Hello all,

I am wondering why is KDE Neon 5.7 based on Kubuntu? I can see that there is a need for a LTS version, but am unsure whether the devels are more comfortable with xbuntu/Debian systems or are there technical merits over other distributions like openSUSE, Fedora or even openMandriva/Mageia/ROSA.

This question of mine can be construed as inflammatory but I am not trying to ignite any silly distro discussions but am genuinely and seriously interested in the choice of the base.

Thank you.

As said on the Neon website (https://neon.kde.org/faq), the devs were just used to this environment. If I'm not mistaking, Jonathan was leading the Kubuntu community for some time, some other are used to ubuntu: it made sense for them to stay on something they really deeply understand.

I'm not part of the project, so don't quote me, but I think it's not written in stone, and if they feel another distro would make more sense, they would switch without asking more questions.

KDE Neon is based on Ubuntu. When installed with the provided ISO images, it can be seem as an alternative spin to Kubuntu.

Kubuntu = Ubuntu with older KDE packages plus other default applications (such as LibreOffice) chosen by Canonical. You have to add a PPA or install new KDE versions by yourself if you don't want to wait months.
KDE Neon = A clean Ubuntu base with the latest KDE packages plus other default applications (like VLC) chosen by the KDE Team.

I'm glad that they picked Ubuntu over the other options because that's the most widely used end-user distribution and also the most supported one.

As a Kubuntu team member, and part of the Neon team as well, I'll say:

Neon is built on Ubuntu and KDE, not Kubuntu.

Kubuntu is also built on Ubuntu and KDE, but our focus is on stability, not on the very latest. Naturally, we try to be as cutting edge as possible within the constraints of a release twice a year, by using PPAs, as "anewuser" says. However, we're entirely community supported. Canonical makes no choices for us at all. The Ubuntu devels choose what is in the archive, not Canonical.

Many of our Kubuntu devels also contribute to Neon. Neon's success has made packaging in both Kubuntu and Debian-KDE more stable, better tested, and closer to KDE release schedules.

valoriez wrote:However, we're entirely community supported. Canonical makes no choices for us at all. The Ubuntu devels choose what is in the archive, not Canonical.

Ah. I'm sorry. I had the impression that there was an official board that decided it. As for KDE Neon, what's the best way to suggest packages to be added to the repository? It'd be nice to get new versions of major QT5-based applications like qBittorrent without having to add PPAs.

Yes, the official board is the Kubuntu Developers, who decide what makes it onto the ISO, and what doesn't. Our team often package things that aren't in our packageset, but that is our primary responsibility. Naturally, we (Kubuntu) try to package all the KDE software we can or at least sync with Debian.

Neon aims to offer all the KDE software that is in active development, eventually. Keeping up with the rapid development of Plasma, the Frameworks and of course Qt itself is already quite a job for now.

Qt-based software such as qBittorent can make it into the Ubuntu archive, but that's not our (Kubuntu or Neon) remit.

File a packaging bug on Launchpad to get such software upgraded when someone has the time or inclination to do so. It helps if Debian already did so, of course! And if they have done so, request a sync.

It does get upgraded, but I assume it follows the release schedule of only two updates a year (except for security fixes). Anyway, I understand the the focus of KDE Neon now is on the stability of the base system. Hopefully you'll consider having newer versions of popular third-party packages in the future.

anewuser wrote:It does get upgraded, but I assume it follows the release schedule of only two updates a year (except for security fixes).

The package set as a whole gets upgraded twice a year, yes. And security and bug fixes in between, as you say. Don't confuse the package set with individual packages, however. In Kubuntu, Plasma and Frameworks are updated as soon as we can get to them, and neon has the tooling to produce updates even faster. Applications are sometimes provided more slowly, but they are still available via the Updater or using commandline commands. No need to wait until a whole new release to update your system.

anewuser wrote:Anyway, I understand the the focus of KDE Neon now is on the stability of the base system. Hopefully you'll consider having newer versions of popular third-party packages in the future.

The focus of neon is on fresh KDE packages on a stable base. The neon team doesn't focus on the stability of the base system -- that is the focus of the Ubuntu core team.

Third-party packages are provided by Debian and Ubuntu, and probably not by neon. Neon isn't a "distro." Providing third-party packages is part of what some distros such as Ubuntu and Debian do. In fact, that is part of their strength - you can find packages for almost anything that runs on Linux in the archive.

valoriez wrote:The focus of neon is on fresh KDE packages on a stable base. The neon team doesn't focus on the stability of the base system

That's what I meant by "base system" (the KDE framework/applications), not the "Linux base system". I'm sorry for my unfortunate choice of words, but on my previous posts I explained it myself to other people.

All I suggested was for you to select a few major, constantly developed applications (especially QT5) targeted at home end users, and which are relevant in terms of numbers of users, media exposure etc., and think about the possibility of hosting their recent packages on the stable KDE Neon repository, since Ubuntu doesn't. I thought that would be good for everyone involved, and that KDE wouldn't have too much work to check just those specific programs, since they are already peer-reviewed by their multiple contributors. On the contrary, that could make them work closer with KDE and become members of the project themselves. There aren't even that many programs that fit this description, as far as I'm aware.

If this sounds like something impossible to happen, I'm sorry for asking where I should post such suggestions.