14 DAY TRIAL // The upcoming KDE Plasma 5.17 desktop environment, due for release later this fall, is shaping up to be a massive update to the beloved graphical desktop environment for Linux-based operating systems.
Long-time KDE developer Nate Graham shares in his latest blog posts (here and here) some of the new features and improvements coming to the KDE Plasma 5.17 desktop environment, starting with the ability for GTK3 apps with CSD (Client-side decorations) and headerbars to respect the active KDE color scheme when using the Breeze GTK theme.
Also new in KDE Plasma 5.17 is support for the zwp_linux_dmabuf_v1 interface on Wayland in the KWin window manager, which should offer better performance and lower memory usage, the ability to set a maximum volume that is lower than 100 percent, along with audio feedback support for the volume slider when you finished dragging it.
Moreover, there are now more descriptive messages when creating bad passwords for new users or existing ones, better looking tabs (active and inactive) in the Google Chrome and Chromium web browsers when using the Breeze GTK theme, and a new icon for the "Allow this program to be grouped" context menu item in the Task Manager.
The Plasma Discover graphical package manager also received some noteworthy enhancements, such as the ability to display version numbers for packages in lighter text in the Updates page and a busy indicator when it is still loading the initial list of apps, as well as better error message when no Internet connection is available.
KDE Plasma 5.17 expected to be released on October 15th
Some polishing was done as well in the KDE Plasma 5.17 desktop environment, especially to the various pages of System Settings, including Screen Locking, Screen Edges, and Touch Screen. The Kickoff Application Launcher can now display recent documents from GNOME's Nautilus file manager and the GTK file dialogs, and it's now possible to enable notifications from the Do Not Disturb mode when mirroring your screen.
KDE Plasma 5.17 also brings lots of bug fixes to improve the layout and keyboard navigation of the Kickoff Application Launcher, notifications indicator's unread notifications counter in the system tray, the list headers in System Settings, the Wayland support for the Plasma Networks widget, and some issues with right-clicking on system tray icons.
The final release of the KDE Plasma 5.17 desktop environment is expected to hit the streets on October 15th, 2019, but not before the public beta version, which should be available for public testing starting September 19th. Until then, the current KDE Plasma 5.16 release will get one last maintenance update next week on September 3rd, KDE Plasma 5.16.5.
