Is there any way to get KDE running on ZorinOS and is it a stable and good alternative?
You can install KDE on Zorin. However, your system will likely not be quite as stable afterward. Installing multiple desktop environments, especially two as large as GNOME and KDE, can cause problems.
Removing KDE completely is far more difficult than installing it, in case you want to get rid of it later.
Swarfendor can certainly give you some tips if you want to install it. He has almost completely removed GNOME from Zorin and installed kde.
I would rather advise you to look for a distribution that offers the KDE desktop and use that distribution (e.g. in a virtual machine on Zorin).
Hi, I am going to be creating a video in due course about installing KDE on Zorin 18.1 Core VM. I will post in other thread when it is done:
As an aside, I am no longer using Zorin as my daily driver. My preference is for GNU/Linux that does not have the gooball of systemd, or at least offers a choice of not having systemd present.
I am currently running PCLOS Debian which has no affiliation to Debian, it just uses its base, is free of systemd, and I am currently running the version based on Debian 12 "bookworm" release KDE Plasma 5.27. They also have .iso of the latest stable Debian 13 "trixie" and both now use XLibre to replace X11/xorg which is more secure and functions better than Wayland.
Other distros to look at are Q4OS which I have on another drive, which has a third party "LookSwitcher" and does have systemd.
Other non-systemd Plasma offerings available include Devuan, MX-Linux, and a more complex distro for some to get used to, Artix, but I was impressed with my dabble with Artix as the lead devs make regular appearances on the forum.
(I actually assisted a forum member by connecting to their machine via TeamViewer to install Plasma 5.24, sadly the only version available to Zorin 17 users as it is not as polished as 5.27 which is available to Zorin 18 users.)
You can install the Plasma Desktop, yes. But it wouldn't be the newest Version. It would be 5.27. And I have to say: When You install it, it can be a bit tricky to remove everything because Plasma is very different from Gnome.
But when You want try it, okay. You have several Option to install the Plasma Desktop:
sudo apt install kde-plasma-desktopinstalls the blank Plasma Desktopsudo apt install kde-standardinstalls the Plasma Desktop plus some Programssudo apt install kde-fullinstalls the full Plasma Desktop with all Programs and Games
Then there would be a 4th Option: sudo apt install kubuntu-desktop which not simply installs the Plasma Desktop. It installs the Plasma Destop what You would get on Kubuntu. So, it is a configured Plasma Desktop plus Programs.
2 Likes
Just an update. Didn't realise my VM was 18 and not 18.1 - it fell foul of the Kernel update to 6.17 ... you can guess the rest. Will start again on it another time.
Got to get some lunch then walkies with pooch again.
1 Like
I agree with others here that installing a DE on a system that wasn't made for it can cause stability issues. People have asked thousands of times about KDE on both Zorin and Mint, and the usual advice is to just use a distro that comes with it out of the box.
Probably the most popular such distro is Kubuntu. Next week, Ubuntu 26.04 will be released along with the new Kubuntu. I think that will have the latest Plasma 6.6, which I have found to work better and more efficiently than the older 5.x versions.
I've been enjoying my experiment with Fedora 43 KDE, though I realize not everyone likes Fedora. Once I figured out the RPM Fusion stuff (which gets media to display or render properly), it was smooth sailing from there.
Well I have done it. Had a few hiccups but after some restarts of the VM, I have successfully done it. The main issue with Plasma is poor firewall, which is why I left GUFW installed.
Here's a taster of the opening screenshot:
Whilst installing on a VM I used my PCLOS Debian Plasma Spectacle to draw a rectangle around the installation image which I have used as a wallpaper, first in 'pure' Zorin, and then in Plasma.
Time for bed now. Will see if I can put it together some time tomorrow.
And here is a clip of the 'finished' product with tiled menu installed:
and my blue z icon for the menu button.