FOSSPicks
FOSSPicks

Nate explores the top FOSS including the latest Plasma desktop, an app to turn your cellphone into a ham radio, and the last word in digital audio workstations.
Desktop environment
KDE Plasma
As a Linux user, I've always managed to sit on the fence in the Gnome versus KDE debate because my daily driver is Lubuntu, which uses LXQt. Still, KDE releases usually are accompanied by a lot of online fanfare. For instance, when version 6 was released in February, it represented the first major version in a decade. Upgrades included defaulting to the Wayland protocol and improved HDR support. Users could also once again use the famous 3D cube animation to switch between virtual desktops. (This feature had been removed in Plasma 5.2.3 in 2021). For the first time, Plasma also supported logins using both a fingerprint and a password at the same time.
Other changes were more subtle, such as a floating panel and customizable results in Plasma search. In the latest version (6.2.1), there's also been a fix to a bug that could cause widget pop-ups to be clipped at the edges of the desktop. The developers have resolved an issue that could cause the desktop switcher onscreen display to fail to appear. Accent colors have been tweaked, along with the System Tray and Widget Explorer, to give Plasma dialogs and pop-ups a more consistent look and feel.
There's also hugely improved support for graphic and drawing tablets. Plasma now has a range of configuration options, a setup wizard, and even a dedicated testing mode to delight aspiring artists. The update also includes improved power management features. Users can now override certain apps such as media players that could otherwise prevent the OS from entering sleep mode or locking the screen. The bundled battery applet now supports three different power profiles: Power Save, Normal, and Performance. According to the release notes on kde.org, users can cycle through these by holding Super+B. However, when I ran KDE neon in a live virtual machine (VM) it said the power profile wasn't available. Plasma has also changed the way it manages updates. Users can still choose to restart after upgrades are applied, but there's now an extra option to shut down your device instead.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
LibreOffice 25.2 Has Arrived
If you've been hoping for a release that offers more UI customizations, you're in for a treat.
-
TuxCare Has a Big AlmaLinux 9 Announcement in Store
TuxCare announced it has successfully completed a Security Technical Implementation Guide for AlmaLinux OS 9.
-
First Release Candidate for Linux Kernel 6.14 Now Available
Linus Torvalds has officially released the first release candidate for kernel 6.14 and it includes over 500,000 lines of modified code, making for a small release.
-
System76 Refreshes Meerkat Mini PC
If you're looking for a small form factor PC powered by Linux, System76 has exactly what you need in the Meerkat mini PC.
-
Gnome 48 Alpha Ready for Testing
The latest Gnome desktop alpha is now available with plenty of new features and improvements.
-
Wine 10 Includes Plenty to Excite Users
With its latest release, Wine has the usual crop of bug fixes and improvements, along with some exciting new features.
-
Linux Kernel 6.13 Offers Improvements for AMD/Apple Users
The latest Linux kernel is now available, and it includes plenty of improvements, especially for those who use AMD or Apple-based systems.
-
Gnome 48 Debuts New Audio Player
To date, the audio player found within the Gnome desktop has been meh at best, but with the upcoming release that all changes.
-
Plasma 6.3 Ready for Public Beta Testing
Plasma 6.3 will ship with KDE Gear 24.12.1 and KDE Frameworks 6.10, along with some new and exciting features.
-
Budgie 10.10 Scheduled for Q1 2025 with a Surprising Desktop Update
If Budgie is your desktop environment of choice, 2025 is going to be a great year for you.