I installed Kubuntu but because so many tutorials and instructions on the net are for Ubuntu, I want to start over again and install Ubuntu to make life a little easier while I'm learning. But I'm hoping all my documents in the home folder will still be there after the install. If I make sure not to reformat the partition where my home folders are located, will everything still be there after the install of Ubuntu over Kubuntu is complete?


Also, I've been using Kontact for email. If I install Ubuntu, I'm assuming they'll be a different email program, and Kontact won't run under Gnome. Is that correct, that Kontact doesn't run under Gnome? (All the programs that start with K only run under KDE; is that right or wrong?)


And whether or not that's true, can you tell me whether there's a common email storage file system in Ubuntu whereby I can simply backup a file or directory, and then reinstall it so that a new program can now access all my old email? In other words on my WinXP system I can move the outlook.pst file and from one PC to another and access all my old email and accounts, etc. Is there a corresponding mechanism to do this on linux?

Thanks so much.

Tell you what, Peter. How about instead of a reinstall, you just install Gnome alongside KDE? You can do that by simply apt-getting (or using Synaptic) ubuntu-desktop.

This will give you the option, at login time, of KDE or Gnome, whichever you prefer. And the kicker? Your KDE programs will run just fine. Because you haven't removed the KDE libraries that they need to run.

Also, running Gnome or not, you can run any KDE app and vice versa, the package manager will download the required support files for the programs.

RolledOat

Thank you very much.

I started the Adept package manager and after forty-five minutes of intensive downloading dozens and dozens of packages for 'ubuntu-desktop,' Adept got stuck at "Preparing . . .," which I assume is short for "preparing to install." It's stuck at 0%, and I've rebooted and tried again several times to no avail.

Can you tell me how to determine why the application is stalling, and/or what I need to do to get Adept to complete the installation of ubuntu-desktop?

Thanks again.

It turns out that on the far-right of the Adept "Preparing . . ." progress bar there was a button for "Hide Details," which was, in fact, hiding a dialogue box that was waiting for input. It was a terminal-like box that was asking whether I wanted to use kde or gnu (iirc); that's what was holding up the install of ubuntu-desktop.

Thanks again.

Yup there are some bugs here and there (not too many), but there's also a wealth of software and freedom.
Yes. These pieces of information are stored in hidden folders under your $HOME folder.

I don't use Kontact, and I'm proposing you're on Ubuntu (GNOME) now.
Click the main menu: "Places --> Home Folder". That will open Nautilus.
In Nautilus, click Ctrl+h to show the hidden files and folders. Those names start with a dot.
Chances are, there is a ".kontact" folder. You can copy it to another PC, into that one's $HOME folder.