Debian 12 to Ship with KDE Plasma 5.27
The Debian development team has shifted to the latest version of KDE for their testing branch.
In a break from tradition, Debian is opting to go with the newest version of the KDE Plasma desktop for the testing branch. This goes against their previous method of exhaustive testing before a piece of software is released with a distribution.
Debian is well known for shipping applications that seem to be out of date. The reason behind this is the focus of the "mother of all" distributions is primarily on stability. To that end, the developers have always ensured each release includes only software that can be trusted to run without problems.
For those who prefer to use more up-to-date software, you can always install it manually but in some instances – such as with a desktop environment – that can get a bit tricky.
So, if you prefer Debian with an up-to-date KDE Plasma desktop environment, you'll be able to enjoy that very thing by using the Debian testing branch.
That version is Debian 12 (Bookworm). And given that Bookworm is already in a soft freeze state, it's pretty certain KDE Plasma 5.27 will wind up being the official release once Bookworm is out of testing.
KDE Plasma 5.27 includes the new tiling window manager, a much-improved Discover app store, tons of bug fixes, and top to bottom refinements of the desktop. This release also ships with KDE Frameworks 5.103 and KDE Gear 22.12.3.
To find out more about the Debian 12 release, read the official release plan. Bookworm will hit the hard freeze state this month (around March 12). The full freeze and release dates have yet to be announced.
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
-
Latest Cinnamon Desktop Releases with a Bold New Look
Just in time for the holidays, the developer of the Cinnamon desktop has shipped a new release to help spice up your eggnog with new features and a new look.
-
Armbian 24.11 Released with Expanded Hardware Support
If you've been waiting for Armbian to support OrangePi 5 Max and Radxa ROCK 5B+, the wait is over.
-
SUSE Renames Several Products for Better Name Recognition
SUSE has been a very powerful player in the European market, but it knows it must branch out to gain serious traction. Will a name change do the trick?
-
ESET Discovers New Linux Malware
WolfsBane is an all-in-one malware that has hit the Linux operating system and includes a dropper, a launcher, and a backdoor.
-
New Linux Kernel Patch Allows Forcing a CPU Mitigation
Even when CPU mitigations can consume precious CPU cycles, it might not be a bad idea to allow users to enable them, even if your machine isn't vulnerable.
-
Red Hat Enterprise Linux 9.5 Released
Notify your friends, loved ones, and colleagues that the latest version of RHEL is available with plenty of enhancements.
-
Linux Sees Massive Performance Increase from a Single Line of Code
With one line of code, Intel was able to increase the performance of the Linux kernel by 4,000 percent.
-
Fedora KDE Approved as an Official Spin
If you prefer the Plasma desktop environment and the Fedora distribution, you're in luck because there's now an official spin that is listed on the same level as the Fedora Workstation edition.
-
New Steam Client Ups the Ante for Linux
The latest release from Steam has some pretty cool tricks up its sleeve.
-
Gnome OS Transitioning Toward a General-Purpose Distro
If you're looking for the perfectly vanilla take on the Gnome desktop, Gnome OS might be for you.