Several days ago it was presented the release of the latest stable version of the graphical desktop environment KDE Plasma 5.19 in which the KDE project team has described it as a "polished" version and according to them, one of the main objectives of this version is to improve the ease of use of the application.
The highlights from KDE Plasma 5.19 include new photo avatars, an improved panel spacer to automatically center the widgets, a new look for media player applets that are easier to use and pleasing to the eye, as well as a consistent layout and header area to make applets and systray notifications look better.
KDE Plasma 5.19 Key New Features
One of the most notable changes is the new wallpaper «Flow» which brings a touch of light and color to the desktop.
It was originally designed for KDE Plasma 5.16 and the image can be downloaded in up to 5K resolution directly from KDE Phabricator.
As for the not so "visible" changes we can find that of the panel spacer, an element that helps to position the components in the panel and that now can automatically center widgets.
plasma 5.19 also incorporates a consistent layout and header area for applets in the systray, as well as notifications.
Plasma Breeze also received some attentionn, allowing the GTK 3 applications immediately apply a new color palettes and GTK 2 applications to use the correct color, as well as making text easier to read by increasing the default font size from 9 to 10.
Changes at this level also include an update to the appearance of the Media Player applet in the systray, giving you more control over the visibility of the volume controls.
In KDE Plasma 5.19, the system configuration has been improved. Now include new file indexing options that can be configured for different directories.
Also, the system settings now allow set mouse and trackpad scrolling speed in Wayland, for those who use it, and gives you more granular control over the animation speed of desktop effects.
In order to improve not only the functionality, but also the appearance and usability of Plasma, the team reviewed the configuration pages of the default applications, online accounts, global shortcuts, improved administrator rules. KWin display and background services.
Kwin in KDE Plasma 5.19, which now includes cutting below the surface, can now reduce flickering in many applications, making them less tiring on the eyes. Likewise, the icons in the title bar have been changed color to fit the color palette, making them much easier to see.
As well, the Information Center application has been redesigned with an appearance and usability that adjusts to the configuration of the system. The Information Center also has a feature that allows users to view information about artwork. It should also be mentioned that KInfoCenter now supports system configuration.
Discover has a new feature that makes removing Flatpak repositories much easier. Discover also displays the version of the application, which is useful, for example, when there are multiple versions of the application you are looking for.
Depending on the equipment, you can choose the version that contains the features you need; or an older version, but more stable; or whichever works best for your configuration.
Other new features in KDE Plasma 5.19 include:
- Automatic screen rotation in Wayland for tablets or 2-in-1 devices
- Support for displaying statistics for systems with more than 12 CPUs in KSysGuard and support for Wayland for Krunner.
- The systray of the digital clock widget has also been updated and is now much more attractive when placed on the edge of the panel and the 'Configure' button for note widgets is now hidden by default.
With the latest move on the distribution of Qt by The Qt Company, KDE no more.
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