Installing KDE in Ubuntu 12.04

Is it better to use Kubuntu or Ubuntu with KDE? For example, if I were to install KDE in Ubuntu will there be any instability or conflict?

Will these two get mixed up with themes and icons? I have had a bad experience with GNOME shell in Ubuntu 12.04. When I logged in with GNOME, the GNOME theme was mixed up with unity,the same happened with Unity, so I had to uninstall GNOME.

Is there any way to make Ubuntu look exactly like Kubuntu (same UI, menus and theme); installing the KDE applications are not important to me.

I want to keep both Unity and KDE.

Solution 1:

You can download just the KDE window manager or KDE with all of the extras that you would find with kubuntu. I recommend the latter. It would be the safest.

 sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop

or Using Software Center

That will install everything you need.

Solution 2:

I found very useful installing several desktop environments but creating separated accounts to use them. I have installed Ubuntu 12.04. For example: - I have the default Ubuntu 12.04 Unity Desktop under the default user account "mauricio". This account is my Unity Desktop. But then I wanted to have a GnomeShell desktop and, - I installed Gnome-Shell and created a new user account with name "VenGshell" and I use Gnome-shell there and configure the whole account with Gnome-shell. So my Unity preferences in my Unity desktop have nothing to do in this Gnome-Shell account, Get it? - Then I wanted to have a KDE desktop in this same Ubuntu installation. So I installed the Kubuntu-Desktop and created another user account under the name of "MaVriK". And I configure it to use KDE desktop environment and, of course again, It is completely apart and nothing to do with the other desktop customizations.

This kind of configuration is, IMHO, the best way to have every desktop environment living together under the same Linux installation.

So: - If I want to use Unity: I login under "mauricio". - If I want to use Gnome-Shell: I login to "VenGShell". - If I want to use KDE: I login to "MavriK"

That easy.

I never ever have any performance issues under this configuration, in any desktop environment.

About applications all showing in the Apps menu? I just do not really care about it! because for that task there are the panels. I have access to my prefered apps I use to use daily in those panels, I just add the app icons there and forget about app menus. And if I want to launch an app in particular, there is Gnome-Do to easily "DO" that task!

Bye.