Situatie
Ubuntu might be considered the face of Linux, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best distro. In fact, some of Ubuntu’s own spin-off flavors offer tools and features that can make them better suited for certain users and use cases. Here are three such Ubuntu flavors that can actually outperform the original.
Ubuntu flavors are officially supported Ubuntu-based distributions that take the Ubuntu core, but replace the desktop environment or add some extra spice. Most of these flavors are fun, some are “meh,” but a few are genuinely useful—sometimes even more so than Ubuntu itself.
Solutie
Ubuntu Studio
The main selling point—pre-configured creative apps—can be replicated on any Ubuntu-based distro using Ubuntu Studio Installer.
Ubuntu Studio takes Ubuntu’s rock-solid foundation and optimizes it for creative professionals. The biggest change is swapping out the GNOME desktop environment for KDE Plasma—which is a win, because Plasma is one of the most customizable Linux DEs. It also provides better multi-monitor support and powerful window-management features, both of which can benefit video-editing and audio-production workflows.
There are also important tweaks under the hood. The distro ships with a low-latency custom kernel that improves real-time audio and video processing. Then there’s the Ubuntu Studio Audio Configuration utility—a graphical tool that gives you granular control over your audio settings. On top of that, the system includes a wide selection of pre-configured creative apps for audio, video, and graphics-related workflows.
Overall, if you’re a creative professional looking for a distro that’s pre-optimized for your workflow, Ubuntu Studio is hard to beat. You don’t need to spend time tweaking or configuring your system—it’s already done for you. Just focus on producing your videos, music, or digital artwork.
Best for
Creative professionals
Folks who specifically work with audio software a lot
Minimum requirements
Intel Core 2 Duo
4GB RAM
32GB storage
Kubuntu
What makes Kubuntu better than Ubuntu
Offers an almost vanilla KDE Plasma experience—which is the best kind. Uses less system resources (not less than Xubuntu) while delivering more features and a modern design. Boasts a familiar Windows 7-like desktop layout.
Why Kubuntu might not be for you
The abundance of features can feel overwhelming to Linux newcomers. KDE Plasma is built on the Qt framework, whereas many Linux apps are built using the GTK toolkit. As such, if you use certain GTK apps, visually they can look off—albeit functioning as expected!
Much like Ubuntu Studio, Kubuntu also pairs the stable Ubuntu core with the highly customizable KDE Plasma—but here, the experience is clean and almost vanilla. This makes it a great option for folks who aren’t interested in multimedia production and simply want to use Plasma and enjoy all its features and functionalities.
The distro features a familiar, Windows-like layout, which is the default with KDE Plasma. You get a floating taskbar at the bottom for all your pinned and running apps, a Start menu-like app launcher on the left, and a system tray on the right. The overall desktop looks sleek and modern. It feels like what Windows 7 could have evolved into if Microsoft hadn’t taken the controversial Metro UI route.
That said, once you start digging into the various features—or even the Settings app—Kubuntu can start to feel a bit complicated. My advice is to give it some time and stick with it. The features themselves are fairly intuitive; it’s just the sheer number of available options that can feel overwhelming.