What is the best way to install latest version of KDE Plasma on Linux Mint 19.3 Solved

Just an update, It looks like I have to wipe my whole Linux Mint installation. I am currently backing up files I want to keep. I tried to fix my system with two different snapshots, didn’t work. The system won’t boot without a live environment, so time to start from scratch. I have decided Debian will be my new Linux distribution, and I will use KDE Plasma as my desktop environment. So I will solve my problem but not the way I wanted.

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I have decided Debian will be my new Linux distribution, and I will use KDE Plasma as my desktop environment.

You have made a good choice.

I know, I talked to our System Admin today. He said if you want the most customization options, it is either Debian or Arch. He suggests Debian for people who are just starting on Linux.

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oh the memories…

I completely trashed my Linux Mint install 3 weeks into me first using Linux. Encrypted drives and all. I had to do a ton from the command line (mount encrypted drives, open the crypt etc. . .)

I installed Fedora after that, but I learned so much though. Learned many invaluable way to see if your data is still safe, learned how important it is to have a seperate /home partition is, learned i need to switch from ecryptfs to LUKS.

Learned how important it is to be proficient with a text editor (vim) and how to start/stop services. It was a literal crash course in linux. Fun time that I don’t wish upon anyone :laughing: !

Yeah both Debian and Arch aren’t really that user friendly from the get go.
But if you start out on Linux, then Debian would be the better platform to start on.
Because Debian generally is more stable then Arch.
Still both communities aren’t really that welcoming to new users,
as communities like Ubuntu or Mint, so keep that in mind.
In that regards when it comes to Arch, Manjaro community is a bit more open.

If it turns out that you get stuck at Debian for whatever reason.
Then there are still other decent options to consider.
You could try them all in a vm, to figure out what works best for you.

  • Kubuntu: although currently they are in the transition to the new 20.04 releases.
    so it’s not really the right moment to jump on it i guess.

  • KDE Neon: This is basically just the KDE desktop ontop of a Debian base.
    KDE neon is a project of the KDE developers.
    It is basically not a distro.

  • Manjaro KDE: Easy starter in the Arch world.
    Manjaro is pretty much what Ubuntu is to Debian.
    Only Ubuntu is significantly bigger.

Still people could agree or disagree with me on this one,
but if someone is trully looking for the best KDE plasma desktop experience.
Then Open Suse Thumbleweed is where it’s at. :slight_smile:

So yeah there are plenty of options.

Oh yeah i also forgot to mention Solus KDE.

Might also be worth a look. :slight_smile:

But of course when Debian works great for you,
then it is really a rock solid base to stay on.

I have a feeling, I am going to end up testing every Linux distribution before I find the only Linux distribution that is best for me. One good thing has come from my distro hoping, I have found the best Linux desktop environment for me and it’s KDE Plasma.

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Thanks, everyone for the help and the suggestions. Even though my goal has been fulfilled, I am not going to close this thread; instead, I am going to leave it open, I am thinking of changing the title a little bit. The goal for this thread is hopefully it becomes a place where people can discuss how to change their desktop environments or share their experiences on what happens or could happen, if they change their desktop environments.