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#kdeplasma

4 posts4 participants0 posts today

This week's Linux and FOSS news:

LINUX NEWS

Debian 13 is now in hard freeze, MIPS (MIPS64EL) architecture support dropped, RISC-V is promoted as a release architecture:
phoronix.com/news/Debian-13-Ha

Debian installer Trixie RC1 adds rescue support on Btrfs, Linux kernel 6.12, spice-vdagent is installed automatically on QEMU/KVM, Ext2 file system on PPC64EL architecture instead of Ext4, etc.:
phoronix.com/news/Debian-Insta

APT package manager 3.1 released with why/why-not commands, new solver default on Ubuntu, include/exclude options, HTTPS support for dselect, etc.:
phoronix.com/news/Debian-APT-3

KDE Plasma 6.4 will include time-of-day wallpapers, adaptive-sync disabled by default:
phoronix.com/news/KDE-Plasma-T

NixOS 25.05 released with Linux kernel 6.12 LTS and 6.14, GNOME 48, initial COSMIC support, new `nixos-rebuild build-image` sub-command, nixos-rebuild-ng, rewritten nixos-option etc.:
9to5linux.com/nixos-25-05-rele

Ubuntu 25.10 switches Chrony for Network Time Protocol (NTP) for better security:
phoronix.com/news/Ubuntu-25.10

GNOME 50 dropping X11 support causes complications for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS:
omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/05/gnome-

Tails 6.15.1 released with fixes for critical Tor browser vulnerabilities:
alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/

Wine 10.8 released with TIFF support, progress on PDB backend, boosted performance:
alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/

New Linux phone upcoming by the Divine D. project:
liliputing.com/divine-d-projec
(Hopefully it will be a relatively cheap phone to replace the aging PinePhone)

Phosh 0.47.0 released with status page for feedback quick settings, mobile data quick settings disabled when SIM is locked, bug fixes:
phosh.mobi/releases/rel-0.47.0

(FOSS news in comments)

www.phoronix.comDebian 13 "Trixie" Now In Hard Freeze: MIPS64EL Demoted, RISC-V 64-bit Promoted

KDE Plasma 6.4 lets you use day/night wallpapers!

The upcoming version of KDE Plasma, which will be released in three weeks, brings a very immersive feature that allows you to use a compatible wallpaper as a time-of-day wallpaper.

Learn more

This feature allows your desktop to automatically change the wallpaper to the following versions:

  • Light version of the wallpaper is used in the daytime, beginning from the sunrise to the sunset.
  • Dark version of the wallpaper is used in the nighttime, beginning from the sunset to the sunrise.

You can use your device’s current location for more accurate timing. This increases comfort when you’re using the desktop in both the daytime and in the nighttime.

In order to implement this feature, the settings application had to be changed so that it more clearly indicates that a wallpaper is dynamic. Also, supported wallpapers will show you a two-sided preview presenting you about how the two versions of the same wallpaper will look in both the daytime and in the nighttime.

Ubuntu 24.10 will feature this upcoming version of KDE Plasma.

I recently installed #ArchLinux with #KDEPlasma on an old #LenovoYoga720 for my wife and I’m absolutely blown away. This machine, which was crawling under #Windows10, now feels incredibly fast, fluid, and modern.

Boot times are nearly instant, programms open without delay, and the entire system feels lightweight yet powerful. #KDEPlasma brings a sleek, customizable interface that runs like a dream. It’s like this laptop got a whole new lease on life, seriously, it feels like it’s performing ten times better than before.

If you’ve got an old laptop lying around, don’t toss it, revive it with #GNULinux!

Replied in thread

@theDuesentrieb I asked for the highest-spec computer the company would buy me (which turned out to be an Apple MacBook M2). I then promptly installed a QEMU-based emulator and installed Debian Linux into the emulator. The emulated disk is fully encrypted. I allow the VM full use of all CPU cores and 100% of all memory and disk space.

If you do get a Apple computer, I highly recommend you buy UTM from the app store, it is by far the most cost-effective option, and works extremely well with Debian Aarch64. Once you install the qemu-guest-agent package onto Linux, the Linux screen resolution will automatically match the #MacBook, copy-paste works seamlessly between #Linux and #MacOS. Desktop environments like #Cinnamon, #Xfce, #Gnome, and #KDEPlasma all allow you to select #HiDPI scaling which allows Linux to take full advantage of the #Apple “retina” display (it looks beautiful). The one and only drawback is that #QEMU cannot use Apple’s hardware multimedia codecs, so it falls back to software codecs, and the CPU just can’t keep up with things like video conferencing, or often even ordinary 720p video playback. I use Mac OS for only multimedia applications and video conferencing. For everything else, I continue to use Linux.

I recommend the bridge networking adapter so you can have two-way network communications between Linux and MacOS, this allows for file transfer between Mac and Linux via rsync. The trade-off is that every time your Apple computer switches computers networks (e.g. between home and office), you must reset the networking services in Linux. If you choose the NAT network option Linux will always have network access directly via the MacOS interface, but you will not be able to easily transfer files between Mac and Linux.

The keyboard is the hardest thing to get used to, mostly that “super” and “alt” are swapped. Be sure to transpose those keys in the #UTM configuration. It is easy to configure the Apple keyboard to (for example) make caps-lock another control key.

UTMUTMSecurely run operating systems on your Mac
Derzeit pflegt das KDE-Team ausgewählte Versionen ihrer Desktop-Umgebung Plasma etwas länger als die übrigen Releases. Da das jedoch mehr recht als schlecht klappt, geben die Entwickler die LTS-Fassungen jetzt auf.#Desktop-Umgebung #KDE #KDEPlasma
KDE stellt LTS-Fassungen ihrer Desktop-Umgebung Plasma ein - LinuxCommunity
LinuxCommunity · KDE stellt LTS-Fassungen ihrer Desktop-Umgebung Plasma ein - LinuxCommunityDerzeit pflegt das KDE-Team ausgewählte Versionen ihrer Desktop-Umgebung Plasma etwas länger als die übrigen Releases. Da das jedoch mehr recht als schlecht klappt, geben die Entwickler die LTS-Fassungen jetzt auf. Der Long Term Support (LTS) leidet derzeit an gleich mehreren Problemen. So besteht die Pflege der Entwickler schlichtweg darin, Fehlerkorrekturen zurückzuportieren — ohne das Ergebnis (umfassend) zu testen, wie der KDE-Entwickler Nate Graham in einem Blog-Beitrag einräumt. Demnach würden es die Entwickler nicht besonders genießen, die alten Versionen weiterzunutzen oder alte Fassungen zu testen. Die längere Pflege gibt es zudem nur für den eigentlichen Desktop KDE Plasma, nicht aber für die KDE Frameworks und die Anwendungssammlung KDE Gears. Das LTS-Versprechen umfasst folglich nur einen Teil des kompletten Desktops. Abschließend ist der Begriff „LTS“ unscharf, jeder verbindet mit ihm etwas anderes. Laut Graham vermuten einige hinter ihm eine extrem stabile Software. Aus diesen Gründen stellen die KDE-Entwickler die LTS-Fassungen ein. Stattdessen versorgen sie jede Plasma-Version etwas länger mit Fehlerkorrekturen. Konkret soll es zukünftig anstelle von fünf ein weiteres sechstes Bugfix-Release geben. Darüber hinaus denkt das KDE-Team laut darüber nach, nicht mehr drei, sondern nur noch zwei Versionen pro Jahr zu veröffentlichen und diese dafür jeweils länger mit Bugfixes zu versorgen. Damit könnte man sich gleichzeitig an den Release-Zyklen der Distributionen Kubuntu und Fedora orientieren. Diese Umstellung will das Team allerdings erst einmal auf der nächsten Akademy-Konferenz besprechen.

This week's Linux and FOSS news:

LINUX NEWS

KDE discontinues Plasma LTS releases, reduces feature update to 2 in a year instead of 3, offers extended bug-fix support period:
news.itsfoss.com/kde-plasma-lt
(Well done, KDE! In my experience, the biggest issue with Plasma has always been the amount of annoying bugs and crashes, which kind of negated the experience for me, despite the cool extra features and the extensive customization options. However, this new strategy might pay off in the long term, and make Plasma a more stable experience.)

4MLinux 48.0 released with Linux kernel 6.12, updated packages, Kino (classic IEEE 1394 DV video editor) preinstalled, VVenC encoder:
betanews.com/2025/04/28/overco

Trinity Desktop Environment (TDE) R14.1.4 released with emoji support, support for Ubuntu 25.04 and Fedora 43, tab support in KPDF document viewer, support for clickable links in calendar events, new wallpapers and color themes etc.:
9to5linux.com/trinity-desktop-

Tails 6.15 released with updated Linux kernel and Tor Browser, various bug and security fixes:
alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/

Linux kernel 6.15 RC4 released with various enhancements, bug fixes:
ostechnix.com/linux-kernel-6-1

OpenSUSE Tumbleweed update includes Linux kernel 6.14, post-quantum resistant OpenSSH, updated packages:
alternativeto.net/news/2025/5/

Ubuntu 24.04 is now compatible with Qualcomm DragonWing processors:
omgubuntu.co.uk/2025/05/ubuntu

(FOSS news in comment)

It's FOSS News · KDE Plasma LTS Releases Are Dead 💀The LTS releases of KDE Plasma are no more.

Well, I am clueless. Because this should have worked:

# Load Bluetooth-related kernel modules at boot
  boot.kernelModules = [ "usb" "xhci_hcd" "btusb" "bluetooth" ];
``` 

Followed by
# 📶 Bluetooth Configuration

# Enable Bluetooth support
hardware.bluetooth.enable = true;

# Ensure Bluetooth is powered on when the system starts
hardware.bluetooth.powerOnBoot = true;

# Enable the Bluetooth service (systemd bluetooth service)
systemd.services.bluetooth = {
enable = true;
description = "Bluetooth service";
wantedBy = [ "basic.target" ]; # Start Bluetooth very early in the boot process
after = [ "sysinit.target" ]; # Bluetooth should be started after the system initialization
before = [ "network.target" "multi-user.target" "graphical.target" ]; # Start Bluetooth before networking, multi-user, and graphical services
};
```

My computer is an old Dell Precision T3610 and in the front of that case, I have a USB Bluetooth Adaptor. I believe the USB Bluetooth adaptor uses Realtek chipset. The actual keyboard is an Apple Bluetooth keyboard. It is model A1843 is that makes a difference.

I have no problem using my keyboard once logged in. The issue is logging in after a reboot (when greeted with SDDM). To login, I just connect a wire, but I would like to be wireless the whole time if possible.

#NixOS #Nix #Linux #Bluetooth #KdePlasma #KDE #Plasma

In the wee small hours i decided to give #GnomeBoxes another chance as a possible alternative. Chose to install via #flatpak, coz my Host is :archlinux: :kde: :plasma: #ArchLinux #KDEPlasma & i did not wish to risk possible gnome vs plasma file conflicts.

It did a fine job of installing an #ArchLinux VM [which i completed using the latest #ArchInstall v3.0.3], so then in an act of gross stupidity i ridiculously chose to see if it could handle a win10 VM via a 3-yr old ISO i have lying around. As i abandoned windoze "for real" in 2014, i had forgotten the many hours of time-wasting bullshit involved, at the end of which instead of getting something decent, you just get... windoze, ugh.

Anyway, so far it seems that GnomeBoxes is going ok, which makes a nice change as all prior tests of older versions failed to work properly. Doubt though atm that it'll persuade me to give up on #qemu / #kvm / #libvirt / #VirtManager. GB has no facility to Suspend VMs, so they need to be fully shutdown, which is a drag. Also, the FP version does not support USB transfer, which is a bugger, & so far i've not made #SharedFolders work [but think i know why].