Plasma 6, is the next and most important release of KDE that is expected in this 2023
The developers of the KDE project recently announced that they have decided to make some changes to the default settings of the upcoming release of "KDE Plasma 6", which is expected in the fall of 2023.
Among the planned changes, one of the most important is that KDE Plasma 6 will use a Wayland session by default, and X11 support will be moved to the options category . With this change, users and distributions can revert to using an X11-based session if they wish.
To coordinate the transition to Wayland, a wiki page has been created with a list of the main problems observed in a Wayland-based session. Some of the more notable bugs include issues with windows restoring on session resume, non-Qt applications terminating when the server crashes, missing color management tools, and issues specific to systems with NVIDIA graphics cards.
Another notable change is that, by default , the panel will be in floating mode , which has visible padding between the panel and the screen edges, giving the user environment a distinctive look (after the introduction of a panel similar to the old KDE panel in Windows 11, some users believe that KDE copies the look of Windows, even though KDE offered a similar panel long before Windows 11).
In addition, it's mentioned that opening files and directories will now require a double-click by default , instead of a single click as before, which will simplify the transition for users of other systems. If needed, the previous behavior can be reverted in the settings.
Task view in Plamsa 6
Furthermore, it's mentioned that the task switching interface will be changed. The need for vertical scrolling, even with a small number of windows, is cited as a reason for replacing the old Breeze Task Switcher. The new "Thumbnail Grid" interface will allow users to see all available windows at once, without wasting time scrolling.
In the new interface, in addition to the window thumbnails, application icons will be displayed, which will simplify navigation for those who are used to identifying programs by their icons, and not by a textual name. Also, the task switcher will be unlinked from the global theme, allowing you to change the theme without fear of the task switcher being replaced along with it.
Of the other changes mentioned:
- It was decided to highlight the title area of the active window with the color used in the selected design theme to highlight the active elements (accent). Previously, a shade of gray was used for this purpose, but in this case there were problems with the visual separation of the active window from the inactive ones.
- It was decided to remove switching virtual desktops when trying to scroll the desktop. This feature was confusing for many users, especially if the switch was made to the desktop with windows open and it was not possible to go back. For those who are used to this mode, it can be returned in the settings.
- It will be possible to quickly change the position in the window by clicking on the scroll area, which will allow you to do it without dragging the scroll bar with the mouse.
- It is planned to remove the separation between the “Folder” and “Desktop” desktop plugin types. Since the differences between plugins with the desktop type are limited to placing icons directly on the desktop, Plasma 6 intends to simply display a “show icons on desktop” option instead of separating the types.
Finally, it's worth mentioning that the KDE developers have also discussed extending the release cycle for new releases. Instead of the previous model of three releases per year, they are considering switching to two releases per year . It's noted that the three-release schedule isn't convenient for distributions, which don't always have enough time to refine their packages.
The KDE developers intend to switch to a 6-month release cycle once the Plasma 6 branch has more or less stabilized. The release schedule is planned to align with the development timelines of major Linux distributions, similar to the GNOME project.
Finally, if you are interested in learning more, you can find the details in the original publication at the following link.