KDE Plasma's big 6.4 update makes setting up your home in Linux a lot comfier

2 weeks ago 3

Summary

KDE Plasma 6.4 update enhances user experience with Virtual Desktop, Tiles, and improved notification handling.
The addition of new features in widgets like Application Launcher and Media Player facilitates easier navigation.
Linux-based KDE aims to provide Windows 10 users a better alternative with added comfort and usability.

There's a big war going on right now between Microsoft and the Linux community. While neither side is making direct blows at the other, both of them are fighting to win over the hearts and minds of Windows 10 users. Despite its end-of-life date rapidly approaching in mid-October, Windows 10 is still the most dominant Microsoft operating system, with Windows 11 lagging slightly behind. As such, a lot of people are going to be left high and dry in terms of security updates in four months time, and both sides wants to convince you that either Windows 11 or Linux is the way to go.

One of the companies that joined the fight on the side of the Linux community is KDE. A few weeks ago, it made a blog post claiming that "Windows 10 exiles" would have a better time using Plasma than Windows 11. Not long after, some people switched to Linux and installed KDE Plasma, and a new update for the app was released that made things even more comfortable.

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KDE Plasma 6.4 makes your Linux-based house a home

The team broke down what you can expect from the Plasma 6.4 update in a post on the KDE website. The main focus is making an operating system that looks and feels better than ever, with a big onus on making things" feel like home."

The first feature KDE covers combines both Virtual Desktop and Tiles. Now you can set up windows in a specific tile arrangement in one Virtual Desktop, then create a second workspace in another. You can do a lot with this, like setting one desktop up for work and another for your social media, then swapping between the two with ease.

KDE has also made a big update to Plasma's notification handling. File transfer notifications will now show a speed graph, and if you see a pop-up for an app update, you can grab the download from the notification itself. If Plasma detects an app in full-screen mode, it'll only show you urgent notifications and give you a quick summary once you close the main window. The notifications will also warn you if an app wants to use your microphone and finds it muted.

There are also some welcome additions for fans of widgets:

Among many other improvements, a new feature in the Application Launcher widget will place a green New! tag next to newly installed apps, so you can easily find where something you just installed lives in the menu. The tag disappears after 3 days, or after you run the app for the first time.

The Media Player widget now allows you slow down or speed up whatever audio or video is currently playing (for players that support this feature).

And the Disks & Devices widget used to access internal and removable disks now checks and even offers to repair your disks if it finds errors in them.

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