KaOS 2024.01 upgrades its system base for stability and performance while introducing Plasma 6 enhancements.
The release of KaOS 2024.01 is now available, featuring the eagerly anticipated transition to Plasma 6 as the default Desktop Environment. This milestone signifies the end of the Plasma 5 era and ushers in a new era, Plasma 6, with enhanced user experience and performance.
The KaOS team has invested almost fifteen months of dedicated work to seamlessly migrate to a Frameworks 6, Plasma 6 based distribution. The release of Plasma 6 Release Candidate 2 marks the completion of this migration, ensuring a pure Plasma 6 environment for users. Unlike previous versions, there is no mixing of the old and the new – what you see on this ISO is a completely Plasma 6-based experience.
All applications have been meticulously ported to Frameworks 6, ensuring a smooth transition for users. For a few applications that are still being updated, Frameworks 5 is still packaged, allowing them to be used seamlessly in the Plasma 6 environment. As these applications are updated, KaOS will continue to maintain a commitment to a pure and streamlined user experience.
To complement the move to Plasma 6, KaOS introduces an updated Look & Feel with the revamped Midna theme – exclusive to KaOS. This aesthetic refresh is designed to enhance the overall visual experience, aligning seamlessly with the sleek and modern design principles of Plasma 6.
Under the hood, KaOS 2024.01 brings significant updates to the system base, including a move to FFMPEG 6, Boost 1.83.0/ICU 74.1 stack, LLVM/Clang 17.0.6, Linux kernel version 6.6.14, Systemd 254.9, Python 3.10.13, Util-Linux 2.39.3, IWD 2.13, MariaDB 11, and Postgresql 16. These updates not only ensure compatibility but also improve the overall stability and performance of the system.
The Plasma 6 desktop in KaOS 2024.01 includes the latest Plasma version (5.93.0), KDE Gear (24.01.95), and Frameworks (5.249.0), all built on Qt 6.6.1. This integration of cutting-edge technologies brings new features, optimizations, and a more responsive user interface, enhancing productivity and enjoyment for users.
This release also brings the SDDM 0.20.0 display manager in Wayland mode. This marks a significant step towards moving away from X11, with the shell running in Wayland mode utilizing kwin_wayland as the default. The Calamares installer now offers an automated partitioning option, making it more user-friendly. Users can choose from popular filesystems like XFS, EXT4, BTRFS, or ZFS without the need for manual partitioning.
Getting comprehensive logs is now more accessible with the inclusion of Kjournald, eliminating the need for complex journalctl commands. This graphical user interface provides users with a user-friendly way to view logs, with various filter options in the left-hand pane, enhancing troubleshooting and system monitoring.
Performance-wise, this release looks better – thanks to the many optimizations that come with Plasma 6. At idle, it uses 1.5 GB of RAM in a VirtualBox environment. The minimal installation of KaOS uses 8 GB of disk space.
In conclusion, KaOS 2024.01 is not just an update; it’s a leap forward into a more streamlined, efficient, and feature-rich Linux experience. Download the new ISO today from the official Sourceforge page.
Via release notes
Recent articles from DebugPoint.com
- Xfce 4.20: Best New Featureson January 4, 2025
- Cinnamon 6.4 Brings Visual Overhaul: Key Featureson December 9, 2024
- elementary OS 8: 10 Best New Featureson December 2, 2024
- Creating Your Own Home Lab: Essential Setup Tips for Tech Enthusiastson November 26, 2024
- Upgrade to Fedora 41 from Fedora 40 Workstation (GUI and CLI)on November 4, 2024