Kubuntu 23.04.
October 2023
It's been four weeks now since I said goodbye to Windows for good. So here's a short article on where things stand.
As expected, it took some time to set up the system the way I wanted it.
Kubuntu is now running perfectly, aside from a few minor issues—more on that below.
Positives
Basically, Kubuntu comes with everything I need for my daily work—all completely free of charge, though you do have to put in a little "tweaking" here and there.
If you’re willing to do that, you get a fully equipped system with an office suite (LibreOffice) and an email client (Thunderbird).
If a specific program is missing, you’ll most likely find it in the application manager (Discovery) or the package manager (Muon).
My Highlights:
- In my opinion, Darktable keeps getting better with every new version. The current version, 4.4, is more than just a free alternative to Lightroom or ON.
- The system feels "smooth."
- In my opinion, Krita and GIMP are more than enough for everyday image editing. The combination of GIMP and Darktable works really well. This way, you can edit RAW images in Darktable and then put the finishing touches on your photos in GIMP.
- Not limited to Linux: Thunderbird has become a really good email program.
- Integrating NAS drives works without any problems.
- The backup programs (Timeshift, Back in Time, etc.) have become much more user-friendly.
Negatives
There are, however, a few things I don't like so much. To be fair, it's worth mentioning that the "things I don't like" list would be much longer on Windows.
- Some apps are tailored for Ubuntu and, by extension, GNOME. For example, the Synology Drive Client doesn't integrate properly with the Dolphin file manager. Too bad. The Turboprint Monitor has issues with autostart (at least for me).
- Despite all the improvements, I still find GIMP's interface takes some getting used to. While I can change that with Photogimp, unfortunately the GIMP <-> Darktable transfer no longer works for me.
That’s why I use Photoline, which I’ve grown to love. Although Photoline is a Windows program, it installs easily under Wine and feels just as fast as it does on a native Windows system.
- It takes a moment for all the scripts and autostarts to load. After that, the system runs smoothly.
- I do have LibreOffice installed—but since I have a license for Softmaker Office, I use that office suite. This is certainly subjective: On the one hand, I find Softmaker much more stylish and significantly more compatible with MS Office. On the other hand, I’d also like to support this small software company from Germany in the Linux world.
Most of the negative points are simply based on my personal preferences—for most people, LibreOffice, for example, should be more than enough.
I'm curious to see how things will go for me with Linux—if time allows, I'll post an update here from time to time.
You can find more articles—not just about Linux—in this category.
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