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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.
I don't know if it's my age or what but KDE always seems to tout something along the lines of "new workflows" but when I update I use it the same way I always have. Am I missing something?
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.
I haven't even looked at the latest stuff, so I'm not commenting on KDE of today. But for many releases (including 3 for sure) see topic, it just looked like someone sneezed out all the widgets into every dialog. I'm all for settings, but I don't just want them thrown at the pages to see what sticks, and have it turn out to be all of them.
GNOME was the clear default choice for years because KDE was a blizzard. But then GNOME went too far in the candy-coated direction and started taking things away...
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
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?
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.
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 ?!?
Non-Linux Penguins ?
Dude, KDE is not Linux.
As for must-have devices and must-have software, I'm guessing they are windows only and you seem to think that drivers get magically written without docs and linux, err...KDE devs can somehow port proprietary programs to run on their "OS" without support from the company that owns the software?
Good troll though...
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.
You forgot to mention the part where you masturbated vigorously at the thought of your own trolling.
That reminds me, I need to delete the ISO.
Yes, yes, thanks for reminding us how clearly superior to the rest of us you are.
The thing you miss is that most of the Linux users you show clear disdain for happen to have a different set of values to you. This is based in the knowledge of their systems where substance is more valuable than form. Yes it has issues, yes it is frustrating but it is also the communities software and it has never stopped me from getting work done, actually it is far more maleable than macs and allows me productivity your system will not allow - because it's outside the norm.
Seems to me that many Linux users have accepted thier systems will never achieve the popularity of large, vapid, commercial systems, in exchange for substantial power over their environment. Personally I prefer gnome however I'll try other WMs. Frankly the mac interface annoys me as a VM as much as KDE, but I like the BSD system mac is built on. Sure that community has some pretty vocal arguments about how the Linux should be however that's is because the community controls it. Laugh at us if you will however I'll take the useability issues over losing my freedom thanks plus I will have budget for a substantially more powerful spec machine than you can afford as a mac user.
Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
You missed his point entirely without really giving details on your own. He was saying that redefining well established workflows in vain attempts to simplify already simple things (eg file management) is a plague that's been dogging the entire industry for the last decade or so. Needed functionality and intuitive controls (and even hotkeys) are being stripped away to bottom out the learning curve. This is done intentionally to make the desktop as dependent on 'web services' as mobile devices.
Corporates don't want to have to retrain their employees on remedial computer skills. This is one of the main reasons windows 8 bombed, and why there's still resistance on windows 10 (hint: it's not just about the start menu).
As far as apis for games go, it's really not that hard, especially with SDL. Even if not, ALSA, opengl, and keyboard/mouse/pad input are well understood. Wayland may upgrade the graphics stack to something more modern, but that shouldn't affect games much unless it adds an exclusive fullscreen mode.
Agreed. They keep fucking about with it and making it worse in the process. More clicks, more pointless windows to dig through, pointless flash in the GUI that takes up more desktop space, and removal of useful features and customization ability are common themes in each new release.