My Kubuntu install of 14.04 is the longest lasting OS install I've ever had since 1995 - I usually need to re-install every 6-12 months due to extreme OS corruption from LOTS of use of install/uninstalling apps/programs, and downloading. I used to do IT tech support and system admin so I was doing drive analysis on my machines, remote sessions and testing various hardware, so my machines were kind of promiscuous and I think they often picked up some nasties in the process. Moving from Windows to Linux seemed to stop this immediately and I used VM's for any Windows work.

Now that Ubuntu has gotten so big and corporatized, I'm wondering if there might not be a better distro to use instead of Kubuntu. I personally like the Debian packaging system as I've gotten to know it better but have also used Red Hat and Fedora, so I'm familiar with rpm's and not just .deb files.

I need an OS that will support multiple monitors (5-6) at 1920x1080 or 1920x1200 for 4 monitors and maybe 1-2 4K monitors. I have 2 graphics cards that support 4 monitors each and my mobo supports 2 monitors, so that shouldn't be a problem.

I mainly do A LOT of research on the web, some graphics/image manipulation, little bit of video editing, normal document/spread sheet creation, watch video's/TV, torrents. I like Dolphin file manager but can put up with others.

Does anyone have any comments on another distro that is not in the Ubuntu lineage that would give a similar experience? I've thought about LFS, but I'm worried about not having drivers for some things but IDK if they can be compiled individually and if that is the case, then that may be the best bet, maybe?

Suggestions greatly appreciated!

Slackware. Its KDE is right from the factory.

Well, you could run Neon, which is based off Kubuntu but always has the absolutely latest version of KDE.

You could also just upgrade to 16.04LTS, and then in a few weeks upgrade to 18.04LTS when it's released, as it'll also be an LTS release.

Kaos is also a KDE-centric distro, using the pacman package manager from Arch.

IMO, if you're comfortable with Ubuntu, and haven't had issues, I'd just upgrade to 16.04 and then 18.04. While by no means is the upgrade path guaranteed to not have issues, I've updated several servers at work through 12.04 > 14.04 > 16.04 and haven't had a failure (yet).

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My instinct is to say "let sleeping dogs lie", but if you cannot resist the urge to change, how about OpenSUSE? It's always been a KDE-oriented distro and, as the basis for SUSE Enterprise Linux, the quality is good.

Slackware is solid, but the repository is minute: not even a professional-grade office suite. You'd need to compile some extra software for your needs, or get Salix: "Slackware for lazy Slackers", with added user-friendliness and more ready-to-run software.

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I recommend Dedoimedo's article about this.

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Despite the fact that his top pick, Kubuntu 17.04, went end-of-life in January.

I prefer KDE over the other desktop environments out there myself. As far as the software package formats are concerned, while there maybe certain benefits the individual formats (rpm/deb/etc) have over another format(s), as a user it's probably not going to matter very much. Both rpm and deb packages essentially do the same thing, install files so you can use your package manager to easily install/update/uninstall stuff.

I agree with DavidMcCann in that openSUSE probably has the best implementation of KDE around - I was using it for a number years, but moved to a different distro (at least a couple) instead. IHMO openSUSE seems to favour having the latest and greatest over providing a stable system - which is why I switched distro's.

@YesItsMe,

Great article you linked there! I'd never even heard of some of distro's in it. Thanks!