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The KDE Project released today the alpha version of the upcoming KDE Plasma 6 desktop environment, along with alpha versions of the KDE Frameworks 6 and KDE Gear 24.02 software suites.
Scheduled for release on February 28th, 2024, the KDE Plasma 6 promises to be a massive update to the beloved and widely used desktop environment for GNU/Linux distributions. Until the final release hits the streets, the alpha version is now available for public testing and early adopters.
KDE Plasma 6 is built against the latest Qt 6 open-source application framework and will boast numerous new features and enhancements, including full Wayland support, a brand-new icon theme for a fresh new look, as well as the return of the highly requested desktop cube effect, which you can see in the featured screenshot above.
Along with the alpha version of KDE Plasma 6, the KDE Project also released today alpha versions of the upcoming KDE Frameworks 6 and KDE Gear 24.02 software suites, also built against the Qt 6 application framework.
These upcoming KDE software releases are made available today for early adopters to attract more members of the Open Source community to test them and report bugs so that the KDE Project can deliver rock-solid stable releases to the Linux community.
Those of you who want to jump onto the alpha-testing bandwagon of KDE Plasma 6, KDE Frameworks 6, and KDE Gear 24.02, can either download and compile the source packages from the announcement page or grab one of the GNU/Linux distributions that already offer a Plasma 6 ISO, such as KaOS Linux.
At the end of this month, on November 29th, the KDE Project will release the first beta versions of Plasma 6, Frameworks 6, and KDE Gear 24.02. A second beta will be available for public testing later this year on December 20th and two Release Candidates are planned for January 10th and 31st respectively.
Image credits: KDE Project
Last updated 6 months ago
