If you've seen KDE in action, you're not missing much

Dec 17, 2014 14:58 GMT  ·  By

The first RC for Linux Mint 17.1 "Rebecca" KDE has been released and the developers invite everyone to download and test the new version.

Linux Mint 17.1 "Rebecca" KDE RC uses KDE 4.14 as the default desktop environment and it looks like users will have to keep employing this old version for a while. KDE SC 4.14.3 was made available a couple of weeks ago, but it's the last one in the series.

Things changed after this version, and the KDE project is now separated into a few distinct parts. It will take a while for the new KDE to be integrated, so for now, Linux Mint users will still have to be content with the 4.14.3 iteration.

Other than the fact that the distro comes with a different desktop environment, this Linux Mint edition is pretty much the same with all the others and that includes Xfce, Cinnamon, and MATE. The only thing that really needs mentioning is the fact that only the Xfce flavor is still under development.

Linux Mint 17.1 "Rebecca" KDE RC is not all that exciting

The KDE edition of Linux Mint falls pretty much under one category and that is "seen one, seen them all." The latest version of this operating system features just a few modifications from the KDE vanilla experience and it really shows.

Besides the KDE upgrade, the Linux Mint team made the same kind of changes that we saw in all other versions, including the Xfce flavor. One of the most important seems to be the improved Update Manager.

"The Update Manager now groups packages together according to their source package. A line no longer represents a single package but a software update which consists in one or several packages. When a developer fixes a bug or writes new features, the source code is modified and all packages which are related to it become available under a new version. It is therefore futile and sometimes dangerous to apply some package updates and not others within the same source package."

"By grouping these updates the Update Manager prevents you from applying incomplete updates while making it easier for you to review them (updates make more sense and there's far less than before to review)," is noted in the announcement.

Users will also notice that the Linux kernel selection menu has been improved, the Login Window preferences have been redesigned, and numerous under-the-hood changes have been made. You can download Linux Mint 17.1 "Rebecca" KDE RC from Softpedia, but please keep in mind that it's still under development.

Linux Mint 17.1 "Rebecca" KDE RC (10 Images)

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