Linux distros with kde plasma

The Best Linux Distributions for KDE Plasma 5

Apart from GNOME, KDE Plasma is one of the powerful and dominant desktop environments that boasts a stunning appearance with polished icons and an amazing look-and-feel. KDE Plasma has evolved and is more crisp and elegant as ever.

This review takes a deep dive into some of the Best Linux distros that can support KDE Plasma 5.

1. Manjaro KDE

Manjaro is available for download in 3 Desktop editions: GNOME, XFCE, and KDE Plasma. But it’s the KDE Plasma edition that stands out from the rest with it’s downright elegant and flashy KDE Plasma 5 environment. At the time of penning down this guide, the latest version is KDE 5.18.4.

It comes with a modern and chic look, with some really cool menus that you can style to match your taste/preference. There’s no denying about it’s truly stunning and user-friendly UI that simple to use. Everything works out of the box, and there are you spoilt for choice as to the enhancements you can apply to improve the look-and-feel.

Manjaro KDE

The default file manager is the Dolphin manager which has replaced Konqueror which also served as a web browser.

Manjaro Dolphin Manager

You can easily set your preferred desktop background, change the theme, style of widgets, and so much more. KDE Plasma is tailored for users who want a user-friendly experience with a touch of simplicity and flexibility.

At the time of writing this review, the latest Manjaro available on KDE is Manjaro 20.0.3 which is available in both 32-bit and 64-bit.

2. Kubuntu

By default, Kubuntu ships with KDE, the benefit of which is the combination of the merits of Ubuntu with a modern, lightweight and appealing UI. For those of you riding the Plasma wave, you might already be aware that the latest release. Kubuntu 20.04 ( Groovy Gorrila ) ships with KDE Plasma 5.19 as of 9th June 2020.

Kubuntu Linux

KDE 5.19 was developed with an emphasis on consistency and unification of desktop elements and widgets in mind. This enhances usability and gives users better control over their desktop. Generally, components are much easier to use, giving users a pleasurable experience.

Once you log in, the first thing that you will notice is the new eye-catching wallpaper that adds a splash of color to your desktop. Feel free to click anywhere on the desktop and select the option “Configure desktop” from the menu and select a different wallpaper.

You get three themes to choose from Kubuntu, Breeze & Breeze Dark. Various widgets such as system monitor and media playback applet have been overhauled to yield a new refreshing look. There are many other subtle improvements that have been added to improve the general appeal and improve user experience.

KDE 5.19 also ships with Dolphin file manager that includes the subsurface clipping feature which minimizes the flickering of applications, thereby reducing eye strain. Additionally, icons on the title bar have been recolored to match the color scheme, effectively making them easily visible.

Kubuntu Dolphin Manager

KDE 5.19 also packs a new set of beautifully designed avatars to choose from when creating new users.

Kubuntu Avatars

The KDE Kubuntu 20.04 LTS is only available in 64-bit architecture.

3. KDE Neon

KDE Neon is a community-based operating system now rebased on Ubuntu 20.04. KDE Neon ships with the latest Plasma experience from the KDE community combined with the stability and security of a Ubuntu LTS release. This makes it the ideal system to go for when trying out or testing the most recent Plasma releases.

KDE Neon

To try out KDE Neon, the User Edition is what you would want to go and download. It comes with all the latest from the KDE community on a stable build, unlike the Testing edition which is buggy.

With KDE Neon, rest assured that your Plasma environment, as well as KDE applications, will be continuously updated to provide a stable and secure system.

4. OpenSUSE Tumbleweed

OpenSUSE comes in 2 flavors: OpenSUSE Leap, which is a stable fixed release, and OpenSUSE Tumbleweed which is purely a rolling release. Generally, OpenSUSE is focussed on Software developers, and sysadmins and is usually deployed on servers given its high stability and enhanced security.

OpenSUSE Tumbleweed

Still, OpenSUSE is available for desktop users and Linux enthusiasts, and users can choose from a variety of desktop environments such as GNOME, XFCE, KDE Plasma, Cinnamon, MATE, and LXQt.

KDE Plasma 5 comes out more refined than the rest. Unfortunately, there is little in the way of customizations and users may not enjoy the freedom of making tweaks here and there, unlike earlier mentioned distributions. For example, you are limited to the number of wallpapers you can choose from.

5. KaOS 2020.07

KaOS is an independently built Lean KDE distribution inspired by Arch Linux. It’s another rolling distribution built with an emphasis on KDE Plasma 5 and Qt.

Just like Arch Linux, It uses Pacman as its package manager. The downside to KaOS is the limited number of repositories which means you users don’t have the luxury of thousands of packages to download unlike in other systems like Kubuntu.

KaOS Linux

KDE Plasma 5 is the native Desktop environment and is a bit toned down, unlike other distributions. It’s quite minimal and resource-friendly while at the same time providing the basic KDE applications out of the box. The UI is quite stunning and while it has limited software packages, it works quite okay for an average desktop user. KaOS is only available in 64-bit architecture.

6. NetRunner

Netrunner is based on Debian and the latest version is Nerunner 20.01 released on 23rd February 2020. It comes with a drop-dead gorgeous UI that sets it apart from the rest. It ships with its own theme known as the Indigo global theme with variants such as Theming-wise.

NetRunner Linux

Out of the box, you get a mix of tools and applications to get you started out. These include productivity applications such as LibreOffice suite, image editing tools such as GIMP and Krita, the popular Inkscape for vector graphics, and chatting applications such as Skype and Pidgin.

That was a roundup of some Linux distributions we felt exude some elegance & visual appeal while at the same time offer the stability and simplicity required by most users. Let us know your thoughts.

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Distributions

This is a community-maintained page that lists active distributions shipping Plasma 5. Please keep these lists sorted in alphabetical order.

Get KDE Software on Your Linux Distro has packaging information for those wishing to ship KDE software.

Contents

Distributions Featuring Plasma 5

These distributions ship Plasma 5 by default or offer it as an easy and formally-supported option during installation, and are recommended for most users.

Debian

Debian is the oldest continuously-produced free operating system with one of the largest communities of developers and users. It is used as the basis for many other distributions but can be used directly and offers Plasma 5 as an option.

Fedora KDE

The Fedora KDE Plasma Desktop Edition is a variant of the Fedora operating system featuring Plasma 5 as its main user interface.

Feren OS

Feren OS is an operating system based on Ubuntu’s long-term support version featuring Plasma 5 and some KDE apps. It’s a highly customised Plasma experience and makes use of KDE neon User Edition’s packages to roll its Plasma version. It also rolls other frequently-used packages as well.

KaOS is a rolling, built-from-scratch operating system and with a focus on KDE and Qt software.

KDE Neon

KDE neon is the latest long-term support version of the Ubuntu operating system, additionally offering continuously-updated versions of KDE software. Neon is available in three editions: User Edition (latest released versions of KDE software), Developer Edition Stable Branches (continuous delivery of beta/stable versions of KDE software), and Developer Edition Unstable Branches (continuous delivery of unstable Git master branches for KDE software).

Kubuntu

Kubuntu is an Ubuntu-based operating system featuring Plasma 5 and KDE apps. It is available in long-term support and more frequently-updated versions.

Mageia

Mageia is an operating system that’s a continuation of Mandriva and features Plasma 5.

Manjaro KDE

Manjaro is an Arch-based rolling release operating system with a graphical installer that offers a KDE edition with Plasma 5.

Neptune

Neptune is an operating system based on Debian Stable, plus more recent versions of the Linux kernel, device drivers, and popular applications such as LibreOffice. It also features the latest version of Plasma 5.

Netrunner

Netrunner is an operating system featuring Plasma 5 that’s based on tested snapshots of Debian Rolling.

Nitrux

Nitrux is an Ubuntu-based operating system focusing on portable universal app formats. It features the Nomad desktop environment, a heavily customized variant of Plasma 5.

NixOS

NixOS is a Linux distribution with a unique approach to package and configuration management. Built on top of the Nix package manager, it is completely declarative, makes upgrading systems reliable, and has many other advantages. The graphical installation CD contains the NixOS installer as well as X11, Plasma 5 Desktop and several applications.

openmamba

openmamba is a an operating system built from sources which provides by default a complete and up-to-date Plasma 5 desktop.

OpenMandriva

OpenMadriva is an operating system based on Mandriva featuring Plasma 5 that and incorporates many of Mandriva’s original tools and utilities.

openSUSE

openSUSE is an operating system offering Plasma 5 that’s based on the commercial SUSE Linux Enterprise product. It comes in two editions: Leap, which has discrete releases and ships stable versions of software, and Tumbleweed, which is a rolling release.

PCLinuxOS

PCLinuxOS is an operating system featuring Plasma 5 that’s based on the old Mandriva.

Parrot Security OS

Parrot Security is an operating system featuring Plasma 5 that’s based on the Debian and focused for security testing, software development and privacy defence, all in one place.

ROSA is is an operating system featuring a highly customized Plasma 5 desktop and a number of modifications designed to enhance the user-friendliness of the workspace.

Sabayon

Sabayon is a Gentoo-based operating system offering Plasma 5 which follows the «ready to work» philosophy, aiming to give the user a large number of ready-to-use applications and a self-configured operating system.

Slackware

The Slackware Linux Project aims at producing the most «UNIX-like» Linux distribution out there.
An installable Slackware Live image with Plasma 5 comes with login account «live» (password «live»). Use su or sudo to become root (using the «live» password).

Solus

Solus is a modern operating system to power your daily needs. Install today, update forever. It is a rolling release distribution which offers Plasma 5 as one of it’s Desktop Environment versions available.

TTOS Linux

TTOS Linux is an operating system based on Debian offering Plasma 5. It was originally designed as an OEM alternative OS to replace Windows but has since evolved to be a general-purpose Debian-based distribution containing access to TTPC software in its repositories.

Distributions offering Plasma 5 as an installable option

Alpine Linux

A security-oriented, lightweight Linux distribution based on musl libc and busybox

Arch Linux

A lightweight and flexible Linux® distribution that tries to Keep It Simple.

Gentoo

Gentoo is a free operating system based on Linux that can be automatically optimized and customized for just about any application or need.

Kanotix

KANOTIX is a Linux distribution based on the most recent stable release of Debian GNU/Linux.

Knoppix

KNOPPIX is a bootable Live system on CD, DVD or USB flash drives, consisting of a representative collection of GNU/Linux software, automatic hardware detection, and support for many graphics cards, sound cards, SCSI and USB devices and other peripherals.

Nutyx

NuTyX is a French GNU/Linux distribution created from Linux From Scratch and Beyond Linux From Scratch.

KDE on Windows

You can build lots of KDE applications for Windows 7, 8 and 10 using Craft.

Former Linux Distributions that featured Plasma 5

Chakra Linux

Chakra Linux was a community-developed GNU/Linux distribution with an emphasis on KDE and Qt technologies, utilizing a unique semi-rolling repository model. Its final release, 2017.10 “Goedel,” was announced on 2017-10-15 and uses Linux kernel version 4.12.4 with Plasma 5.10.5, Frameworks 5.38 and Applications 17.08.1.

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