Add KDE Desktop as option to LM Cinnamon 18.3

[Jason]

I was trying KDE in a VM a while back and really like it. Thinking of trying it out more seriously on bare metal to get more of a feel for it but don't want to abandon my existing setup. I think this should work but I'm not sure what package(s) to install. I didn't see an option for KDE Desktop like there is for Unity and Mate.

Has anybody tried this? Any recommendations? I've got backup covered and found this article but it's year old and I'm afraid to try it:

https://www.tecmint.com/install-kde-plasma-5-in-linux/

[Jason]

<tap, tap> Is this thing on? I'm guessing nobody knows and that's why there was no replies or maybe you all figure I'm so smart that if I don't know, then nobody does. ;-) I'm going to check the LM forums which I should have the first time and then I'm just going to go for it. The only sad thing is that if I really like the LM KDE version, this is the last version of it. But it will still have updates until 2021, so there's that.

[buster]

From the repositories can you get any earlier versions? Would be a lot easier, and then update it when they do.

[Jason]

The problem is that I can't find anything called kde-core or kde-base in the software manager which is how they used to do it. I could just download the KDE version of LM (which is current) but then I'd have to reinstall some rather large programs and possibly reconfigure them which is what I'm trying to avoid. There's lots of KDE runtimes, KDE libraries but nothing like base or core in the name so I'm not really sure what I'm looking for. Synaptic might show more, I might look at that.

My comment about them not doing KDE anymore is for the future, the 19.x release won't have a KDE version, but the present 18.x series does have KDE. I just want to add it to my existing CInnamon setup and still have access to Cinnamon afterward. But thanks for the suggestion. The tecmint article refers to another (or main?) KDE repository which I might have to add to do it as it seems like LM isn't allow an install of KDE desktop? Maybe it's incompatible with Cinnamon? Not sure.

[buster]

It might be worth reading some of this thread before you embark on a dangerous adventure. Some scary bits in terms of annoyances.

https://www.linux.org/threads/kde-cinnamon-switching-at-boot.4419/

[Jason]

Thanks, Buster. Some good things to think about and I didn't think of just directly using kubuntu-desktop, didn't know it was an option!

[buster]

What about installing Cinnamon in a virtual machine, and then trying to add Kubuntu? Shouldn't cause a memory problem at all, and if bad things happen, don't try it on your hd install.

Remember trying this a few years ago and getting an annoying situation.

[Jason]

I tried it last night. Suffice to say that though it worked, the tecmint procedure, the result didn't seem to work very well. There were many times, even just clicking on things that KDE seemed to hang and not just for a second but for like 30 seconds or longer sometimes. This is totally unacceptable.

But I thought, well I'm not doing it via a recommended method so maybe I'll try the KDE edition of LM. Super fast install on an SSD, btw. I timed it and it was less than 6 minutes! Unfortunately, the result of that wasn't much better. It still hung, even after adding the proper video drivers. Tried to use it for an hour and I was done.

Reinstalled LM Cinnamon. My home directory is on my RAID array (and doubly-backed up) so though I had to reinstall programs, all the settings were saved.

It was a enlightening experiment and the desktop looked great but either my video card isn't good enough (or has issues) or I would have had to fiddle with a lot of granular graphic settings to get it working. Doesn't seem worth it.

And I really do think it may be the graphic card at issue. Though I don't have any noticeable problems other than occasional glitches with graphics in LM Cinnamon, my wife had serious and unpredictable freezing problems with the same exact card in Windows 10 that we could never figure out. Eventually, I just traded cards with her to be happy because she was doing Photoshop work so she needed it more than I did. I think KDE may just push the card over what it can handle so I'm not going to blame them.

Your mileage may vary.

[buster]

I think distros are built as a unit, and Kubuntu and Cinnamon are different from the ground up. If both desktops have to perform in the same environment, there may be less than optimal software for either. Never had any success with sharing desktops on the same install.

[Jason]

I agree with you, Buster, but it worked almost as badly installing the KDE version of LM as a fresh install as it did just adding it as an alternative desktop. So that's not the issue here.

[buster]

" but it worked almost as badly installing the KDE version of LM as a fresh install as it did just adding it as an alternative desktop. "

WOW! I had KDE Mint in virtual for quite awhile. Didn't perform as well as openSUSE or Mint Cinn. So took it off. But it had no real flaws.

Have you checked the installer lately? Does he sleep while working, now that he's getting on?

[Jason]

I didn't have problems with it in a virtual machine either. Could be that the VM was a simpler environment.