KDE Linux is the purest form of Plasma I’ve tested – but the install isn’t for the meek

ZDNET Highlights

• KDE Linux is a distribution that highlights KDE Plasma.
• This delivery gives you plasma exactly as it should be.
• KDE Linux is still in alpha stage, so it is not suitable for daily use yet.

Over the past few years, I’ve become a big fan of KDE Plasma. Not only has it become one of the most stable Linux desktop environments, but it is also incredibly user-friendly, fast, and beautiful.

But did you know that most Linux distributions offer KDE Plasma with a version of the desktop that is usually customized to meet the aesthetics and functionality of that particular OS? For example, when you use KDE Plasma on Kubuntu, it looks and feels different from the one created by the KDE Plasma developers.

Also: Garuda KDE Dr460nized may be the best-looking Linux distro available

Sometimes those differences are hard to spot; They can be subtle changes to the theme, or how the desktop behaves, such as what you’ll find in KDE Neon. On the other hand, some distributions (such as Garuda Dr460nized) render KDE Plasma dramatically differently.

If you want the purest form of the latest version of KDE Plasma, there’s really only one place to look: KDE Linux.

That’s right, a distribution that aims to offer the best implementation of what KDE has to offer. KDE Linux was created and is maintained by the KDE team. According to the KDE Linux website, this distribution is “designed to be secure, maintainable, functional, and modern, KDE Linux will be the best choice for home use, enterprise workstations, public institutions, pre-installation on computers you can buy, and much more.”

Before you get too excited, it’s important to know that KDE Linux isn’t “there” yet. This unchanged Linux distribution is still considered to be in its alpha stage, so it is definitely not ready for general use. Although it may seem surprisingly stable, there are a few ways in which it does.

Plus: KDE Neon gives you the latest and greatest KDE Plasma desktop

That said, KDE Linux is really good. It’s as polished as I’ve ever seen a KDE Plasma, its animations are butter-smooth, and it’s overall a pleasure to use. There are no gimmicks, no extra bells and whistles; It’s just pure KDE Plasma goodness.

However… (yes, there always seems to be a “however” these days) Accessing the installation is kind of a pain in the keister. Let me explain.

Installing KDE Linux

The actual installation of KDE Linux is very simple and straightforward. Once you reach this step, it’s just a matter of a point and click that will take you (after a reboot) to the login page, where you can begin to understand what this distribution is all about.

It’s getting to the installation part of the process that can be hair-pulling.

You see, developers only (currently) make KDE Linux available as .raw images. To install from a .raw image, you’ll need to use a special tool to create a live USB drive with that image. Without that equipment, it is a seriously difficult climb.

The tool recommended by KDE developers is called ISO Image Writer and can be installed via Flatpak. Luckily, ISO Image Writer is very easy to use. Download KDE Linux .raw image (which is about 7GB in size), open ISO Image Writer, click “Path to ISO Image”, locate the downloaded .RAW image, plug in your USB drive, select the correct drive in ISO Image Writer and then click Create.

Give the app time to create the live USB drive. Once it’s complete, safely remove it, insert it into a machine that will run KDE Linux, boot, and either test it via a live instance or install it.

Too: These two Linux desktops are the easiest choices for new users

It is a time-consuming process, but the end results are worth it. And don’t worry, once KDE Linux is out of alpha phase, ISO images will probably be available.

My Experience with KDE Linux

In a word: impressed. It has been my opinion for years that KDE Plasma is one of the fastest, most intuitive, and most beautiful Linux desktops on the market. Because of this, I’m not at all surprised that KDE Linux was once my go-to desktop.

I was really surprised by how stable KDE Linux is. Remember, it is in the alpha stage of development, so it has no right to be so stable. I’m currently writing this article on KDE Linux (via Firefox > Google Docs), and I haven’t experienced a single problem. Updates ran smoothly, apps opened quickly, and not a single thing crashed.

Now, out of the box, KDE Linux doesn’t include a lot of apps. In fact, it’s pretty bare bones. You get Firefox, Haruna Multimedia Player, and the usual KDE tools. That’s it. There’s no office suite, no image editor… nothing. That’s okay, because it has KDE Discover, which has Flatpak support built-in, so you can install any app you need.

Too: You can do a lot of cool things with a Linux desktop that you can’t do with MacOS or Windows

I put KDE Discover through the paces (installing my usual collection of apps) and had no problems.

I also planned to run my usual performance test of installing Olama (local AI) to see how well it performs. Of course, since this distribution is non-modifiable, I was not able to install Olama. Then I installed Alpaca (a GUI for Olama) to see if it would work. After the reboot, I was able to access Olama and test it thoroughly.

I wasn’t at all surprised when Olama responded very quickly to my first query (“What is Linux?”). The next query was “Write a Python GUI program that accepts user input for name, age, email address, and preferred Linux distribution.”

Again, Olama delivered. Now, I was using the llama3.2 model, which is not exactly the best choice for writing code, but it still performed very well. Ergo, performance is on par with any Linux distribution I’ve tested.

a small issue

During my testing, I experienced frequent crashes in Firefox. Same thing happened after installing opera and alpaca. Newly installed apps would not open unless I rebooted the laptop running KDE Linux.

I decided to test that theory and install Slack and Spotify to see if they would run immediately after installation. This time, the apps opened fine. My guess is that this was the product of an OS update that required a restart. In the end, everything worked properly.

And, my friends, this was the only problem I faced with KDE Linux.

Also: I Tried Peppermint Linux: How This Bare-Bones Distro Lets You Build Your Ideal OS

I hope the developers are able to bring KDE Linux to general release status; If they do, you can bet I would highly recommend this distribution to anyone who wants to use Linux with the KDE Plasma desktop.