Well, I have not tried many desktops of late, I used to be a huge fan of
Ubuntu, but when the Unity/Gnome thing came around, and they kept locking
out my ability to configure the desktop the way I wanted (unless I
installed a bunch of firefox plugins???) I quit Ubuntu and went to Kubuntu,
and I've never gone back.

I've been very happy with Kubuntu for the last 10+ years, but I know there
are some other great desktops out there,
Phil W

On Sun, Oct 23, 2022 at 11:04 AM Keith Smith via PLUG-discuss <
plug-discuss@lists.phxlinux.org> wrote:

>
> Hi,
>
> I need some advice.  I have used Linux for my desktop during several
> periods in the past.  About 6 years ago I needed to run Windows for my
> desktop for business reasons.  I am now free of those requirements.
>
> I have a Dell i5 that I think has 4 cores and 4 threads.  I upgraded it
> to 16Gb of RAM years ago... maybe 7 or 8.  I think the box might be 8
> years old.
>
> This box has been setting under my desk since I switched over to Win 10.
>
> I bought an SSD drive for it sometime ago and have yet to install it.  I
> think it has a 1Tb spinner in it.  My plan is to make the SSD the
> primary drive and the spinner a backup drive for holding files.
>
> For the last few months the monitors on my Win 10 box would occasionally
> turn black and I would have to reset the computer to get it operational.
>
> It should be noted that these two Dells have after market video cards
> since Dell only allows one monitor even thought the CPU provides for 3
> monitors... Yikes.
>
> So this morning both my monitors turned black and when I cycled the
> computer only one monitor would work.   I am running two monitors.
>
> After setting the correct resolution for that one monitor and restarting
> it several times I now have two monitors functioning.
>
> Where am I going with this?  I need your help.  I am a PHP developer.  I
> started using Linux in 1998...  While I know a few things about Linux I
> have gaping holes in my knowledge. I've been able to accomplish a lot
> with Linux to include using it as my desktop for long periods of time
> and ultimately creating a Ubuntu home web server. That included the
> entire LAMP stack, BIND, PostFix, Devcot, and Let's Encrypt.  For the
> PostFix, Devcot, and Let's Encrypt I just got it to work without really
> understanding how they work.
>
> So here we are Sunday morning October 23rd, 2022 and I need to move back
> to Linux on my desktop.
>
> AND I need your help because I do not know what I do not know.
>
> I figure it is a good time to "start fresh".  I want to get a Linux box
> up and running and only pull in from my backups what I
> will actually use.  My Win box has 6 or 7 years of clutter.
>
> I apologize in advance for all my future questions.
>
> My first question has to do with what desktop KDE or GNOME?  We have had
> this discussion in the past and I'm thinking KDE was the winner.  Please
> no flame wars.  This is for my education and maybe for those who are
> lurking.
>
> I want to use Ubuntu.  Ubuntu desktop used GNOME.  Kubuntu uses KDE and
> has the Plasma desktop.  Not sure what the Plasma desktop is. I will
> look into that once I have sent this email.
>
> I eventually would like to edit videos on Linux.  According to what I
> hear and read, Kdenlive is said to be the best free Linux editor.
>
> I need to do a handful of things with this Linux box.  Mail, Internet
> surfing, virtualization using oracle VirtualBox, programming using
> Visual Studio Code, and video editing using Kdenlive.  I hope I did not
> leave anything out.
>
> List of initial questions:
>
> 1) Is it GNOME or KDE?
> 2) What mail client should I use?  I have been using Thunderbird for
> years and am not married to it.
> 3) For FTP I have been using FileZilla.
> 4) For watching DVD videos I have been using VCL media player - any
> thoughts?
> 5) For SSH I have been using the Win 10, I think it called the Linux
> subsystem. This new box will have command line access so that should not
> be an issue.
> 6) I will be using a wired non-routable static IP.
> 7) Eventually I will need to configure my printer/scanner.  From a quick
> search it looks like KDE makes it simple compared to the old days...
>
> I apologize in advance for all my future questions.  I'm sure I will
> drive you crazy over the next few months while I try to understand and
> learn.
>
> Please give me your feedback.  I appreciate it!!
>
> Keith
>
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