Install Latest KDE in Ubuntu / Kubuntu

KDE SC (Software Compilation) is one of the most used desktop and application platform/environment in Linux, beside GNOME which is the default platform in Ubuntu. KDE offers high quality, slick and very nice looking, and arguably the best, highly customizable workspace and applications for its users.

KDE developers announced availabily of the latest version of KDE software, which is KDE SC 4.9 that brings many improvements, bug fixes, new features, and the best updated release yet.

Kubuntu 12.04 running the latest KDE 4.9 (with some customization)

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What's New in KDE 4.9

Here is a summary of new changes and features in KDE 4.9:

1. Plasma Workspaces
   Improvements to the Dolphin File Manager, Konsole X Terminal Emulator, Activities, and the KWin Window Manager (more info).
2. KDE Applications
   New and improved KDE Applications: Okular, Kopete, KDE PIM, educational applications and games (more info).
3. KDE Platform
   Bugfixes, quality improvements, networking, and preparation for Frameworks 5.

Dolphin (KDE's file manager) running on Ubuntu 12.04 (GNOME) desktop

Just saying, I really like Dolphin, the default KDE's file manager, which I think is the best, feature rich, and highly customizable file management application. I even use it in Ubuntu, which is based on GNOME desktop, more than Nautilus GNOME file manager.

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Install KDE 4.9 in Ubuntu/Kubuntu 12.04

Ubuntu/Kubuntu 12.04 comes with KDE 4.8. You can install the latest KDE 4.9 or upgrade to the latest version by adding Kubuntu Backports PPA (more info) into your software sources in Ubuntu/Kubuntu 12.04.

Here you go:

1. Add PPA repository
   Run the following commands in Terminal (one command at a time):
   

   sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports
   sudo apt-get update

   .
2. Install/upgrade KDE desktop
   
   • Upgrade KDE installation (if you have previous versions of KDE installed on your system), run in Terminal:
     

     sudo apt-get upgrade

   • New KDE installation, run in Terminal:
     

     sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop

   .

Log out from current session, and log back in by choosing KDE Plasma Desktop in login screen, to start using latest KDE workspace.

Uninstall/Remove KDE 4.9 (Revert Changes)

If, for some reason, you would like to remove KDE 4.9, or downgrade to the previous version from the default official Ubuntu repository, run the following commands in Terminal (one command at a time):

sudo apt-get install ppa-purge
sudo ppa-purge ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports
sudo apt-get autoremove

.

Install Latest KDE in Ubuntu / Kubuntu by fanDigital

PS: Still, sorry for my English :)