KDE Plasma 5.7 Released (neowin.net)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Neowin: Earlier today, the KDE project released KDE Plasma 5.7, its popular Linux desktop environment. The update brings improved workflows, better kiosk support, a new system tray and task manager, and further steps towards Wayland windowing system. New live images of KDE Neon have been spun which feature the all-new Plasma 5.7, and other distributions will get the new software sometime in the future based on their release model. Plasma 5.7 builds on the jump List Actions that were introduced in Plasma 5.6, which allowed users to use certain tasks within the application; now the feature has been extended and those actions are present in Krunner. Another change which improves workflow is the return of the agenda view in the calendar, providing users with a quick and easily accessible overview of upcoming appointments and holidays. The volume control applet in the system tray is now able to control volume on a per-application basis; it even allows the user to move application sound output between devices by just drag and dropping. The Wayland window manager -- which has been kicking around for at least half a decade -- still isn't the default window manager on many Linux distributions, mainly because desktop environment (DE) developers are still making their DE work properly with it. With KDE Plasma 5.7, support for the windowing system is greatly improved, especially when it comes to tear-free and flicker-free rendering, as well as security. The image can be found here via KDE.

Comments

But when will we get any decent programs ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Ho hum... yet again it's another pointless reinvention of the desktop wheel. Seriously when are the Linux programmers going to stop fucking about with the desktop metaphor (which was perfectly usable back in the Windows 98 days) and write some damned programs ? So that Linux on the desktop might actually be worth using ?

It's all very well continually re writing the system tray, continually re writing a basic file explorer, continually rewriting desktop messaging, support systems etc. etc. etc. but where are the programs to actually get something done ?

KDE was good enough as a desktop design about 10 years ago. Since then it's just been pointless rewrite after pointless rewrite. It's like watching a kid who's made a perfectly good model boat continually smashing it up and rebuilding it just for the hell of it. Fun for the kid, no fun for his brother who just wants to take the damned thing to the local lake and you nkow actually sail it and have some fun !

If the people who work on this stuff spent even 50% of their time actually writing something useful then maybe, just maybe, we can finally get rid of the Windows spyware that infest the majority of home computers.

But no... here's the new KDE/Gnome etc. with yet another new way of doing the SAME OLD SHIT.

Re:But when will we get any decent programs ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Gee, heart surgeons need to quit coming up with new techniques for saving lives with heart surgery and switch to using those sewing and cutting skills on making clothing! lol.

Seriously, I get that you don't understand why the desktop is being rebuilt and improved when you don't see the bigger picture. Thing is, KDE is rewriting their code to support Wayland -- which is a vast improvement over X Windows and necessary for a lot of future programs. X Windows is inherently insecure and causes a lot of graphics issues. We'll never get gaming on linux of decent quality if we stick to X Windows forever. Someone has to re-write the desktop environment to work with the new, better way of doing things so programmers for games can have a better API to work with.

Yeah, I don't give a crap about KDE's "Workflow" BS either... but, corporations do. They also care about locking down settings... so, KDE's been working on those, too. But, they did re-write their audio output for per-program sliders, which is an improvement. They did some other things on the back end to help future compatibility with Wayland.

I mostly use Cinnamon as my DE, but KDE does a really good job of delivering the bleeding edge of what linux is capable of, so don't knock it just because you don't fully understand the difference between the various versions and the reasons for the re-writes.

KDE is the Premire Linux Desktop.

[Zombie Ryushu]

I feel as if KDE is the beset Desktop Environment Linux ever produced. with maybe the exception of KDE 2, it has been one of the most methodical, configurable environment there is. It should have been the defacto Environment space for Linux.

Re:KDE is the Premire Linux Desktop.

[Sadsfae]

It's really come a long way in 5.x, and the themes and compositing are downright beautiful. I do feel it tries to do too much as with most current desktop environments however, or at least it's a bit too much for me. Luckily the KDE Devs made KWIN modular enough to be used with other more classic, lightweight DE's like XFCE - I prefer using KWIN compositing with XFCE. I can get all the theming, graphical enhancements and feel with the simplicity and speed of XFCE.

I miss KDE pre 5

[Maow]

I resisted the upgrade to plasma 5 as long as possible because I didn't like the changes I saw (particularly the flat design, and the lack of discoverability: I want tabs clearly defined, I don't like a thin blue line under a menu item to show me it's selected, etc ad nauseam).

I just hope this newer version gets to a spot where I love it as much as I loved QT4 version - it was so close to perfect.

And honest question: does anyone, anywhere run KDE on a tablet or a kiosk? Great if so, but honestly, is it used anywhere?

Will it remember where I put my windows ?

[dargaud]

KDE 4 was awesome for work. I could have tens of programs open on various desktops, plenty of konsole with tabs opened in bash in various directories, and after a reboot it would reopen everything in the same places (correct position and desktop) and even the same directories.

Not so with KDE5. A few programs reopen, placed completely randomly (wrong desktops). Most don't reopen. Konsole won't reopen. It's been buggy like that ever since. So IS IT FIXED NOW ?!?

Nice release

[LichtSpektren]

I've not been so hot about KDE in the past because it's been such a resource hog compared to MATE and Xfce, but I gave 5.7 a try and it's actually really nice. I have a few grumbles (e.g. I'd rather double click in Dolphin to enter a new directory than single click) but overall I'm satisfied. Also with a bit of customization, it looks really sexy on my 4K monitor.