Ubuntu vs Kubuntu - help

I understand that that difference is in the desktop environment... how it looks. Ubuntu more like mac and Kubuntu more like windows.

I know that KDE4 is brand new and suppose to be really good?

What i dont understand is why they both have different programs preloaded. ubuntu comes with firefox while kubuntu comes with a different one. same goes for most all other programs. Is this because the programs are not interchangeable?
SOOO, Is it more than just how the desktop looks that is different between the two distros?

I am much more familir with ubuntu and was pretty lost playing around with kubuntu. But i am just so tired of that brown, and kubuntu seemed so fresh.

Any suggestions or opinions would be great.

 

None is "Mac-like" or "Windows-like" really, to each it's own, it doesn't copy anything(or much). OS X is much different then Gnome and KDE, and KDE is not like Windows at all.

The reason Kubuntu comes with a different set of apps is because of the different libraries KDE and Gnome use. Gnome uses GTK, Firefox, Pidgin, Evolution are all written in GTK 2. KDE on the other hand uses QT, and Konqueror, Kopete, Kmail, etc. use the QT libraries and are more integrated to the KDE desktop.

 

fair enough, i wasnt suggesting that anyone copied anyone else, sorry for confusion

So i couldnt install pidgin or firefox or any other GTK program on Kubuntu even if i wanted to?

 

Of course you could, it may not look to nice but there are ways to make QT draw GTK apps for you.

 

and vice versa

 

You can still install firefox on Kubuntu.

I recommend you just download the LiveCD of Kubuntu 8.10 and Ubuntu 8.10 and then compare. If you have a fast (broadband) internet connection you can install some apps on either.

You could also, alternatively, install the other desktop on either distro but it might be easier to just compare desktops right off the bat and take a look.

 

Thanks. i ended up going with ubuntu.
after comparing both side by side, kubuntu looks better, but ubuntu comes out of the box with more programs i use and navigation is easier.

i just want to get rid of this brown. i found a site gnome-look.org .... but dont know which section to search in. is it GDM themes?

 

and you can always just:

Code:

sudo aptitude install kubuntu-desktop

if you want to try out KDE - just change what desktop environment you want at the login screen, you can run as many desktop environments as you like on Linux

(I have run Gnome, KDE and Fluxbox on one install )

And you can always remove any apps you don't want after the install as well as:

Code:

sudo aptitude remove kubuntu-desktop

if you really don't like it

 

@geekygirl...is that you in the avatar getting ready to jump out of a perfectly good airplane?

 

lol yes it is...makes the day go quicker..

 

And, no matter what you go with, you can always theme/configure either to look as wild as you want. Go check out the Linux screenshot thread. It's pretty wild. So, though KDE is more Windows-like and Gnome is more Mac-like in appearence initially, you can always change it.