Ubuntu 13.04 vs Kubuntu 13.04 vs Xubuntu 13.04 vs Lubuntu 13.04 vs Ubuntu 13.04 GNOME: A brief comparison

Every Linux novice goes through this phase - confusion to decide which Ubuntu to install when now you've got so many versions of Ubuntu coming out of the stable. The aim of this article is to facilitate taking decision by briefing about what distro has to offer and a comparison of their performance.

I take up here the latest Ubuntu release 13.04, codenamed "Raring Ringtail". Released in April 2013, it comes in five distinct desktop environments

Unity in Ubuntu 13.04
It started as a net-book OS environment and gradually gained favor from Canonical. The much criticized (and rightly so because of its initial instability) desktop environment is now gradually improving in terms of performance and stability. It is kind of a minimalistic desktop with a left hand side strip, accommodating the user's favorite applications, along with a heavy integration to social networks (like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc.) through its unique dash. It is still not as stable as I would like it to be but, I feel, Unity has the potential to challenge the operating system biggies like Windows and Mac OS X. It is intuitive and very easy to use but not as customizable as a KDE. Right now, its use is limited only to Ubuntu. Unity leverages the Gnome 3 ecosystem of applications with Files (forked from Nautilus) as the file manager. My review of Ubuntu 13.04.

From Ubuntu 13.04 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

KDE in Kubuntu 13.04
Possibly the most popular desktop (based on the queries and visits I get everyday), it has gained more prominence in last couple of years with serious deficiencies and instability in  GNOME and Unity. KDE itself had its share of brief instability (in 4.8.* series), but things settled down with the release of 4.9.* series of KDE desktops. With the introduction of KDE 4.10.* series, performance has improved significantly. Looks-wise, it hasn't changed much in last one year and it resembles Windows 7 a lot. Further, KDE has its own ecosystem of applications with Dolphin as the file manager and is self-sufficient in that aspect. With easy usage, increase in stability and efficiency, KDE has found admirers among Linux experts as well. Almost every distro has a KDE version to offer. Ubuntu KDE version is called Kubuntu. Earlier it was owned by Canonical (the corporate funding Ubuntu) and now it is funded by Blue Systems (who funds Linux Mint as well). My review of Kubuntu 13.04.

From Kubuntu 13.04 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

XFCE in Xubuntu 13.04
My favorite desktop environment! XFCE is lightweight and extremely efficient; further, it offers enough customization options for the users to make it look very exceptional and different. XFCE has gained prominence among Linux old timers who used to prefer Gnome 2. XFCE, too, has some ecosystem of applications and has a power file manager Thunar. Functionality-wise, XFCE is equivalent to KDE and GNOME, intuitive and easy to use. My review of Xubuntu 13.04.

From Xubuntu 13.04 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

LXDE in Lubuntu 13.04
A bit less popular than GNOME, Unity, KDE and XFCE but is extremely powerful. It offers plenty of flexibility but requires users to have some prior experience in Linux. For a Linux newbie, at times, LXDE can be a bit difficult challenge than an XFCE, for example. LXDE is lighter than XFCE and works really well on ever on systems with limited resources. If you've a low powered / antiquated PC/laptop, Lubuntu with LXDE desktop environment can work better than other desktops mentioned here. Even on high powered systems, if you follow the "Go Green" motto, LXDE can help you to leave less carbon footprints on the planet. My review of Lubuntu 13.04.

From Lubuntu 13.04 http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

GNOME 3 in Ubuntu 13.04 GNOME
Gnome 2 used to be my favorite desktop couple of years ago. It is still the best desktop environment that I have used till date. But, Gnome developers thought of shaking up the Linux world and made a lot of drastic changes in Gnome 3.* releases. As an user, Gnome 3 became less intuitive, heavy and inefficient for me and I had to give up using Gnome for production purposes. Imagine a desktop without shut down button! But, with GNOME 3.4 onwards, things started looking better. For me, GNOME 3.8 is actually the best release in the GNOME 3 series and it corrects a lot of vices and inefficiencies that existed in their previous releases. Like Unity, GNOME 3.8 too offers very good social network integration and should appeal to today's youth looking for more than an operating system. My review of Ubuntu 13.04 GNOME.

From Ubuntu 13.04 Gnome http://mylinuxexplore.blogspot.in

Ubuntu vs Kubuntu vs Xubuntu vs Lubuntu
With the brief introductions above, I take you through the actual comparison in a tabular format. All RAM & CPU usage given here are based on the results from the same laptop (Asus K54C) and measured under identical conditions.

Parameters	Ubuntu 13.04	Kubuntu 13.04	Xubuntu 13.04	Lubuntu 13.04	Ubuntu 13.04 Gnome
Size of ISO	835 MB	1 GB	827 MB	720 MB	1 GB
Base	Ubuntu	Ubuntu	Ubuntu	Ubuntu	Ubuntu
Desktop	Unity with Gnome 3.6	KDE 4.10.2	XFCE 4.10	LXDE	Gnome 3.8
Linux kernel	3.8.0	3.8.0	3.8.0	3.8.0	3.8.0
CPU Usage	1-10%	1-10%	1-5%	1-5%	1-10%
RAM usage	320 MB	276 MB	160 MB	103 MB	280 MB
Installation time	30 min.	30 min.	30 min.	30 min.	30 min.
Wifi detection	Immediate	Immediate	Immediate	Immediate	Immediate
Touchpad detection	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic	Automatic
Office	LibreOffice 4.0.2 suite – Calc, Writer, Impress, Draw, Document viewer	LibreOffice 4.0.2.2 suite, Okular Document viewer, KAddressbook, Korganizer	Abiword, Dictionary, Gnumeric, Orage calendar, Document viewer	Abiword, Gnumeric, Document viewer	LibreOffice 4.0.2 suite – Base, Calc, Writer, Impress, Draw, Document viewer, Dictionary,, Documents
Internet	Firefox 20, Empathy, Transmission, Thunderbird 20, Ubuntu One	Ktorrent, Blue Devil, Akregator, KDE IM, KPPP dial up tool, Kmail, Rekonq web browser, Firefox installer, IRC client	Firefox 20, Pidgin, Thunderbird, Transmission, XChat IRC	Chromium 25, Pidgin, Sylpheed, Transmission	Firefox 20, Empathy, Transmission, Evolution, Desktop sharing
Graphics	Image viewer, Shotwell, simple scan	Krita digital paint, Skanlite image scan, Gwenview image viewer, Kamoso picture retriever, Ksnapshot	GIMP 2.8.4, gThumb, Ristretto Image viewer, simple scan	Image viewer, mtPaint graphic editor, simple scan	Image viewer, Shotwell, simple scan
Sound & Video	Rhythmbox music player, Totem movie player 3.6.3, Brasero, music lens, video lens	Amarok, Dragon Player, Kmix	gmusic browser, parole video player, Xfburn	Audacious, Gnome MPlayer, guvcview webcam, Xfburn	Rhythmbox music player, Totem movie player 3.6.3, Brasero, Cheese, Sound recorder
Accessories	Archive manager, calculator, gedit, terminal, screenshot	Kate text editor, Ark archiving tool, Klipper clipboard, Nepomuk backup, Knotes, Kcalc, Kmag screen magnifier	Archive manager, Calculator, Leafpad, Notes, Screenshot, Terminal, Catfish file search	Archive manager, Calculator, Leafpad, Xpad, LXTerminal	Archive manager, calculator, gedit, terminal, screenshot
File Manager	Files 3.6.3	Dolphin 2.2	Thunar 1.6.2	PCManFM 1.1.0	Files 3.8.1
Repository	Ubuntu Software Center 5.6.0	Moun Package Manager 2.2.0	Ubuntu Software Center 5.6.0	Lubuntu Software Center	Ubuntu Software Center 5.6.0

As evident, Lubuntu is the most efficient followed by Xubuntu. Kubuntu and Ubuntu Gnome perform almost equivalent. Though Ubuntu with Unity is less resource efficient but expect all future innovations from Ubuntu stable to first land in Ubuntu with Unity and then gradually roll down (or not at all) to other OSs. For example, photo lens, video lens, etc.

So, if you have a laptop/desktop with at least a dual core processor (AMD or Intel), go for Ubuntu with Unity/Gnome and Kubuntu. If it is first generation dual core or less than dual core, than possibly a Lubuntu or a Xubuntu will give you better results. Also, if you are eco-conscious, then also you may like to use a resource friendly OS like Xubuntu or a Lubuntu. However, if you are heavily into social networking, I would recommend you an Ubuntu with Unity or Ubuntu 13.04 GNOME.

Thus, the inference is that which of these five operating systems are good or bad essentially depends on your requirements and the system you are using. I have used all five of them and they are fantastic in their own rights.