If you are a lover of KDE Plasma and Rolling Release distributions, KaOS is for you. We haven’t talked much about this distribution in the blog because it is for a very specific public in this world. However, every day it is becoming more and more popular, it is fair to give it a little space in the blog. So, this post will help you to discover the features of this new KaOS image.
For those who don’t know, KaOS is a Rolling Release distribution inspired by Arch Linux and focused on KDE Plasma. So, you will always find recent versions of this desktop environment, as well as programs related to QT and others. Being Rolling Release it is constantly updated and this makes it unnecessary to reinstall it. However, new ISO images are often released so that those who wish to install it do not have to update many packages.
So now this new image of KaOS is available and now we will see the main news.
KaOS Image (2020.07) features
The first thing you’ll notice is that Calamares, this great universal Linux distribution installer, has started a migration of its modules to QML. For example, the keyboard module is also rewritten in QML, which now gives a much clearer overview of possible keyboard models, languages, and variants.
Moreover, this new image of KaOS includes new firmwares. This will make it much more compatible with more hardware without the need for user intervention.
While all of these new features are very important, it is also true that the most notable is the inclusion of KDE Plasma 5.19. This version, which is loaded with new features, makes the system live up to its promise of providing a satisfying experience with this desktop environment. Also, Frameworks is at 5.72.0, Plasma at 5.19.3, and KDE Applications at 20.04.3.
Many packages have been updated e.g. Guile 2.2.6, Mesa 20.1.3, NetworkManager 1.26.0, Perl 5.30.3. All this with Linux kernel 5.7.8 as engine and QT 5.15.0. Also, The Midna theme used for KaOS has been redone for 2020.
Conclusion
KaOS is one of those rather special Linux distributions. It has earned its reputation and is perhaps the best for enjoying a full-blown Plasma KDE.
If you are interested you can download it from this link. You can also check the release notes for more information.
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