The verdict
The many similarities between the candidates make this Roundup difficult to judge. One of the crucial criteria is the number of non-KDE apps included by default within a distribution. Since we are on the lookout for the best KDE distribution, we’ll look favourably towards the one that sticks to the KDE bouquet of apps instead of bundling the popular and mainstream apps.
Maui brings up the rear mainly because it doesn’t look as polished as its peers on non-FullHD screens. It does score points for an interesting mix of KDE and proprietary apps but loses some for the lack of documentation and for its appearance. Its elder sibling, Netrunner, is a well put together distribution that does a nice job of showcasing KDE but again loses out for its decision to use mainstream apps instead of the KDE alternatives.
In fact, the only real difference between Maui and Netrunner is their respective base distributions. Maui is the continuation of the Kubuntu-based original Netrunner distribution, but is now based on KDE Neon and gets its stable core components from an Ubuntu LTS release. Netrunner is now based on the Debian Testing branch which will end up as the next stable Debian codenamed Stretch.
Manjaro gets on the podium for being one of the few projects developed by a non-corporate team that’s still available for both 32-bit and 64-bit machines. KDE isn’t its first desktop of choice and the distribution includes quite a few non-KDE apps by default.
The top two distributions are both available only for 64-bit architecture and very closely matched. KaOS scores points for including more third-party apps by default than Chakra such as Skype and for the customisations options in the first-run wizard. It also offers the option to run Plasma on top of Wayland. KaOS also does a fine job of preserving the KDE ethos of choice thanks to its greeter application that lets users select the type of menu, theme and such. The distribution loses out for the placement of the application panel on the right side of the screen, which takes some getting used to and there’s no obvious way to change. This leaves us with Chakra at the top, which does a wonderful KDE rendition and has an impressive collection of KDE apps. Unlike its peers, the distribution also manages to strike the right balance between a stable core and bleeding edge applications.
“A wonderful KDE rendition and an impressive collection of KDE apps.”