KDE is one of the most popular free and open-source desktop environments for the Linux universe. KDE developers have focused on user interface design for the latest years, and they brought the Linux users KDE Plasma, the fifth generation of KDE. KDE Plasma comes out with the new default theme « Breeze » which has both light and dark versions. With the new release, KDE needs less power consumption and provides a better visual with the help of QML that uses OpenGL for hardware acceleration.
Is KDE Plasma good?
KDE Plasma is a very good desktop environment because it helps the users to have a better Linux experience. With KDE Plasma, it is easy to navigate through the windows, run any tool, work with different workspaces, and find any tool for daily work, thanks to the KDE components.
Which Linux distros have KDE Plasma?
Many Linux distributions bring KDE Plasma as the default desktop environment, such as Kubuntu, KDE Neon, Slackware, and Garuda. Other distros such as Fedora, Arch Linux, OpenSUSE, Debian, MX Linux, Endeavour OS, Manjaro, and many more provide KDE Plasma as an option.
The Ubuntu users can use KDE Plasma by installing the relevant packages. But it is also another option to install Kubuntu directly, without installing any additional packages on the system. The first letter, « K » expresses KDE Plasma, which means Kubuntu is an Ubuntu flavor offering KDE Plasma Workspace experience for Linux users.
Is KDE Plasma stable?
KDE Plasma is a very stable desktop environment for home and office use. The developers also test the builds very carefully before releasing them. In any case of a crash, there is also a reporting module that helps the developers to discover and fix the issues for the next releases.
Is KDE Plasma heavy or lightweight?
Previous versions of KDE Plasma were kind of heavy. But with the newest versions, the developers aim to optimize the codes, and now KDE Plasma consumes less system resources, making it a lightweight desktop environment.
What is KDE Plasma based on?
KDE Plasma 5 is based on Qt 5 and KDE Frameworks 5, also called « plasma-framework ». The graphical shell can adjust itself according to the device installed to improve the user experience. It also supports HiDPI displays.
How do I get KDE Plasma?
There are several ways to get KDE Plasma. The easiest way is to download the distributions with Plasma and KDE Applications. The other way is downloading the KDE Plasma packages to your actual Linux distribution.
What is the difference between KDE neon and KDE Plasma?
The difference between KDE neon and KDE Plasma is that KDE Plasma is the latest version of the popular desktop environment KDE. KDE neon is the official Linux distribution developed by the KDE Plasma team. KDE neon provides the latest stable KDE Plasma version to Linux users.
Does KDE Plasma use Wayland?
Wayland is a display server protocol developed for replacing X11 as the primary windowing system on Linux OS. For now, Wayland is not considered a direct successor of X11, but there are too many projects to achieve it. X11 was designed for use cases about three decades ago. Today the technology is evolving, and KDE Plasma needs Wayland support as they hit the limitations of X11. The developers claim that Wayland will simplify the architecture and offer much-vanished visuals.
Linux users can try Wayland support in the KDE Plasma in a tech-preview state. In brief, for now, KDE Plasma does not directly support Wayland; it still uses X11. Also, Kwin 5.4 can manage Wayland clients, allowing starting a Plasma session on Wayland.
KDE Plasma screenshot
