KDE Plasma 5

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KDE Plasma 5
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The KDE Plasma 5 desktop
Developer(s) KDE
Initial release 15 July 2014; 10 years ago (2014-07-15)[1]
Stable release 5.6.4 (10 May 2016; 8 years ago (2016-05-10)) [±][2]
Preview release 5.6 Beta (2 March 2016; 9 years ago (2016-03-02)) [±][3]
Written in C++, QML
Operating system Unix-like
Platform FreeBSD and Linux
Type Desktop environment
License GPL 2.0 or later[4]
Website kde.org/plasma-desktop

KDE Plasma 5 is the fifth and current generation of the graphical workspaces environment created by KDE primarily for Linux systems. KDE Plasma 5 is the successor of KDE Plasma 4 and was first released on 15 July 2014.[1][5][6]

It includes a new default theme, known as "Breeze", as well as increased convergence across different devices. The graphical interface was fully migrated to QML, which uses OpenGL for hardware acceleration, which resulted in better performance and reduced power consumption.[1][5]

Plasma Mobile is a Plasma 5 variant for Linux-based smartphones.

Overview

File:KDE Mascot Konqi for Plasma Desktop.png
KDE's mascot Konqi and Plasma desktop

Software architecture

KDE Plasma 5 is built using Qt 5 and KDE Frameworks 5,[7] predominantly plasma-framework.[8]

It improves support for HiDPI displays and ships a convergable graphical shell, which can adjust itself according to the device in use. 5.0 also includes a new default theme, dubbed Breeze. Qt 5's QtQuick 2 uses a hardware-accelerated OpenGL(ES) scene graph (canvas) to compose and render graphics on the screen, which allows for the offloading of computationally expensive graphics rendering tasks onto the GPU, freeing up resources on the system's main CPU.[1]

Windowing systems

File:XWayland KDE Plasma screenshot.png
KDE Plasma 5 running under Wayland

KDE Plasma 5.0 uses the X Window System. Support for Wayland was prepared in the compositor and planned for a later release.[1] It was made initially available in the 5.4 release.[9] Stable support for a basic Wayland session was provided in the 5.5 release (December 2015).[10]

Support for NVIDIA proprietary driver for Plasma on Wayland was added in the 5.16 release (June 2019).[11]

Development

Since the split of the KDE Software Compilation into KDE Plasma, KDE Frameworks and KDE Applications, each subproject can develop at its own pace.[12] KDE Plasma 5 is on its own release schedule, with feature releases every three-to-four months, and bugfix releases in the intervening months.

Desktop features

File:KDE Arch.png
KDE Plasma with the Breeze Dark theme, with Konsole and Dolphin, core KDE applications.
  • KRunner – Search feature with several available plugins. In addition to quick launching apps, it searches files and folders, and performs numerous other tasks such as foreign currency conversion and measurement conversion. It also functions as a calculator.[13]
  • Activities – "virtual desktops", which have their own layouts and wallpapers. They can be named and navigated through the Activities menu.
  • Customize desktops, layouts and panels on multiple monitors
  • Widgets, called "Plasmoids", can be added to the panel or desktop
  • Dolphin file manager – bulk rename files, can be customized through "service menus" that add new functions to the context menu[14]
  • Session Management
  • Spectacle – for making screenshots

Linux distributions using Plasma

Plasma 5 is a default desktop environment (or one of the defaults) on Linux distributions, such as:

History

The first Technology Preview of Plasma 5 (at that time called Plasma 2) was released on 13 December 2013.[26] On 15 July 2014, the first release version – Plasma 5.0 – saw the light of day.[1] In spring 2015, Plasma 5 replaced Plasma 4 in many popular distributions, such as Fedora 22,[27] Kubuntu 15.04,[28] and openSUSE Tumbleweed.[29]

Releases

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See also: KDE Software Compilation § Release cycle

Feature releases are released every four months (up to 5.8 every three months) and bugfix releases in the intervening months.[12] Following version 5.8 LTS KDE plans to support each new LTS version for 18 months with bug fixes, while new regular releases will see feature improvements.[30]

Plasma 5 releases
Version Date Key features
Old version, no longer supported: 5.0[1] 15 Jul 2014 First release.
Old version, no longer supported: 5.1[31] 15 Oct 2014 Ported missing features from Plasma 4.
Old version, no longer supported: 5.2[32] 27 Jan 2015 New components:
  • BlueDevil – integrates Bluetooth technology within Plasma and KDE Applications
  • KSSHAskPass – front-end for ssh-add which stores the password of the ssh key in KWallet
  • Muon – a collection of package management tools for Debian-based systems, using the apt-xapian index and the Synaptic search algorithm
  • sddm-kcm – config module for SDDM themes
  • KScreen – screen management software[33] Hooks into KDE System Settings, makes use of KDE Daemon and KGlobalAccel
  • kde-gtk-config – GTK 2 and 3 style configurator
  • KDecoration – a plugin-based library to create window decorations. These window decorations can be used by window manager which re-parents a client window to a window decoration frame.
Old version, no longer supported: 5.3[34] 28 Apr 2015 Tech preview of Plasma Media Center. New Bluetooth and touchpad applets. Enhanced power management.
Old version, no longer supported: 5.4[35] 25 Aug 2015 Initial Wayland session,[9] new QML-based audio volume applet, and alternative full-screen application launcher.[36]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.5[37] 8 Dec 2015 Improved Wayland support.[38][39]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.6[40] 22 Mar 2016 Increased security.[41]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.7[42] 5 Jul 2016 Wayland: "basic workflows now fully functional". Automatic virtual keyboard.[42]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.8 LTS[43] 4 Oct 2016 Long Term Support version.[44][45]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.9[46] 31 Jan 2017 Wayland improvements,[47] global menu support.[48]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.10[49] 30 May 2017 Performance improvements.[50]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.11[51] 7 Nov 2017 System Settings redesign.[51] Notification history.[51] Added Plasma Vaults.[52] Wayland improvements.[53]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.12 LTS[54] 6 Feb 2018 Increased stability and speed. Wayland improvements.[54]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.13[55] 12 Jun 2018 Integration with non-KDE web browsers; new lock and login screens; improved Discover appearance; new screen layout selection dialog upon connection of a new screen.[56]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.14[57] 9 Oct 2018 GTK global menu integration. Wayland improvements.[57]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.15[58] 12 Feb 2019 Wayland now supports virtual desktops, touch drag-and-drop; and foundations: XdgStable, XdgPopups and XdgDecoration protocols are now fully implemented.[58]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.16[11] 11 Jun 2019 Revamped notification system with Do Not Disturb, grouping in history, critical notifications in fullscreen apps, and better file transfer progress notifications; support for the NVIDIA proprietary driver on Wayland; full support for WireGuard VPNs; full touchpad configurability on X11 with Libinput; modernized login, lock, and logout screens; UI improvements throughout Plasma and Discover[11]
Old version, no longer supported: 5.17[59] 15 Oct 2019 Night Color available for X11. Plasma now recognizes when a program is running in full-screen mode and prevents pop-ups. Wayland: Plasma now comes with fractional scaling.[59]
Older version, yet still supported: 5.18 LTS[60] 11 Feb 2020 Easier system settings. Interactive notifications. Emojis. New wallpapers. Improved GTK app integration.
Old version, no longer supported: 5.19[61] 9 Jun 2020 New system monitoring widgets. New Info Center app. Improved System Tray visuals and interaction. Timezones visible in clock pop-up. Inline reply function for notifications from supported apps. Global animation speed setting.
Old version, no longer supported: 5.20[62] 13 Oct 2020 S.M.A.R.T. disk monitoring. "Highlight changed settings" feature in System Settings. Icons-Only Task Manager and clock shows date by default. Redesigned status OSDs. More options and improvements for switching between grouped Task Manager tasks. Window corner-tiling shortcuts. Adjustable per-channel audio balance. Middle-click on notifications icon to enter Do Not Disturb mode. Wayland: support for screencasting, shared clipboard, middle-click paste, window thumbnails, and adjusting the scrolling speed.
Old version, no longer supported: 5.21[63] 16 Feb 2021 New application launcher. Applications theme improvements (unified headerbar). Breeze Twilight, a new variant of Breeze with a mix of dark and light scheme. New Plasma System Monitor. Code refactor for KWin and Wayland with support for virtual keyboard on GTK applications. New Plasma Firewall menu and improved System Settings. Media Player widget’s layout has been improved and now includes the list of applications currently playing music in the header as a tab bar.
Current stable version: 5.22[64] 8 Jun 2021 Adaptive Transparency to the panel, improved applets and widgets, improvements to KRunner, Plasma Wayland sessions improved.
Future release: 5.23
Legend:
Old version
Older version, still supported
Latest version
Latest preview version
Future release

Future Planning

Plasma 6: According to the official schedule,[65] "Following 5.18 LTS, our next Plasma 5 LTS will likely be at the same time as the first Plasma 6 release, no date has been set yet".

Gallery

  • Default lock screen of Plasma 5

  • Plasma 5 showing KRunner and display management

  • Power management and keyboard brightness OSD

  • Shutdown screen of Plasma 5

  • Simple-desktop-display-manager-kde.png

    Login screen of Plasma 5

  • Kde-system-settings.png

    Plasma System Settings

References

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External links

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. ↑ 42.0 42.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. ↑ https://blogs.kde.org/2017/01/31/plasma-510-spring-loading-folder-view-performance-work
  51. ↑ 51.0 51.1 51.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. ↑ 54.0 54.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. ↑ 57.0 57.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  58. ↑ 58.0 58.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  59. ↑ 59.0 59.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  61. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  62. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  63. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  64. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  65. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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