KDE Connect links Android with the Plasma desktop
Building Bridges
© Lead Image © Giuseppe Iera, 123RF.com
KDE Connect bridges the gap between mobile devices and the KDE desktop, allowing the exchange of notifications, files, and URLs between devices.
KDE developers have been working for more than a year to extend KDE Plasma to the mobile world. The current project, under the name Plasma Mobile, is geared to provide a free platform for mobile devices some time in the future, thus acting as an alternative to existing platforms [1]. Since Google Summer of Code 2015 (GSoC 015), an application has connected Android and BlackBerry devices with the Plasma desktop and supported some reciprocal functional control.
Spanish developer Albert Vaca aptly dubbed the application KDE Connect [2], which is available for Linux and FreeBSD, with clients for Android and BlackBerry. An iOS version is currently being built, as well. Users can meaningfully connect PCs, notebooks, tablets, and smartphones on the home network. Additionally, extensions for Firefox [3] and Chrome [4] send URLs from the desktop to Android devices. With the kdeconnect-cli command, you can control KDE Connect in a terminal (Figure 1).
In September 2016, KDE Connect reached version 1.0, which incorporates several important innovations. Most distributions are not packaging this version right now, but that is likely to change in the near future. The associated packages in the archives of the distributions are typically named kdeconnect; for Ubuntu – depending on the version – this is kdeconnect-kde or kdeconnect-plasma. If necessary, you can build the latest 1.0.1 version from source code.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
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
-
Linux Mint 22.3 Now Available with New Tools
Linux Mint 22.3 has been released with a pair of new tools for system admins and some pretty cool new features.
-
New Linux Malware Targets Cloud-Based Linux Installations
VoidLink, a new Linux malware, should be of real concern because of its stealth and customization.
-
Say Goodbye to Middle-Mouse Paste
Both Gnome and Firefox have proposed getting rid of a long-time favorite Linux feature.
-
Manjaro 26.0 Primary Desktop Environments Default to Wayland
If you want to stick with X.Org, you'll be limited to the desktop environments you can choose.
-
Mozilla Plans to AI-ify Firefox
With a new CEO in control, Mozilla is doubling down on a strategy of trust, all the while leaning into AI.
-
Gnome Says No to AI-Generated Extensions
If you're a developer wanting to create a new Gnome extension, you'd best set aside that AI code generator, because the extension team will have none of that.
-
Parrot OS Switches to KDE Plasma Desktop
Yet another distro is making the move to the KDE Plasma desktop.
-
TUXEDO Announces Gemini 17
TUXEDO Computers has released the fourth generation of its Gemini laptop with plenty of updates.
-
Two New Distros Adopt Enlightenment
MX Moksha and AV Linux 25 join ranks with Bodhi Linux and embrace the Enlightenment desktop.
-
Solus Linux 4.8 Removes Python 2
Solus Linux 4.8 has been released with the latest Linux kernel, updated desktops, and a key removal.