14 DAY TRIAL // KaOS Linux has just received another substantial stable update, two months after the previous release labeled as version 2020.05.
Needless to say, this new update brings KaOS Linux to version 2020.07, and the main highlight this time is the introduction of Plasma 5.19.
So the Linux distro is getting all the goodies that are part of this Plasma update too, including refinements to the system tray applets, notifications, and system monitor widgets.
Very important to know is that this new update for KaOS also includes firmware revisions that are available in the pre-loaded repositories. The dev team explains the following:
“A few new firmwares/modules have been added to the repositories, this include sof-firmware (needed for newer sound-cards, will move to linux-firmware soon according to upstream reports) and two new rtl wifi modules (rtl8723de & rtl8821ce). New applications added include Photoflare, the musicplayer VVave (the successor of Babe) and Kdiff3.”
Two known issues
The 2020 main version of KaOS also comes with further polishing for the Midna theme, with a new custom Midna Kvantum theme now available as well.
One of the first things people will notice in KaOS 2020.07 is the tweaked installer and welcome screen, as the release notes reveal.
“For the installer Calamares, KaOS has started a move to using as many QML modules as possible. For the Welcome screen that means any text or needed info can now be shown as a qml file within the Calamares window, no need for pop-ups or external applications,” the dev team explains in a blog post.
Worth keeping in mind, however, is that KaOS 2020.07 ships with two known issues. One of them prevents the Linux distro from installing on RAID, while the second causes a kernel bug on specific Intel CPU systems. The latter can be fixed by manually editing the kernel boot line and adding the random.trust_cpu=1 instruction.