The Best Of KDE Plasma And Gnome ...

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► Links:
Debian 12 BTRFS ►► • Debian 12 Bookworm Min...
Kvantum Manager Installation ►► github.com/tsujan/Kvantum/blo...
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🎵 Music from StreamBeats by Harris Heller.
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► Chapters:
00:00 - My custom Debian 12
00:34 - Installing Debian 12 with BTRFS
02:15 - Setting up KDE Plasma
04:21 - Installing Flatpak support
05:15 - Installing Kvantum Manager from Source
06:54 - Installing a Kvantum Theme
08:11 - Panel and Application Launcher setup
09:12 - Conclusion
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► Description Tags:
kde plasma, kde plasma customization, kde plasma customization minimalist, kde plasma like gnome, debian 12 install, debian 12 installation guide, debian 12 btrfs, debian 12 btrfs timeshift, debian 12 minimal install, debian 12 kde plasma, debian 12 kde plasma customization. michael horn
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#linux #kdeplasma #customization

[@MichaelNROH]

Quick Edit. As it turns out, the Kvantum Manager is available on Debian with the package name `qt5-style-kvantum`.

[@haydenlee8332]

does that mean we can just skip the "installing from source" process shown in the video and just install like any other package?

[@technomatic6285]

@@haydenlee8332 Yes, that's what it means

[@CompuB1t]

I would like to see the config files of your KDE Plasma configuration

[@foxabashed]

@@haydenlee8332 Yeah, and it will take much less time.

[@MichaelNROH]

@@haydenlee8332 Yep

[@jason.r9273]

Both Plasma and Gnome are exceptional. I just moved to Gnome with debian stable after using Plasma for 4 years. The best comment is that they are both great in different ways and you can use both but you can only everyday drive one. So far im + Gnome right now.

[@smishyt]

They're both exceptional, that's true but KDE comes on top. It's why KDE can be customized to mimick GNOME way more extensively, plus better performance and smoother UI than GNOME.

[@benign4823]

​@@smishytFalse, on average, KDE uses more GPU than Gnome, I've tested the temperatures when just doing basic browsing or idling. KDE also needs more i/o, try a HDD, what you'll notice is that KDE chugs a lot more than Gnome, even without the mess that is Baloo. The only thing KDE is better at than Gnome considering resource usage is RAM, and the difference is there because Gnome is more aggressive with caching, that's it.

[@CooperF]

There’s already an argument in the replies. This is pathetic. There’s no “objectively better for everyone.” What’s “objectively better” for you might be different for someone else. The most useful thing you can do is help people choose the best DE for themselves, even if it’s different from what you use.

[@benign4823]

@@CooperF Cool story bro.

[@nomadshiba]

@@smishyt KDE is never smooth looking. no matter what you do

[@Lentillsoup]

Hey Michael, I just got to say, each video of yours makes me appreciate KDE Plasma even more, even though I use it already. Keep up the coverage, especially when Plasma 6 releases! :>

[@MaisistkeinGemuese]

You can really tell how proud he is of this setup, I love it! Even though it won't make me switch from Gnome (because Trackpad Gestures are way better), it was so refreshing to see what you can do with KDE!

[@haydenmitchell9260]

i have the same opinion about the gestures, but i recently started beta testing plasma 6, and the gestures and overview stuff is now just as good and ive switched full time on my laptop

[@timvb2999]

Your workflow is exactly how I prefer it too! As a gnome user I'll give this a try since there were a few things I didnt like (the tab browser for example) but you've shown quite a few workarounds that fix the issues for me! Thanks!

[@wikwayer]

great video Michael 👍

[@mikefrag]

have been waiting for this video since you switched to kde, good fkn job!

[@haydenlee8332]

I feel like this tutorial is going to be one of the GOATed Linux installation & setup tutorial for me. I can see myself coming back to this every time I have to install Debian

[@garynet20]

Thank you

[@webscout4980]

Beautiful theme, thank you! Didn't know about this one. Great GTK integration also👍

[@paulgre3n]

I like how well the video is made. 👍

[@Maisonier]

Amazing video.

[@demanuDJ]

That is the essence of KDE: customisation. Great job! This launchpad launcher looks nice to me, I'm looking for something to replace my Latte Dock

[@fahrradlos]

Very nice Video!!

[@henriquepicanco97]

Well... A lot of work to get a GNOME without headerbars, the unique think I really really love from GNOME.

[@santoshk1983]

Great video. Should also mention that SpiralLinux also provides (among other spins) a KDE spin of Debian 12, preconfigured with btrfs spanshots, zRAM, and other niceties that you don't have to do yourself.

[@starsetknight]

I personally use Hyprland for my Desktop, but KDE is by far my favorite proper Desktop Environment. It's so customizable, and the devs aren't a pain (*glares at GNOME*) and nowadays KDE is super stable.

[@abstractaxis]

Thanks for the vid, Michael! Definitely gonna give a shot to the application launchers Personally, I enjoy tweaking the slash screen and the SDDM as well, to achieve a more unified GUI experience

[@MichaelNROH]

Yeah. I couldn't really decide for an SDDM theme yet and just use the default one for now. I personally don't like splash screen animations, since they indicate slow loading. Just a blackscreen feels faster in my opinion

[@abstractaxis]

@@MichaelNROH I get your point! But, since I'm using the Sweet theme, the default SDDM and splash screen seemed so out of context, so I had to search for custom ones 🙃

[@terminallyonline5296]

Surprised you didn't mention Ventoy as a bootable usb drive solution.

[@MichaelNROH]

I have just learned about a new tool

[@terminallyonline5296]

@@MichaelNROH Well I'm excited to see you explore its usefulness since our USB drive storage capacities have extended well past the size of a single distro's ISO!

[@LucMarGui]

Would it be any challenges to reproduce on running kubuntu instead?

[@shApYT]

Oh no. Now I don't have an excuse to stay in gnome any more. It is still insane how a normal user doesn't have a way to just change the date year format in gnome.

[@MichaelNROH]

What's wrong with the one in Gnome?

[@shApYT]

@@MichaelNROHYou have to edit some language/region config file that isn't easily accessible. I want DD/mm/YY but you don't get that if you pick US. I remember giving up and just used Canadian instead. Also gnome has issue with VR, VRR, the ethos and restriction. I like that gnome is consistent in design. I don't mean gtk or adwaita. Just the design of each UI element. Like the spacing between boxes/text etc (like in the alt tab switcher). KDE looks like everything was thrown together without consideration for cohesion.

[@SriHarshaChilakapati]

Kvantum was great with my laptop display, but the moment I got a 4K external monitor, these effects started showing a lot of tearing and some blurry edges on button controls. Instead, now I love LightlyQt theme engine. It is buttery smooth on 4K as well and also looks pretty beautiful.

[@benign4823]

Lightly might be fine, but it hasn't gotten any commits since 2022, so it's basically unmaintained.

[@richardaltamirano312]

The best thing about Gnome is the virtual desktops, but you can't get the full potential out of them if you don't use the AutoMove extension. When the windows are placed on their own virtual desktop, productivity increases significantly.

[@MichaelNROH]

It depends on your workflow and screen size I guess. If I were to use the AutoMove extension, then I would probably always have 7 workspaces open which is a bit much for my taste

[@richardaltamirano312]

@@MichaelNROH KZbin, Instagram, WhatsApp, Spotify can be used as Web Apps with any browser, you can give them their own space so they are always organized

[@gerhard_adler]

Wow, great production quality on this vid!

[@frankniethardt1813]

Nice guide. Discover does not only let you install a flatpack integration, but it installs flatpack as well. No need for command line there. ;)

[@0xsupersane920]

How can I get a floating dock on the bottom screen? Latte doesn't start for me.

[@home-of-the-brave]

Hey nice Desktop 👍🏻 where you get the wallpaper? 😉

[@MichaelNROH]

09:17 I got it from Discover (see note at the bottom)

[@MyAmazingUsername]

I've had so many crashes every time I use KDE. But gotta say you did an amazing job styling it to be beautiful-ish.

[@backhdlp]

I'm perplexed as to why anyone would pronounce btrfs in any other way than butter fs

[@benign4823]

Not everyone likes butter, friend. Some of us are oil apologists.

[@ayonavobiswas]

I’m new to the linux environment, from the basic concepts I really loved the fedaro distros , specifically the Nobara 39 KDE Nvidia version. Can I make all these changes there too ?

[@sillycoda1084]

Fantastic video as usual! May I ask - is there any way that you can script the entire process of the customization into say, a shell script file, that you could run on a fresh install of debian? Having to go through these steps everytime you format your computer is getting painful! And so easy to miss a step! If it was automated into a script, you could even run it independent of the distro as long as the package manager is handled in the script. OR how about is there a way to create "snapshots" of a build using say something like clonezilla and relaunch as a fresh install? I've never tried it out, would you be curious enough to make a video on this topic?? Pretty much making all of these customizations "portable" that you could install on the fly without having to manually go through each step. Look forward to hear your thoughts. Keep up the great work!! :)

[@MichaelNROH]

This is the goal at some point. Either build an entire installer with the configuration, similar to a Distro, or to use bare bones Debian and execute a Shell file. The process of this takes a lot of time though, since I would need to research each and every file I need to edit and which other checks need to be in place. E.g., what happens if the internet connection interrupts and the script wasn't done yet.

[@adtechnos215]

Hi, can you link wallpaper used in your video? Thanks

[@FagnerLuan]

Great video! I'm not a fan of using kvantum, kde by itself already has a ton of bugs, I don't think that's a good idea to add one more layer. Anyway, I was expecting you to say what's that wallpaper, it looks so nice!

[@MichaelNROH]

It's marked at the end on screen

[@jean-chrisarnaudahoussou7598]

good job !!! i need your wallpaper please where can i download it. ok i found it "nature sky sunset illustration by yoter" . thanks!!!!

[@francootaola9172]

by any chance do you know if it possible to get the same behavior as windows 10 regarding the screen edges? where if you place a window in a corner (or in another placement) when it is moved to that placement. the other windows are shown as if you have the task switcher (like icons of the apps) and if you select one it 'fills up' the rest of the screen with the second window (the one of the icon clicked) and if you click in background the rest of the windows are kept as they were before snapping the first window?

[@mham42]

There's a kwin script called 'kde snap assist' that does that, although it doesn't work very well as in windows

[@MichaelNROH]

Yeah, that sounds like there's room for improvement there. Automatic Window Tiling might also be a solution whenever you snap a window

[@VermeilChan]

damn its really cool

[@mohdmerajuddin1639]

HI sir, please share link of wallpaper that you have set on your desktop,

[@MichaelNROH]

I marked it at 09:17 at the bottom of the screen

[@go0ot]

Please do an UPDATE VIDEO on your popular Linux on Surface Pro 7+ with new changes & your experience & advice after a year of use. Thanks❤

[@danielmugas3009]

i am gnome guy, but this makes me consider to give kde a try

[@roccociccone597]

Actually I might give this a try. I've been thinking about moving to KDE though I am happy with Pop_OS at the moment.

[@belmironair-yv1bm]

Nice plasma, But I love Gnome!

[@MichaelNROH]

Preferences

[@BrK0511]

Or, maybe, just install gnome... Just like that. :)

[@lepplex7716]

Hi, why do you use btrfs instead of ext4 for the debian installation ? The video is great though 👍

[@MichaelNROH]

For BTRFS snapshots and general reliability when it comes to data integrity. Ext4 is still a bit faster it seems, but it doesn't provide the other functionalities

[@lepplex7716]

@@MichaelNROH Ok 👍

[@systembreaker4651]

Wow nice tutorial ❤ thanks man but what is your daily Linux distro ❤

[@MichaelNROH]

It's still Debian 12. Once Plasma 6 goes into Alpha in Fedora, I might switch until I'm sure I can maintain it myself on Debian.

[@systembreaker4651]

@@MichaelNROH i use fedora kde long time its perfect bro and thank you for your tutorial its help me alot❤️❤️big respect

[@systembreaker4651]

​@@MichaelNROHhow you can make Nvidia primary gpu on debian wayland not xorg

[@mangekyo_sharingan_]

i can finally end my distro hopping streak and settle dow…. *sees this video* *sigh*

[@aniruddhomitra2824]

Hey, could you please send this wallpaper's link?

[@MichaelNROH]

It's from Discover. I marked it at 09:17 at the bottom

[@paulo.valverde]

Does Debian keeps KDE updated to the latest version? I’m new to Linux and I’m considering Debian

[@MichaelNROH]

Debian is a "stable" Distro, so not really. The current release features the latest big version 5.27, but is already missing out a couple of sub updates and it won't update to Plasma 6. That being said, you can enable the "Testing" Repositories if you change entries from "Bookworm" to "Trixie" with "sudo apt edit-sources". The Testing branch is way more up to date

[@gespinozae]

how did you make andromeda launcher look like that?

[@MichaelNROH]

What do you mean?

[@_devilfish303]

literally gnome with extra steps

[@MichaelNROH]

Yes

[@taukakao]

Improve KDE by turning it into GNOME is quite a burn. 😂 I still like it tho. I don't have a reason to switch to KDE currently but last time I used KDE I switched back to GNOME because I couldn't get used to the workflow on KDE. Maybe with this I would enjoy it more.

[@dannelgutierrez]

Please try lightly I think you’ll like it 😃

[@benign4823]

Are you aware it received no commits since 2022, and the release on the KDE Store is from 2020?

[@2amv685]

Why using kvantum when you have a tool in the settings to change themes?

[@MichaelNROH]

Transparency effects, which only a very small selection include. At some point (don't remember when), KDE changed Theming, which broke transparencies on many themes. Nowadays they just get made for Kvantum instead for Plasma directly

[@homeape.]

i always thought the idea of btrfs is that it's a "better file system" i always pronounced it better fs

[@MichaelNROH]

I did so too before I looked into it. In my opinion that would be the generally better name

[@mohamad20zx34]

What about OpenSuse Isn't it also Great distro for new laptops and it's a rolling release instead of being Stable like debain

[@MichaelNROH]

That's kind of the point. Bleeding Edge against Stable. I myself use Fedora on my Surface, since new Kernels get released much faster

[@mohamad20zx34]

@@MichaelNROH OK Mr Michael just making sure that's your using an up to date distro

[@kylenorris9585]

Why not just use gnome? why make plasma look like gnome

[@MichaelNROH]

Because Gnome doesn't feature all the things yet that I appreciate as a gamer. Adaptive Refresh Rates and whatnot. While there are dedicated branches that you can compile yourself to get it working, I just like trying out a different DE which can be shaped similar to Gnome, with all of the advantages

[@davidturcotte831]

Blasphemy! The King of KDE will hear about this.

[@skeptics5562]

You switched to Debian 12 from Fedora?

[@MichaelNROH]

A while ago, yes

[@panospolychronis8043]

​@@MichaelNROH Debian is great but i prefer Fedora. Could you please tell us why you made the decision to move to Debian ?

[@fernandocaballero5102]

hi is it now possible to use kde de with vr?

[@MichaelNROH]

Yes

[@yuntaozhao5693]

The Best Of KDE Plasma And Gnome ... so you mean just KDE Plasma XD

[@songsforlife7547]

you are the best youtuber of linux i'm a noob in linux and you help me very much thank u so much 😁from Algeria

[@MichaelNROH]

Happy to help

[@Vlad_a450]

If you use Synaptic you'll find Kvanum wery easy!

[@alexstone691]

Im also on Debian 12 KDE but just used customized dracula theme, its good enough for me (i kinda like look of old unity so i copied that)

[@hiru92]

watching it on hyprland 😁

[@POIZ87]

I don't understand the edge overview just works at the edges and not in the corners. Would have been great to have this just working out of the box... But I guess this is Linux xD

[@guilherme5094]

👍

[@systembreaker4651]

Also if you want to make this tutorial full add grub customize❤ thanks

[@MichaelNROH]

I guess it depends on the distro you use. Many just skip the grub screen altogether if no other OS or error was found

[@systembreaker4651]

@@MichaelNROHmaybe 🤔 any way thanks for this best kde customize

[@huydong3292]

Ha, installed KDE Plasma but blowed up everything. It's Plasmaless

[@chyldstudios]

Just use Gnome

[@that_guy1211]

Hyprland XD

[@benign4823]

Tbh, you can get most of that functionality on Hyprland with fewer bugs and lower memory usage, it's just that it would take you a lot more time.

[@that_guy1211]

@@benign4823 It looks prettier, just search Hyprland on google and you'll see

[@hammadwalid8428]

These commands do not work, send that error. E: The package could not be located libkf6windowsystem-dev E: The package could not be located qt6-style-kvantum-themes (Kubuntu)

[@MichaelNROH]

I see QT6. Are you on Plasma 6 by any chance?

[@noel_curray]

Wait.. rufus on linux??

[@MichaelNROH]

It's mainly for Windows to Debian, though you can run it through Wine I think

[@aziz9488]

that's too much work, i just use default plasma

[@paulomateusguerra]

It's sad to see that such a great and knowledgeble KZbinr like you is dark theme user. It breaks my heart. I am really shaken by this information, I think a good therapist might be helpful for you and this sad reality and for me, I'm already seeing a shrink because of this. 😂😂😂😂

[@pantarei.]

I wish there was a desktop for linux looking like ChromeOS.

[@MichaelNROH]

There is a Plasma Theme that makes it exactly the same

[@pantarei.]

I tried many themes for KDE- it was never good enough. Anyway, I don't want to spend too much time on customisation. I will probalby buy a chromebook soon - that's the easiest way.@@MichaelNROH

[@pantarei.]

There is few "ChromeOS" themes for KDE, some are better, some worse, but all of them make the desktop just a bit similar to ChromeOS, definitely not "exactly the same".@@MichaelNROH

[@adrianinsaval]

omg why would you use the adwaita cursor theme 🤮

[@benign4823]

Less fat than the KDE cursors.

[@brando3465]

If you didn’t follow the guide to install Debian, u may end up with the error telling you that Sufi is not a recognized command. To fix this, enter root mode with “su -“ and then just do apt install kde-plasma-desktop

[@Niuroteya]

Why is that that when you speak you're doing this weird thing with your voice. Your voice is going higher and higher, with each word, during each word as well. And then it drops back to regular. And then again, and again, and again. Every sentence, all the time. Is this a choice? I mean its unique, but Its impossible to ignore since I noticed the pattern and it really distracts from the content of your videos.

[@Strike4602]

It’s called an accent

[@taiwbi]

Debian Stable or Testing?

[@MichaelNROH]

Stable

[@alphamx13]

Dude who's chasing you ? you go waaay too fast LOL nice tutorial anyway

[@Pepe721]

I think he's trying to make the video as short as possible for ppl who have a low concentration span

[@omarashraf27]

But why Debian tho?

[@ordinaryhuman5645]

He is an old man who wants stability and doesn't care about those newfangled things the kids are doing these days.

[@fahimhoq3166]

why not

[@draftofspasiba2]

@@ordinaryhuman5645 lol

[@omarashraf27]

@@ordinaryhuman5645 he is not actually. that's why I am curious

[@DevJeremi]

Flatpaks are the worst

[@draftofspasiba2]

Why do you think that?

[@jk-fy8on]

hey Michael stop distro hopping.

[@sekiro_19]

libkf6windowsystem-dev is not availble for debian 12