Why I chose Kubuntu

A lot of you maybe wondering about why I chose Kubuntu over the other Linux distributions.

Originally, I was a Rehat Linux user. But Redhat decided to go commercial so I switched to the next best thing which was Fedora Core, a Linux project also sponsored by Redhat (but is available for free).

In fact, our email server and web server in the office still runs on Fedora Core 1.

Fedora Core is a good choice for servers but if you are going to use it for Desktop PC it is not that user friendly.

You would find in its menu a lot of programs and commands that would be too cryptic for an ordinary Desktop user.

And so I was hoping that future versions of Fedora would solve these issues.

Recent events had put me in a position where I need to find an alternative OS that would be friendly for people used to having Windows.

I have heard about Ubuntu on papers and on an upcoming Linux conference several months ago.

So I checked it out on the web. Downloaded it and installed it.

I was very satisfied with the result.

On earlier versions of Linux distributions it was very important that you know your PC's hardware configuration.

You have to know what brand and model of motherboard you are using. You have to know the exact specification of each and every piece of hardware plugged into your PCI slots. You have to know what graphics card you have, what monitor, and what soundcard. Almost every piece of hardware.

And you have to type this long list during the installation.

But with Ubuntu, I just insert the CD then press ENTER.

It automatically partioned my hard disk. It detected all my hardware without intervention.

I was simply amazed.

But as you all now. I didn't stay with Ubuntu and decided to go for Kubuntu instead.

There are other Linux distributions being suggested by acquintances and friends like Bayanihan Linux which is a locally made distribution.

But I did not go for that simply because too few people are using it and it has not been updated for quite sometime.

This brings me to reason number one.

1. I choose Ubuntu at first because according to DistroWatch.org, it is currently the number one Linux distribution.

For me it means, If I search the web for references, I would find plenty of them as compared to Bayanihan where my major source of references might only be the official website and a couple of users using this distribution.

2. Ubuntu has a very active community infact, they have just released their newest version.

3. I read reviews and they're saying positive things about Ubuntu and Kubuntu

4. The fourth reason is more of a bet.

A lot of Linux distributions come out every month sometimes almost every week. Experience shows us that a lot of these distributions eventually fade into obscurity.

So I am betting on a Linux distribution which in my opinion would endure.

I can see a lot of indicators that Ubuntu / Kubuntu would endure just like Redhat has endured through the years.

And Lastly, Why do I prefer Kubuntu over Ubuntu.

Ubuntu and Kubuntu are the same to the core except for their user interface.

One uses Gnome while the other uses KDE.

I chose Kubuntu over Ubuntu because I found it hard to customize menu in Ubuntu. On the other hand, it was very easy in Kubuntu.

So you see, my reasons were very simple ones.