For the last few years, my favorite Linux desktop interface has been Linux Mint Cinnamon. However, that adoration doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate other Linux desktops.
For example, when the KDE Community recently released KDE Plasma 6.4, I decided to give it a try on my openSUSE Tumbleweed machine, a Dell XPS 8300 with a 3.4GHz Intel Core i7-2600 processor, 16GB DDR3 RAM, and a 1.5TB 7200 rpm hard drive from 2011. That machine can run Windows 10 (you can forget about Windows 11), but it works fine with Linux. Tumbleweed, the SUSE community rolling desktop Linux release with the latest Plasma 6 interface, runs well.
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I’ve found KDE Plasma 6.4 brings a wealth of improvements across accessibility, color management, productivity, and system integration, further cementing KDE’s reputation for delivering a customizable and user-friendly desktop experience.
Specifically, Plasma 6.4 introduces new features to make the desktop more inclusive. For example, Keyboard navigation, screen reader support, and text readability have all been improved, with the Breeze Dark theme slightly darker to enhance contrast and legibility.
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Recognizing the growing importance of high-quality displays, Plasma 6.4 debuts a High Dynamic Range calibration wizard, making it easier for users to fine-tune color and brightness on compatible screens. Support for Extended Dynamic Range, color depth limits, and the P010 video color format has also been added. These features are particularly beneficial to graphic designers, video editors, and gamers.
A quirky improvement is that you can move the mouse pointer using the keyboard’s number pad and use a three-finger touchpad gesture to zoom in or out. Why? Because if you have physical disabilities or temporary injuries, in my case, a bad case of carpal tunnel in my mouse hand, this feature enabled me to control the mouse pointer without needing fine motor control.
Plasma also has custom permanent per-virtual-desktop tiling. This feature enables you to create custom window layouts for each virtual desktop. In addition, the session restore protocol ensures that apps and windows reappear exactly as you left them after a reboot or logoff.
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A small, new feature I like a lot is that when a login dialog pops up, Plasma 6.4 automatically darkens the background of the desktop or window, so it’s easier to spot. As someone who can get lost on screens searching for the password field, this feature is useful.
Under the desktop hood, while Plasma 6.4 continues to support both the Wayland and X11 display protocols, this release splits the codebases to accelerate development on Wayland. This step is important because 80% of KDE Plasma users now use Wayland.
Additionally, Plasma 6.4 is built on Qt 6.8 and KDE Frameworks 6.14. The result, developers say, is that this release is “smoother, friendlier, and more helpful.”
On the file management side, the Dolphin file manager’s long-standing drag-and-drop issue has finally been resolved after 18 years. For almost two decades, every time you dragged a file to a different folder on the same device, KDE would prompt you with a menu asking whether you wanted to move, copy, or link. When I’m working with files on a device, I almost always want to move them and nothing else.
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By default, however, you still run into the old behavior. You must activate the new option in System Settings under Workspace > General Behavior > Drag and Drop, where you can select “Move if on the same device.” Just make this change because you’ll be glad you did.
Another KDE program improvement is that the Spectacle screenshot utility has been revised. Now, all you need to do is press the Print Screen key, and you’re in selection mode. No fuss, no muss. From here, you can select windows, choose an area, or grab the entire screen. By default, you save images in the PNG format, but you can choose other popular formats, such as JPG.
The Info Center now offers a revamped energy page and a new sensors section displaying real-time CPU and GPU temperatures. The built-in free space monitor checks all non-cache partitions. Users can monitor background services and per-process GPU usage for Intel and AMD hardware. I’m someone who sometimes wants to dive into the fine details of my machine, so I like this feature a lot.
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For those of you who haven’t tried KDE yet, KDE would like to remind you that on October 14, Microsoft wants to turn your Windows 10 computer into junk. The KDE Community and friends will gladly help you make the jump via the End of 10 website.
Want to give KDE a try? Besides openSUSE Tumbleweed, numerous other good Linux desktops support this desktop interface. These desktops include KDE neon, which always has the latest KDE updates. There’s also Fedora KDE Plasma Spin, EndeavorOS, and CachyOS.
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