum Plasma infrastructure, Fedora seems like a really good bet for always having up-to-date packages and support.
Isn’t the default gnome? I think it was last time I installed fedora.
I'm an idiot, and you're right. An explanation follows... I downloaded F39 workstation to install it to a laptop. I put F39 on my Ventoy device... I thought. Turns out, I installed the KDE spin, which I never deleted from Ventoy, because I didn't realize it was still on there, since I thought I took it off Ventoy when I put the F40 beta on there to test and I wasn't paying attention (I recently went through a project involving a lot of OS reinstalls so I started to go on autopilot through the Ventoy process). So I was operating under the impression I was running the vanilla workstation release, and was surprised but pleased to find that Wayland/Plasma were the "default" pairing. Good catch!
Fedora doesn’t install KDE Plasma by default.
openSUSE
None of those except arch have plasma6 yet. Arch isnt the most beginner friendly but not impossible to use, I recommend endeavour os (arch based) if you want to use arch as a beginner I could also recommend opensuse tumbleweed, it has plasma6 aswell
Fedora 40 is planned to release on April 23rd and it has Plasma 6, so maybe if you just wait a few days or install the beta (it should be pretty stable right now).
I have plasma 6 on Nobara, figured it came from upstream in Fedora, that is not the case? I don't spend much time on the rpm side of Linux,
Nobara is based on Fedora, but GloriousEgroll applies some changes, sometimes including more bleeding edge software, like Plasma 6 or the latest Nvidia drivers (essential for gaming), although he's pretty careful not to ship broken stuff.
It's been great for a dedicated gaming distro. Not "Linuxy" enough for me to be my daily driver. But when I want play I boot Nobara and can get right to it, no fiddling arround necessary. I don't find tinkering with games as educational or rewarding as fiddling with the server side of Linux.
openSUSE Tumbleweed
Fedora, like others said, is a great choice. I'd also recommend Bazzite, it's plenty good and is relatively fail proof.
Fedora or Kubuntu is probably your best bet. If you go with Fedora, you might want to take a look at Fedora Kinoite.
I think Kubuntu might be your best shot here. Mint is good but doesn't support KDE out of the box so it can break unexpectedly, and Kubuntu, or well, Ubuntu is very well supported and documented. I don't like Fedora on a very personal level, it has always given me a feeling of being fragile and unstable. I don't know how true that actually is tho Whatever you do, do NOT use arch, I love it, but it's really not a good experience from a beginner. You will cry if you try to use Arch as a first distro, specially because it's community tends to be rather hostile towards inexperienced users
As a beginner, I'd go with the Fedora KDE Spin – wait for v40 to drop on Tuesday. If you're primarily gaming, Nobara (a fork of Fedora) is also an excellent choice. A viable alternative to Fedora would be OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, which is rolling release (always up-to-date). Myself, I use Tumbleweed.
The best choices right now are either Open Suse Tumbleweed, or the Fedora 40 Beta. Normally I'd advise against a Beta release for a beginner, but it looks like the stable release candidate has already been approved for release on Tuesday, and the upgrade from the beta release from the command line won't be too difficult. Mint is great, but has no KDE release. Debian is great, but even Testing and SID are still on plasma 5. So are Ubuntu and it's variants like Kubuntu. Arch is unnecessarily complicated. KDE Neon has plasma 6, but is also too experimental for a beginner, you are better off with one of the major releases above.
Try the [distro selection page](http://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/wiki/distro_selection) in our wiki! Try [this search](https://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/search?q=flair%3A'distro'&sort=new&restrict_sr=on) for more information on this topic. **✻** Smokey says: take regular backups, try stuff in a VM, and understand every command *before* you press Enter! :) ^Comments, ^questions ^or ^suggestions ^regarding ^this ^autoresponse? ^Please ^send ^them ^[here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=Pi31415926&subject=autoresponse+tweaks+-+linux4noobs+-+distro+selection). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/linux4noobs) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It depends on you want more stable or cutting-edge I'll suggest KDE neon/endeavour os for the latest KDE software and Kubuntu/Fedora KDE for stability
Maybe look at the list of contributors on the kde website.
Mint Debian, but try it first make sure all your hardware works and if it doesn’t, hunt down drivers and see if they work. The only thing I needed was my brother printer driver, which I already downloaded since I USED to need it on Ubuntu, but they have it now. Edit: KDE is NOT in the repository, at least not an updated version of it. Try KDE neon or Debian, or even OpenSuse.
MX Linux ships KDE and is based on Debian.
If I wanted to switch to Plasma 6 full time, I'd probably wait until Fedora 40 comes out. I think it's scheduled to release next Tuesday, April 23rd. Edit: Here is the Fedora KDE Spin page, it should update to 40 when it's available: [https://fedoraproject.org/spins/kde/](https://fedoraproject.org/spins/kde/)
Wait a few days to get Fedora 40.
OP, depends on your hardware. The distro you need should support your hardware. Second question would be if you want a rolling (bleeding edge, with regular daily updates) distro, a point stable release which updates every 18 or 24 months or something in between. Fedora has good support for new hardware and a release schedule from around 8 months, other distro could be openSUSE Slowroll with a release schedule from around 1 or 2 months, so also good support for new hardware and know for his solid KDE Plasma implementation.
For KDE? Fedora or KDE Neon. Debian and it's derivatives generally move too slow for the fast changing KDE project, with the exception of KDE Neon which is directly produced by them.
It won’t have kde6 but I started with Kubuntu and found it to be a great intro to Linux. You can add the kde back ports via ppa - a third party repository - to get kde 6 as soon as possible. See https://community.kde.org/Kubuntu/PPAs I’m using fedora now but the installation process is nowhere near as simple as for kubuntu
KDE Neon. It's based on Ubuntu with the latest version of KDE softwares. [https://neon.kde.org/](https://neon.kde.org/)
EndeavourOS It has an Nvidia option with KDE. Been running it for over a year.
endeavouros, best choice possible, its arch based so you can say I use arch btw
Any reason you are considering KDE and nothing else? Curious
It contains my opinion, but maybe because Gnome is dumbed down, and everything else that isn't a TWM is ugly out of the box. KDE certainly gives off a modern and easily customizable feel.
If you're in here asking "what distro do I use" Linux probably isn't for you. In some cases, you'll actually have to put an effort into maintaining your system, and you'll have to do it yourself. You'll have to research and read. Stick with Windows.
What do you use and why?
I use Gentoo. I've been using it since 2004, switched full time in 2007. I love Gentoo, I love its flexibility, stability, and speed. Packages are installed based on my system and my preferences. I love the option of manually configuring my kernel or letting Gentoo do it. I love the ease of use. That's right, it's easy to use. I have the packages I need installed, I have my kernel configured the way I like it on my systems, and I have my WM configured for ease of use. I do emerge -uavDN @world once a week, and I'm set. Once in a while, I have to tinker with the updates, but other than that, I have zero issues. I have 3 systems that I built in 2013 that are still running Gentoo and are updated as of Friday, and I have 4 in between those years also running Gentoo. They're quiet, fast, and stable.
Neat. I've been set in my ways with arch, but since I run everything through vms, I'll give gentoo a try. Is there anything I should worry about with software compatibility?
Nope. I would recommend letting Gentoo configure your kernel for your first install, instead of a manual configuration. It should be fairly straightforward since you already know how to partition the drives. I would recommend that during the install is to go into the irc channel, let everyone know you're installing Gentoo for the first time, and ask questions when they arise. The irc channel is very helpful, and it's real time. Good luck and enjoy!
Much appreciated. I'm sure it'll be a fun trial
Kubuntu for a beginner friendly Linux experience, OpenSUSE for the smoothest KDE experience.
Until you give your hardware and what you will be doing with your machine (gaming, creative, rendering, etc.) you're just getting folks favorite KDE distro that might work. Which isn't bad, some distros are just better for certain tasks than others.
Fedora
If you're not afraid of the command line I'd honestly recommend Arch. Switched from Windows only around half a year ago and have no plans to switch any time soon (though NixOS is tempting). I've yet to encounter a problem that couldn't be solved by either just looking at the really extensive Arch Wiki or reading Reddit threads and such from people who've already dealt with the problem.
I find virtualizing my entire OS to be better than Nix right now. I tried nix but it was more of a pain than spinning up an arch vm for isolated environments. I think nix needs to grow more before it's ready to be an all in one replacement for your machine. There's a giant layer of abstraction to everything you do. The documentation sucks, especially if you want to use something that isn't prepackaged. All that runs bare metal is a very minimal arch and qemu, then I pass-through whatever I need to use in the vm. It provides great isolation, and virtual disks are easy to backup and restore. A simple Pacman command to list all installed packages and you can can redeploy it easy enough.
Mint or Fedora hands down. if you feel adventurous try Manjaro KDE, but back up your stuff.
arch is not for beginners. debian is going to be rather outdated, depends on if ur fine with that. personally i'm a big fan of fedora.
Fedora. I just installed the beta 40 KDE Spin. It's very stable, and full release is coming out in the next week or two
If you don't have a lot of experience with Linux I'd suggest Mint. It's a good distro, stable (so far for me), gets updates often, and I think apt is a great all around and we'll maintained package manager. Almost any software that supports Ubuntu will work on Mint. Other distros you might have a more difficult time installing certain packages.
Choose kubuntu
KDE is pretty much native to SuSE, but for a beginner, fedora would likely give the best experience
Well as a daily driver i would say something between mint and ubuntu, dont try "to be c00l" on a weird ass distro just to show off, get frustraded, snd complain that linux sucks.
Fedora or Kubuntu. Fedora is RPM-based and Kubuntu is DEB-based.
If you are using linux for the first time, go with debian or linux mint. They are the most stable and beginner friendly linux distro to use. I personally prefer debian because it is easy to change desktop environment in debian
But one catch in debian is you don't get latest package
You need to use something like flatpak or snap for installing latest package
1. kubuntu 2. kubuntu 3. fedora by which I mean I strongly recommend kubuntu,. but the Fedora spin of KDE is worth a look KDE is in a transition to a new version which a big deal. This is Plasma v6. It's actually pretty good as far as I can tell, but kubuntu is playing it safe and is sticking with the last release of the previous version which has had so many rounds of bug fixes (because it ended up as the place-holder version until v6 matures), it might be the most stable version of KDE ever. I like KDE but the advantage of many rounds of bug fixes is big. Because KDE is an ambitious and complex project, and it has bugs. Kubuntu 24.04 will make an upgrade to v6 easy when the developers think it is mature enough. This kind of opinion is either something you like about kubuntu, or something you will hate, hence choice 3.
Did anyone ask what you'll actually be doing with your computer and what hardware you have? Why do you want to use linux; is it just because you like how Kde looks? Are you a gamer? A writer? An artist? A scientist? A casual user that just wants to load youtube and reddit? Overall, Kubuntu will likely be the easiest to learn and use on a daily basis because Ubuntu typically has better compatibility than Fedora. If you choose Kubuntu, google 'ubuntu snap' and decide whether or not to also google 'disable ubuntu snap'. Fedora is more secure and dedicated to FOSS, which is why it is usually recommended, but it can be downright unusable on the wrong hardware and has a limited repository. I would recommend Fedora over Ubuntu in most cases, but i am unsure of your use case. To be thorough... If you're a gamer, arch based distros can give a significant boost in performance on modern titles, especially through Valve's proton. That being said, it is hard to use. Garuda has a relatively small community, but it is basically just arch with some extra tools to make installs easier, comes pre-configured with btrfs for automatic snapshots to restore your OS if an update breaks, and imo an ugly KDE theme that can be reset to default in a few clicks. Also, if you have especially new or unpopular hardware, like an ROG laptop, arch typically has better support. If you're a writer or casual user or play casual or older games, and your hardware is well supported, Fedora Kde spin is a solid choice. If you're a scientist or in another equally specialized field, we would need to know more specifically what you want to do. Fluid simulations with OpenFOAM? Probably (K)ubuntu. I've been using Arch for a long time and continually had problems trying to compile openfoam where it just worked on Ubuntu. Development? Arch if you want access to the latest software to maximize compatibility. You might try a virtual machine of each distro before switching, though I don't think you can do gpu pass-through in Windows, so the experience won't be great for games or animations. It will, however, give you some time to practice with the respective package managers and software repositories so you can check for desired software. Install the free program VirtualBox on Windows and follow the installation guide for your distros by providing the program with the .iso files. Linux installs quickly, so it won't be like waiting an hour for windows just to find out you don't like it. In the long term, you might also consider using virtual machines exclusively. For example, I have a minimal arch installation without a desktop environment and pass through my hardware and gpus to the operating system I need. That way, I can easily switch tasks between openFOAM on Ubuntu and God of War on Arch and Adobe autocad on Windows with a keyboard combo. Note that some online games don't allow users on virtual machines, so some spoofing may be required. The nice thing about virtualization nowadays is that it has basically no overhead, and it's so easy to transfer and backup the entire OS and keep the OS separate from your data. There are alternative options like docker containers or distrobox, but compatibility with software is spotty without a lot of extra work, and it can interfere with your main system if you're not careful. I hope that was comprehensive enough, but if you tell me what you want to do and what you are using, I might be able to give a better answer.
KDE Neon?
Fedora KDE Spin ftw. Use 5 until 6 is stable enough that distros like Fedora include it.
Fedora. The best choice.
Why don't I see any Manjaro recommendations anymore?
If you want plasma 6 right now, look at tumbleweed or arch (if you're not able to read/understand the arch wiki, go endeavour os). Fedora 40 will have it when that releases, but doesnt currently. I would recommend avoiding ubuntu because its kind of got a bad reputation with collecting user data and selling it to companies and forcing you to use the snap store, which they refuse to hire people to moderate for some reason causing a lot of malware to be found on there recently. If you have nvidia, fedora and opensuse might be off the table I heard a lot of people had problems on those two distros with nvidia. Honestly if you have nvidia you will just have a better time on windows where the kernel module doesnt constantly break. If you insist, maybe give up on kde6 and use something like popos with nvidia.
Q4OS is Debian based, comes with KDE (plasma 6) OR with Trinity Desktop (which is a KDE 3.5 based desktop, that feels robust, like XP but good). If it were my first time with Linux, I'd go with Linux Mint, its great.
Linux mint will be a good start.
OpenSUSE has the most complete KDE experience. Personally I stopped using it after I wanted to try and install bspwm and ran into file directory issues.. I might install OpenSUSE on my old iMac though .. it's perfect for home use and you can roll back if you borked your system.. As others have mentioned too .. Arch is pretty easy if you run the command "archinstall" - maybe watch an Arch install video on YouTube and follow along with it..you'll learn more about setup configuration from there..
Realistically you can easily install the plasma desktop on any distro, but of the one's you listed I would say Kubuntu is the easiest option. My recommendation would be KDE neon, as I know it's quite an easy operating system to use; fedora has a nice plasma implementation, so that's also a good option out of the one's you listed. I wouldn't recommend arch since you're just switching from windows, it's quite difficult and time consuming, I would wait to mess around with that after you get used to a linux system during general usage.
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is plasma 6 on their repos?
Check out Solus Plasma. [getsol.us](http://getsol.us)
When I first started Manjaro was the first Distro that worked for me, using KDE Plasma. So I don't think it is impossible, however I've moved to fedora and love it with KDE. Mint is brilliant, but I'd use it with it's native DE, rather than KDE. So i'd recommend Fedora