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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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Kubuntu is most normie. Its just Ubuntu but with KDE instead of Gnome. KDE Neon has the latest KDE but the update process is a mess so I can't recommend it.
Personally I use EndeavourOS with KDE and find it very easy. Updates are literally just typing yay. But I understand that Arch based distros aren't for everyone.
Does Plasma on EndeavorOS include Discover? For those that want GUI updates
OpenSUSE Tumbleweed, great KDE defaults - up to date - stable. Does things a bit differently than most distros but it's pretty easy to get used to.
That what I use, and it's perfect
openSUSE Tumbleweed. It's rolling and reliable.
I've been using this for a few months now. It's really good. A normie might want to look in to Slowroll though for extra stability. Is Slowroll even out yet?
It's available, but still experimental I think.
Fedora kde
I highly recommend Kubuntu. I don't use any snaps though. And I always install the LTS version. Been using it for over a dozen years.
I don't use any snaps though.
Oh sweet summer child...
Rolling release: openSUSE Tumbleweed Semi-annual release: Fedora KDE Spin LTS: Kubuntu (3 years), Debian (5 years), AlmaLinux (10 years)
I personally think semi-annual is where it's at. You get packages that are mostly up-to-date (and with Flatpak user-facing software is up-to-date anyway), and you don't have to fear that something will break/be incompatible with every small update.
I'm running TW and it's great. If you don't want a rolling release, OpenSUSE created Slowroll, that is supposed to release major updates every one or two months, which would probably be my go to if I were to start over.
Everyone is waiting for Slowroll I think.
Kubuntu is also semi-annual, but LTS releases only come every two years. Regular releases have a year and a half of support.
You're going to get a million answers, mostly people saying to use which distro they're currently using. In my experience, KDE works just fine on any distro that allows you to install it out of the box, so I would choose based on other attributes of the distro, such as:
For instance, I personally like Debian and apt, but I would not recommend base Debian right now, since KDE 6 is about to come out and Debian will take a loooong time to get it. I have not personally used Kubuntu, but if it gets rid of any the bloat canonical has been adding to Ubuntu lately, it sounds pretty good to me.
Yeah, Kubuntu's fine. It has some of the Snap stuff, but the "minimal install" greatly strips down unnecessary bullshit to the point where I even find vanilla Debian Plasma to be more bloated in comparison.
I used Kubuntu for most of my time on Linux before switching to Debian. Still fully recommend it as a basically "plug and play" distro with a quick installer that works OOTB.
There's also a KDE-specific backports PPA which gets you new Plasma and Qt stuff fairly quickly, but that works best on regular releases rather than LTS releases. (The only issue is that, because it uses Launchpad, the Plasma updates can be super fucking slow to download, regardless of your network speed).
Then again, if someone's going to be using LTS versions only, there's not really that much of a difference between it and Debian Stable in terms of DE updates.
Fedora Kinoite, specifically the version from universal-blue.org.
It comes with all codecs (and even baked in Nvidia-driver if you want!).
Why that and not the normal (mutable) Fedora Workstation KDE spin?
This. Or, nowadays secureblue Kinoite!
Its a hardened Variant of ublue kinoitr, but I tested it and especially using the "userns" variants, a lot works
"userns" means user namespaces, a technology used by browsers, flatpak and Podman/Docker/Toolbox/Distrobox to create Sandboxes, isolating processes. It is used by default on Fedora, so these variants are pretty much like regular Fedora.
Dont think a secure Distro is user-unfriendly. It works pretty normal, but is simply way more secure.
If you want to use Firefox or Torbrowser, install their binaries.
https://github.com/trytomakeyouprivate/Recommended-Flatpak-Apps
Fedora Kinoite is the first time that I felt at home (besides Arch). It feels so stable and I never have to mess with it. KDE is also at the point now where it feels genuinely better than Windows or Mac
I'm using Manjaro because SuSE Tubleweed didn't want to install that day. People like to hate on Manjaro but I honestly don't know why - the defaults are fine and I very rarely have issues despite using software from the AUR
This is why: https://manjarno.pages.dev
It has been 442d 15h 07m 53s since Manjaro !$%&?*# up.
So a year and a half? That's not all that bad really. And that time it was a (admittedly bloody stupid) cock up involving the SSL certificate of their website not of the distro itself
Sure, maybe they're better now, but this long list is why the reputation stuck.
That and EndeavourOS exists
Also I've just actually looked at EndeavourOS' website and it says very clearly front and centre that it's focused on the terminal, which is entirely not what OP was even asking for. It might be a fine distro, I don't know, I've never used it or checked how many years it is since they cocked up, but it doesn't present itself as a KDE focused distro which is what OP (and I) want!
That must be why it ships with a GUI installer, that can install any of the popular DEs and WMs...
Or maybe you just have a weird bee in your bonnet about something that's not even really a problem as evidenced from your own numbers
I simply showed why Manjaro has that reputation.
You also unwittingly showed why it doesn't deserve it
Why? Because after a series of negligent incidents spanning multiple years, a couple of which impacted the AUR for everyone they've gone a year and a bit without another major incident?
Again, EndeavourOS exists -- all Manjaro does for you is hold back packages making things unstable.
Debian and Slackware and Arch and Ubuntu also exist, they're also not relevant
Debian, Slackware, and Ubuntu are not Arch-based, so of course they're not relevant.
Obviously Arch is relevant, but it's more difficult to install without a GUI installer. Enter EndeavourOS.
If you're not using Manjaro to get "Arch with a graphical installer" then... what are you using it for?
I'm using it as a linux distro, which I then use to do things on my computer that I actually want to do like work and play games and browse the internet! I used the installer once and I seem to recall it was fine (though I'm not keen on the tepid green they chose as a colour scheme).
What do you use your computer for?
I'm obviously not asking what you do on a computer.
Did Manjaro magically install itself on your computer one day? Or did you choose it from a selection of dozens of other distributions that can do everything you described above?
Endeavour OS with KDE
MX Linux with KDE?
If you have an AMD machine it even has a "advanced hardware system" iso for high end pcs
You have to reinstall mxlinux every time a new debian version comes out. Not really "normie" IMHO.
Do you really have to reinstall from scratch or is it sufficient to update the sources.list to the new Debian release and perform dist-upgrade like for Debian?
I read their documentation yesterday, and it strongly advised a complete reinstall. While they do have a tool that eases the process of storing your setup and then recovering it on top of a new install, it's still significantly more complicated than just 'sudo apt upgrade'.
Fedora KDE spin. One of the easiest to use distros without all of the annoyances of Ubuntu (e.g. snaps).
Feren OS. A bit more unknown, but it's pretty good.