Kubuntu fans have two distros to test and enjoy

Oct 23, 2014 18:28 GMT  ·  By

Kubuntu 14.10 (Utopic Unicorn) has been made available and users are now able to download the latest version of this KDE-powered operating system.

The Kubuntu devs have released the ISO images for the 14.10 version of their distribution, but they are running a little late with the release notes. That's not really a problem, but it would have been nice to have them. We'll post the link anyway in the hope that by the time you're reading this they are online.

Just like its Ubuntu base, Kubuntu will only have nine months of support, but it has some attractive features that should make it very appealing, even for users of the LTS release. It has numerous updated packages, but most importantly, it comes with a new KDE version.

Kubuntu 14.10 is a crossroad

This is a very interesting release because it's the last one to feature the old KDE SC 4.14.x, along with all the other packages in the stack. The developers are making sure that users can experience both the Plasma 4 and the Plasma 5 desktops, although the latter is not really ready for mass consumption.

The new Plasma desktop that is being built right now is pretty different from the previous iteration and it will ruffle some feathers in the community. Nonetheless, it will be implemented by default in Kubuntu 15.04, so it might be a good idea to try it now.

"Plasma 4 is our recommended stable offering and what you get from the default download, but is now in maintenance mode. It runs the software you are familiar with and will be getting updates and bugfixes but not new features from now on."

"Plasma 5 a work in progress. The next generation of KDE Software is still a work in progress. You can test it and install it from the Kubuntu Plasma 5 image but beware it will remove your stable software," write the developers in the release notes for the Beta version. Not many things have changed since then, with the exception of the bugs, which have been fixed for the most part.

The last KDE SC version will land sometime in November, and it will be marked 4.14.3. This is the final maintenance update and users will have to employ that until the next Kubuntu release in April. Fortunately, PPAs will also be ready with Plasma 5 & Co., so maybe it won't be a problem.

You can find more details about Kubuntu 14.10 (Utopic Unicorn) in the official announcement and you can download the latest stable image from Softpedia, along with the Plasma 5 version.

Kubuntu 14.10 (Utopic Unicorn) (5 Images)

Kubuntu 14.10 desktop
Kubuntu 14.10 desktopKDE version in Kubuntu 14.10
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