KDE Plasma 5.13 will come with many optimizations

Feb 21, 2018 22:02 GMT  ·  By

KDE developer Nate Graham shares today details on the new usability and productivity improvements coming to the next KDE Plasma, KDE Applications, and KDE Frameworks software releases.

According to the developer, the upcoming KDE Plasma 5.13 desktop environment release will start a full second faster than previous versions because of the removal of the QmlObjectIncubationController component, which apparently slowed down the entire desktop, and promises to let users pin apps on the panel that contain spaces in their desktop file names.

Goodies are also coming to the upcoming KDE Applications 18.04 software suite this spring, which makes creating of new files with the Dolphin file manager instantaneous, improves drag-and-drop support from Spectacle to Chromium, and lets users configure the Gwenview image viewer to no longer display the image action buttons on thumbnails when they hover with the mouse cursor over them.

KDE Frameworks 5.44 will revamp the UI of the Open With panel

KDE Applications 18.04 will also bring HiDPI improvements for the icons in Dolphin’s Information Panel. On the other hand, KDE Frameworks 5.44 is expected to land next month with a revamped UI of the Open With panel, which brings important usability and productivity improvements, as well as bug fixes, and menu icons for all KDE apps that use the Deselect and Replace KStandardActions.

KDE recently released the first two maintenance updates of its long-term supported KDE Plasma 5.12 desktop environment, which brought support for the Toggle Touchpad shortcut to let users toggle the touchpad, the ability to launch apps on the touchscreen-friendly Application Dashboard with a tap on the screen, and a fix for the severe freeze in the Plasma Discover 5.12 software center.

While the KDE Plasma 5.13 desktop environment will enter beta stages of development in mid-May, it will be available to download starting June 12, 2018. The KDE Applications 18.04 software suite will be available for testing at the end of March, and it's expected to hit the streets on April 19. Until then, we recommend updating your KDE desktop to the latest stable release as soon as possible.

Revamped UI of Open With panel
Gwenview thumbnail browsing without action buttons

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Revamped UI of Open With panelMenu icons for KDE apps
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