14 DAY TRIAL // Manjaro KDE is a Linux distribution that uses snapshots of the Arch Linux repositories and a customized version of KDE, has just reached version 0.9.0 Pre3 (Bellatrix 0.9.0) and more changes have been implemented.
The Manjaro developers are making some amazing improvements to their latest branch, 0.9.0. Just a couple of days ago we had a new version of the Xfce release and it looks like now we get to play with the KDE flavor as well. As usual, the devs have made quite a few changes and they've gone as far as forking KDE's Breeze to suit their needs.
Very few developers ever go through the trouble of customizing the KDE desktop they adopted for their distribution and that's a real shame. There are a few who still do it and the Manjaro devs are among them. This means that Manjaro KDE won't look anything like you would expect and that's a really good thing.
Manjaro KDE 0.9.0 Pre3 brings even more surprises
The Manjaro makers have already adopted the latest Plasma 5 desktop, but they have also decided to fork KDE's Breeze, which is all the window decoration that you can usually see. The result is something that looks and feels like Plasma, but it's something else as well.
"With this new release of Plasma 5 providing a visually updated core desktop experience that is easy to use and familiar to the user. Plasma 5.2.0 introduces a new major version of KDE’s workspace offering. The Manjaro Art Team has forked the new KDE Breeze set and named it Menda to follow in line with the rest of our visually appealing desktops, this artwork concept introduces cleaner visuals and improved readability," is noted in the announcement.
Also, SDDM is now the login manager, multiple monitor support should work, a number of Calamares (installer) changes have been implemented.
More details about this release can be found in the announcement. You can download Manjaro KDE 0.9.0 Pre1 right now from Softpedia. Keep in mind that this is still under heavy development and it's not a stable system.
