Bluetooth probably needs to be installed and activated on KDE.
KDE and Gnome are both great - I would say pick KDE if you like customizing things, and Gnome if you trust the defaults
this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2025
13 points (81.0% liked)
Linux
10294 readers
69 users here now
Welcome to c/linux!
Welcome to our thriving Linux community! Whether you're a seasoned Linux enthusiast or just starting your journey, we're excited to have you here. Explore, learn, and collaborate with like-minded individuals who share a passion for open-source software and the endless possibilities it offers. Together, let's dive into the world of Linux and embrace the power of freedom, customization, and innovation. Enjoy your stay and feel free to join the vibrant discussions that await you!
Rules:
-
Stay on topic: Posts and discussions should be related to Linux, open source software, and related technologies.
-
Be respectful: Treat fellow community members with respect and courtesy.
-
Quality over quantity: Share informative and thought-provoking content.
-
No spam or self-promotion: Avoid excessive self-promotion or spamming.
-
No NSFW adult content
-
Follow general lemmy guidelines.
founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Ahh that’s why. Okay gotcha that makes sense. If I do switch, I’ll probably test both a bit more to see which I like using the best. I just booted the live usb and played around for a bit, testing things like touchscreen support and auto-rotate
Auto-rotate probably won't work because it seems like the acceleramoter isn't supported by the kernel, but if you really wanted to debug it, run monitor-sensor and rotate your laptop around. If you see the numbers change, it means your hardware is supported and you might just need a package (although it''s also possible that Gnome and KDE don't support it).
I think it might not be supported. My device is an Asus Zenbook 14 Flip so might not be supported compared to something like a lenovo yoga or the tuxedo flip.
That's actually a common misconception. Gnome is just as customizable as Plasma (I like both for different reasons, so this is not a "reeee gnome best" critique). It all comes as extensions, which can be off-putting to people, but it has the benefit of having more consistency than Plasma, in my experience. It also works better for atomic distros, generally.
If ricing is your jam, you really can't go wrong with either one. Plasma is much easier to grasp for theming, though, and I think that's a pretty big benefit when it comes to helping people get over the different learning curves.
i had the same exact impressions when I first installed Linux, it's seriously insane how much the volunteers behind these projects get done!
like, it's an entire OPERATING SYSTEM! ofc the people who help make excellent open-source software that can handily compete with the big companies are awesome too!
also one annoying thing is that normally on windows, since my laptop is one of those flexy 2-in-1s, it auto-rotates depending on how you put it (like “tent mode” or “book mode”). On both KDE Plasma and GNOME, it doesn’t work. I guess my specific device isn’t supported? I can live with that though, I can rotate the screen manually and don’t realistically rotate the screen all too often.
Hmm, which distro did you try it with? I believe, KDE should support auto-rotating the screen in the newer versions¹. If you tried it with Kubuntu LTS, for example, that would've still been an older version, which does not use Wayland by default.
¹) More precisely: it should support it when it's being run under Wayland, which is the default since KDE Plasma 6.
Fedora. I thunk my device might not be supported, or maybe there’s some software I need to install to make it work. Not a huge deal though.
Hmm, Fedora should have the newest version of KDE. Yeah, hard to say why it's not working then...
Cinnamon with Mint is still great UI, it just feels slightly less modern in my opinion. Still much better than Windows with their pre-2000 UI once you go deep enough
Definitely worth playing around with either on bare metal like an old laptop or something, maybe in the holidays like you mention. I switched to Linux on my main gaming PC a year and a half ago, and just installed EndeavourOS (with Plasma) on my new Framework laptop
I’ve installed Ubuntu on both of my old laptops but they are so old that I can’t effectively daily drive them (they are heavy, thick, terrible screen, battery is dead, etc)
I’m thinking of switching to Linux for my newer laptop, but I want to wait until the holidays. Hopefully the bugs around touchscreens will be fixed soon!