The KDE project closes the year with the release of KDE Gear 25.12Its consolidated December update refreshes the suite of applications for the environment. After four months of intensive development, this version introduces improvements in 249 programs, libraries and add-ons, refining the experience on both desktop and mobile devices.
This massive update focuses on polishing users' everyday tools: from file management, productivity with Dolphin allowing you to temporarily hide files and Kate improving its navigation, code editing and Git support, to multimedia with Koko adding a cropping tool and advanced touch gestures, to travel planning and secure communication.
Productivity and development: Dolphin and Kate
In this new version presented by KDE Gear 25.12 the flagship file manager, DolphinIt receives a much-requested feature to maintain visual order without deleting data: now it's possible temporarily hide directories and files through the context menu, avoiding having to move them to the trash or create hidden folders manually.
For system administrators, KJournald (The graphical interface for viewing systemd logs) receives major improvements. In this version, It gains the ability to load files from custom drives, This allows users to filter and analyze logs from their own local services with the same ease and visual power as system services.
Meanwhile, the advanced text editor Kate It continues to evolve to make life easier for developers; this update improves integration with:
- Precise navigation: The "Quick Open" tool now allows you to jump to exact coordinates.
- Git integration: The branch list now displays the most recent activity and optimizes navigation in the Quick Open dialog box
- Terminal: Support has been added for bracketed paste when sending text to the integrated terminal, improving security and formatting.
Multimedia and Web Browsing
The image viewer Koko (Photos) It has received major improvements, especially for touchscreen and mobile users. A new clipping tool And the gesture controls have been refined: pinch to zoom, swipe to navigate, and a new presentation mode.
In the web section, the veteran Konqueror It celebrates its 25th anniversary with the ability to export web content as high-resolution PDFs. On the other hand, the lightweight browser Falkon It simplifies privacy by adding a dedicated button to the interface to instantly activate or deactivate ad blocking.
Travel and Communication
The travel assistant app, KDE ItineraryIt gets smarter by adding more extractors for train companies and events. In addition to automatically recognizing your departure location and processing tickets from new train companies, it now offers useful real-time data for the traveler: visualization of the current altitude during the journey and a Currency converter integrated to facilitate purchases at the destination.
Regarding communication, NeoChat (Matrix client) improves videoconferencing management with Jitsi, displaying meeting status and managing room login permissions more efficiently. It also introduces a new keyboard shortcuts page to streamline navigation between rooms.
Availability
KDE Gear 25.12 has now been officially released. New versions of applications will begin appearing in distribution repositories. rolling release (such as Arch Linux or openSUSE Tumbleweed) in the next few hours.
For users of other distributions or those interested in individual applications, please note that the tar files The applications from the KDE Gear 25.12 collection can be downloaded from the information page, as the full changelog provides more detailed information. about the update.
Regarding app stores, they should know that universal formats are already being updated:
- Flathub: Available for immediate installation.
- Snapcraft: Updates are being rolled out.
Finally, if you are interested in knowing more about it, you can consult the details in the following link