ubuntustudio, the Linux distribution focused on multimedia production, changes its desktop for the fourth time. At first, as a distribution derived from Ubuntu, it came with the GNOME desktop. He had a brief stint in Unity and then switched to XFCE, an option he kept until the current 20.04 edition. The next one, available to the general public next October, will come with KDE Plasma.
Please note that at the time of writing this post (June 2020) Ubuntu Studio 20.10 edition is under development and its use is not recommended in environments that require stability. Specifications or appearance changes may also occur.
As explained by those responsible for the project, the reason for the decision is as follows:
KDE. Plasma has proven to have better tools for graphic artists and photographers, as can be seen in Gwenview, Krita, and even the Dolphin file manager. Plus, it has the best support for Wacom tablets of any other desktop environment.
So far, at the start of the live usb there are no surprises. Ubuntu Studio maintains the old Ubuntu installer that allowed you to select the language and keyboard layout. Once you have opted to try or install, the first new feature is the splash screen with the KDE logo.
When you log in, the naked eye does not notice the change of desktop, theThe developers adapted it to look more like their version of XFCE than traditional KDE. It even keeps the menu at the top.
The first surprise appears when starting the installer. Instead of Ubiquity they opted for Calamares. Calamares is an independent installer adopted by distributions such as Manjaro or KDE Neon.
There are not too many differences between using one or the other installer. Regarding the graphical interface, both are intuitive. From a technical point of view Calamares seems faster to me. Where if there is a difference is that,At least so far, you can't choose which programs to install. In Ubuntu Studio Focal Fossa you could choose to install the programs of one item and not install the rest.
The change of desktop brought a change of applications. The traditional Software Center is replaced by two package managers; Discover and Moon.
Being a distribution focused on multimedia production, Ubuntu Studio depends on the optimal functioning of the devices. That is why dFrom Discovery we can access additional hardware repositories
The video editor is also replaced. Kdenlive takes the place of OpenShot.
Ubuntu Studio with KDE. A great promise
KDE is probably the best integrated GUI and application ecosystem in the Linux world. For some reason I never quite got used to using it. It is true that I could configure it to my liking, but I prefer the known bad (the Ubuntu version of GNOME) and get to work immediately, than spending time fiddling with the desktop every time I reinstall the operating system.
This whole preamble is to say that I felt perfectly comfortable with the KDE desktop in the Ubuntu Studio version without the need for tinkering. This does not mean that they cannot be done. Also the KDE configuration panel is from the start.
The integration of KDE with multimedia applications is perfect, it could be a final version instead of a test version if not for some small details
We will see how Ubuntu Studio users take the change. But, in principle, auEven though there is a noticeable improvement in performance, the user interface is still similar enough. Kdenlive as a video editor has its fans, and latest OpenShot is still in the repositories. The rest of the multimedia applications remain the same as always.
Anyway, according to the developers' own confession, many of them used Kubuntu and Ubuntu Studio Installe applicationr that allows you to add the functionality of Ubuntu Studio to any desktop you are using.
If you want to try Ubuntu Studio before its official launch (remember that it may have errors) you can download it from here.