Bound to happen as Ubuntu is moving to Unity and KDE isn't. There
will be support, just not in the same way and possibly not driven as
fast - depends who takes up the reins !!

For those who knock Unity based on the current Ubuntu versions need to
bear in mind it's a 'work-in-progress' and save their final comments
until 12.04LTS is released. I suspect we'll see quite a different
beast to the Unity many are struggling with right now.

Yes. But it does not mean much. Kubuntu is basically just KDE with Kubuntu
branding. The team is comprised mostly of KDE developers and Canonical has
only minor representation. It has always been that way. What this means is
that Canonical is re-assigning developers and has been devoting its energy
to Unity. They have never wanted Kubuntu to succeed, so it is no surprise
that it has not lived up to their expectations. Kubuntu has always been the
unloved child.

I would not be surprised to see at some point down the road further
distancing of the other *buntus as Ubuntu wants to establish itself as a
brand and not just one in a crowd. I think that Canonical's vision is to
make Unity like Android. It is Linux underneath, but they do not want
anybody to know. This is just personal opinion.

Lubuntu (as is Xubuntu) is a community distro, so the model can work for
Kubuntu. I am not bothered by the decision. I like one less Canonical
finger in the pie. I feel sorry for Jonathan Riddell, though. It was his
life's blood and he did great work.

The interesting thing is that one does not have to switch to Mint or
re-install. You just add the Mint repositories to an existing Ubuntu based
distro. It works in reverse, too. You can install Mint and install Xubuntu
if you want.

Does this mean that:

a) Kubuntu will no longer be supported after this April,
b) Mint KDE will also disappear?

I expect to see Ubuntu further distance itself from the other
'buntus'.
KBD47

At the risk of appearing picky, KDE Plasma Workspaces is a desktop
environment as is Unity. KDE cannot run on Unity or vice versa.

Canonical is making a statement with this decision. It is only one
developer, but it is saying that they believe in Unity and only Unity. They
do not want any distractions.

Ubuntu critics who think that Ubuntu is going back can give up. Canonical
is trying to separate Ubuntu from other distributions, including their own.

One good thing, at least, is Unity 2D was writ on top of qt. I am
guessing that adding the KDE desktop to an existing Ubuntu
installation should no longer involve re-adding several kitchen sinks
if the qt framework is in place from the get go. Or here's to hoping,
anyway...

Yes and of you want less overhead there is Razor-QT which is not final yet,
but is usable.

Next time I want to say something, I'll keep my mouth shut! Tell the world
I love Kubuntu and two days later, the world blows up.

Well, I know Kubuntu will still be here. And I'm sticking with it. I didn't even
know Canonical was paying to support it, I thought it was like the other
*buntus. I expect it to keep moving forward, and isn't it a dam good thing that
12.04 is an LTS version! We'll have lots of time to see what happens.

Please help me understand what is about to happen. Will there be one
more round of long term Kubuntu and no more afterwards, or will it cease
to exist and cease to be supported when Ubuntu 12.04 appears in April?

Nothing has changed for the user. The lone paid developer will be
reassigned after 12.04. There are 20 plus developers. What you will notice
is that Kubuntu will move to the universe section of the repositories, but
it will still be available as an ISO and as a desktop option in Ubuntu.
Kubuntu will be officially what it has been unofficially forever, a
community distro.

KDE 4.8 is the best KDE ever and exactly what I need and want. I am not
knocking other choices.

I don't need to compromise with Kubuntu. I get the best of both worlds. I
can take what I want from Ubuntu, Mint or anything in PPAs. And I get a
very configurable DE that works my way.

I have used other distros extensively, but have always gone back to
Kubuntu. It has not been perfect, but it has been one step ahead of the
competition.

I have seen what Canonical has done to Ubuntu in the same time frame and am
thankful that they have kept their hands off Kubuntu.