How To Switch Between GNOME & KDE 4.5 On Ubuntu 10.04. Ubuntu uses the GNOME desktop environment straight out of the box, which provides a functional and fairly clean desktop with a few sexy effects from Compiz. Kubuntu uses the KDE desktop environment which has now comes with more bells and whistles than ever. If you’re sitting there on your Ubuntu machine thinking “I fancy giving that a go” then you can.
With a couple of commands and a restart, you’ll be using KDE in no time. KDE Or GNOME? Besides appearance (well, duh) there’s a few key differences between KDE and GNOME. Take a look around. KDE on the other hand gives you considerably more say in the way your desktop looks, despite at first seeming quite Windows-like. KDE also comes with its own set of applications, most of which have unnecessary Ks all over the place, like Konqueror and Amarok. Regardless, installing KDE is a great way to experience Linux in a slightly different flavour.
Adding Repositories sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports Installing KDE sudo apt-get update. Downloads. Weather.