A new version of the KDE Plasma desktop environment, KDE Plasma 6.3, has been released, bringing with it an array of new features, UI enhancements, and performance improvements. This marks the fourth major update in the KDE Plasma 6.x series and the one-year anniversary of the introduction of KDE Plasma 6.0. The developers have focused on refining the experience by fine-tuning existing features and addressing bugs to enhance usability.
Key Features of KDE Plasma 6.3
Fractional Scaling Overhaul
The update includes a significant overhaul of fractional scaling, enhancing the clarity of UI elements on high-resolution displays. KWin now delivers sharper images by aligning them more accurately to the screen’s pixel grid, minimizing blurriness.
Customization Enhancements
KDE Plasma 6.3 allows for more straightforward panel cloning, improved widget management, and customizable category icons in the Kickoff menu. Users can also adapt the transparency of widgets.
Creativity Tools
Further refinements have been made for graphics tablet users, including reworked settings for better usability and more accurate calibration options. New features allow for stylus testing and pressure curve adjustments.
CPU Monitoring Improvements
The System Monitor app has received upgrades to improve CPU monitoring accuracy while decreasing resource usage.
Discover Updates
The default software management tool, Discover, has improved support for Flatpak and Snap applications, including easier permission management and enhanced user notifications during updates.
Informational Upgrades
Plasma 6.3 introduces new background services to notify users when applications are terminated due to resource shortages. The Info Center tool has been updated to provide more detailed statistics, including information about battery charge cycles.
Other enhancements include better keyboard navigation in KRunner, updates to the weather widget, and improvements to the Digital Clock widget. The system also allows for random password generation for network hotspots and includes more notification and settings management features.
KDE Plasma 6.3 is currently rolling out to users of KDE neon and will soon be available for rolling-release distributions. Users of fixed-release distributions like Ubuntu may need to rely on third-party repositories for the update.
For those interested, the raw changelog provides a comprehensive list of all changes made in this release. The source code is accessible on the KDE website.