14 DAY TRIAL // Work on the KDE Plasma 5.17 desktop environment is ongoing and it looks like there will be a lot of interface changes, as long time KDE developer Nate Graham revealed today.
One of the nicest changes to be implemented in the upcoming KDE Plasma 5.17 desktop environment is a totally revamped System Settings window, which now features a modern look and feel to make setting up various aspects of the KDE Plasma desktop a breeze for newcomers and advanced users alike.
"This design is months in the making, and it took quite a bit of work to pull it off," said developer Nate Graham in his latest weekly report. "This is the first of several user interface changes we’re hoping to land in the Plasma 5.17 timeframe, and I hope you’ll like them."
Apart from the modernized System Settings, KDE Plasma 5.17 will let users sort the order of image slideshow wallpapers, add a "Manual" mode to the Night Color feature so you can turn it on and off whenever you want, as well as support for syncing DPI and NumLock key status to the SDDM login screen.
Other changes will include rewritten controls for widget positioning on the desktop to improve location of widgets and the ability for widget resize icons and handles to automatically increase their size on touchscreens (see the video attached below to see it in action), as well as new icons to the Plasma Discover package manager.
KDE Plasma 5.17 to launch on October 15th, 2019
Last but not least, the KDE Plasma 5.17 desktop environment promises a more user-friendly Audio Volume widget, will let users choose which category they want to use for the new Unsplash Wallpapers Picture of the Day plugin, and warn users when apps need to be restarted for new fonts are being applied.
The final release of the KDE Plasma 5.17 desktop environment is expected to hit the streets later this fall on October 15th. It will be available for public beta testing starting September 19th. Under the hood, KDE Plasma 5.17 will be using the Qt 5.12 and 5.13 libraries, along with the KDE Frameworks 5.63 and KDE Applications 19.08 software suites.
