Get the best KDE Linux distro

“The question is, which Linux distro provides the best
experience for KDE users? Rather than providing simple packages for
KDE, a real KDE distro is likely to include GUI refinements,
usability tweaks, custom themes, artwork and a good selection of
KDE applications. It’s also nice when Gnome and GTK applications
play happily with their KDE counterparts, especially if a
compatible theme has been chosen from them both. KDE-based distros
should be able to do this better than simple Gnome desktops.

“So, we took eight of the top KDE-focused distros and pitched
them head-to-head to find which ones really rock, and which ones
just limp along with a vanilla set of packages. Read on!

“How we tested

“Regardless of how optimistic we’d like to be about KDE 4, it’s
still a desktop that’s in development freefall. Any KDE 4
distribution worth its salt will need to be recent, up-to-date, and
ideally, open to a constant stream of new packages as the KDE
developers patch and add features. We need a distribution that’s
going to blend the latest features and fixes into either a rolling
update, or a new, updatable distribution you don’t have to wait too
long for. Only then can KDE get back on-top as the desktop of
choice for Linux users.

“Many of the distributions we have looked at come in the form of
a live CD, and, while this can be a useful tool, we’ve made our
judgements on the configuration of a permanent hard drive install,
as this is what most KDE users are likely to use.”

Complete
Story