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Desktop-oriented Neptune 6.5 GNU/Linux distribution arrives with a newer kernel for better hardware support and latest software updates and security fixes from the Debian Buster repositories.
Believe it or not, Neptune 6.5 is the first point release to the latest Neptune 6.0 series, which was launched last year in August as the first to be based on the latest Debian GNU/Linux 10 “Buster” operating system series.
Dubbed “Jet,” Neptune 6.5 is here mainly to beef up hardware support, especially for UEFI computers with Secure Boot, by bumping the kernel to the Linux 5.6 series, which actually reached end of life last month, as well as the systemd init system to version 245.6, and by updating various of the included proprietary firmware.
Software-wise, this release comes with some of the latest apps and core components, including the LibreOffice 6.4.5 office suite, Inkscape 1.0 vector graphics editor, Chromium 83 web browser, Mozilla Thunderbird 68.10 email client, VLC 3.0.11 media player, as well as the FFmpeg 4.1.4 multimedia framework and PulseAudio 13 sound system.
Being a KDE-based distribution, Neptune 6.5 also ships with the latest KDE software available in the Debian GNU/Linux 10 “Buster” repositories. These include the KDE Plasma 5.14.5 desktop environment and KDE Frameworks 5.54.0 software suite, all compiled against Qt 5.11.3.
However, there are some tweaks included in the KDE Plasma desktop environment, more specifically the KWin window manager, that should provide for a smoother experience by removing the 60 frames per second limit.
On top of that, this release also updates the look and feel of Neptune Linux and gives users a peek of the new default style of the upcoming Neptune 7 major release, whose release date is yet to be announced.
You can download Neptune 6.5 right now from the official website, but if you’re running Neptune 6.0, you can just update your installations using the command below, and don’t forget to enable the Debian Buster Backports repository to receive the latest apps too.
sudo apt update && sudo apt full-upgrade
Last updated 4 years ago
