KDE Plasma 6
KDE Plasma 6 is the sixth generation of the KDE Plasma desktop environment. It is the successor of KDE Plasma 5 and was first released on 28 February 2024.[1]
![]() | |
![]() The KDE Plasma 6 desktop | |
Developer(s) | KDE |
---|---|
Initial release | 28 February 2024[1] |
Stable release | |
Preview release | n/a
|
Written in | C++, QML |
Operating system | Unix-like |
Platform | FreeBSD and Linux |
Predecessor | KDE Plasma 5 |
Type | Desktop environment |
License | GPL 2.0 or later[3] |
Website | kde |
Overview
KDE Plasma 6 was designed to not be a very large departure from KDE Plasma 5, instead being a series of improvements.[4] KDE Plasma 6 is built using Qt 6, KDE Frameworks 6 and KDE Gear. In addition, support for the Wayland protocol was mainstreamed as the default graphical session, with X11 support made secondary.[5] It introduces a new sound theme, Ocean, replacing Oxygen's sound theme as the default. Plasma 6 on Wayland has partial support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) and color blindness correction filters.[1][6][7] The Discover app and settings were also improved and the 3D cube desktop effect was brought back.[8]
Desktop features
- The panel floats by default. Panels can be configured using auto-hide mode and be resized, including being turned into a dock.[8]
- Plasma Search allows for customizing the ordering of search results, and allows for conversion between timezones.
- Support for the Astronomical and Umm al-Qura Calendars in the calendar applet.
- Support for use of both password and fingerprint authentication at the same time.
- Support for sound themes.
History
The first Technology Preview of Plasma 6 was released on 28 February 2024.[1]
Releases
Releases of new versions are planned every 4 months (3 times a year) initially. Though it may move to 2 releases a year in the future.[9]
Normal releases will stop receiving bugfixes as soon as the following release is available. The exception to this rule are LTS releases.
Plasma 6 releases | ||
---|---|---|
Version | Date | Key features |
[1] | 6.028 Feb 2024 | First release of KDE MegaRelease 6 |
[9] | 6.0.15 Mar 2024 | First bugfix release for KDE Plasma 6.0 |
6.0.2 | 12 Mar 2024 | Second bugfix release for KDE Plasma 6.0 |
6.0.3 | 26 Mar 2024 | Third bugfix release for KDE Plasma 6.0 |
6.1 | 18 Jun 2024 | |
6.1.1 | 25 Jun 2024 | |
Old version Older version, still maintained Latest version Future release |
References
- "KDE MegaRelease 6". KDE. 28 February 2024. Archived from the original on 28 February 2024. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
- "KDE Plasma 6.0.4, Bugfix Release for April". 16 April 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- "Copying of Plasma Workspace". KDE Invent. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 14 March 2021.
- Wallen, Jack (11 September 2023). "I tested KDE Plasma 6 and found it very familiar. Here's why that's a good thing". ZDNET. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- Wallen, Jack (14 February 2024). "The first Linux distribution to deliver a pure KDE Plasma 6 environment is here". ZDNET. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- Sneddon, Joey (28 February 2024). "KDE Plasma 6.0 Has Arrived, This is What's New". OMG! Ubuntu. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- Davenport, Corbin (28 February 2024). "KDE 6 Update Arrives With Big Plasma Desktop Updates for Linux". How-To Geek. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
- Rudra, Sourav (28 February 2024). "KDE Plasma 6: The Big Release is Here!". It's FOSS News. Retrieved 24 March 2024.
- "KDE Plasma 6.0.1, Bugfix Release for March". announcements.kde.org. 5 March 2024. Archived from the original on 6 March 2024. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
- "KDE Plasma 6.0.2, Bugfix Release for March". 12 March 2024. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024.
- "KDE Plasma 6.0.3, Bugfix Release for March". 26 March 2024. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024.