Checking for/Doing Plasma update?

[GregM]

Does checking for a Plasma update require any extra steps or is it covered in the Software Updater?

I'm running Kubuntu 16.04 with KDE Plasma version 5.8.7 and am waiting eagerly for any updates which will hopefully fix the bugs.

How often do they update?

Thanks

[Snowhog]

Have you enabled the backports repository yet?

[GregM]

I haven't done anything.
It is as it was installed from disk

[acheron]

The time in weeks between upstream KDE plasma releases in a series follows a Fibonacci sequence of weeks, so 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 etc...

https://community.kde.org/Schedules/Plasma_5

So Plasma 5.8.8 LTS will be released in October 2017, and 5.8.9 in April 2018.

After that 5.8 LTS releases will "then become very strict update (security fixes only, no translations, releases as necessary)"

[oshunluvr]

The answer to the original question is no, you don't have to do anything special to get Plasma updates, the software updater is doing that for you. However, since you're using 16.04 LTS the updates you will receive will only be for that release. If you enable the backports repository, you may get newer versions of many things, but as acheron commented - Plasma isn't one of them - at least yet. From what I can see the backports repo has Plasma 5.8.7 and Frameworks 5.35.0 and QT version 5.6.1 ( - not sure about this).

Your options, to get to the current 5.10.3 Plasma, is to upgrade your Kubuntu install to a newer one, or install KDEneon instead. I can't speak to Kubuntu 16.10 or 17.04, but KDEneon is very reliable and quick. Of course, those options may have their own issues for you. You could address your bugs directly instead.

There's a lot of comfort in sticking to an LTS release, but it also means sticking with any built-in short comings as well.

[GregM]

Bummer

[GreyGeek]

Bummer

It can be if you want to run the latest and greatest, but still want a modicum of stability. That's one reason why I switched to KDE Neon User Edition.

[GregM]

Anyone know if they plan to fix the Num-Lock problem in the update that is supposed to occur this month?

[acheron]

Anyone know if they plan to fix the Num-Lock problem in the update that is supposed to occur this month?

That doesn't give us much to go on.

What is the KDE bug number?

And/or, what is the 'problem'?

[GregM]

Plasma turns off Num-Lock regardless of settings, at startup

[GregM]

Num-Lock issue
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...hlight=numlock

[acheron]

The Num Block key status isn't remembered between sessions

NUMLOCK configuration not taken into account

NumLock not turned on

They all look UNCONFIRMED with no resolution, so unless a fix is hiding somewhere non obvious, it looks unfixed for 5.8.x

[GregM]

How do you contact Plasma to make it an issue?
This complaint is pretty wide spread over the internet.

[acheron]

There is the mailing list: https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/plasma-devel

and the #plasma development channel on irc.freenode.net (most active during Europe working week times)

[jglen490]

The Num Block key status isn't remembered between sessions

NUMLOCK configuration not taken into account

NumLock not turned on

They all look UNCONFIRMED with no resolution, so unless a fix is hiding somewhere non obvious, it looks unfixed for 5.8.x

There has never been a time when this didn't work. Just like almost every other OS, keyboard behavior may be initially established by BIOS settings, but the end state is always controlled by the OS. I'm running 16.04.3 with Plasma 5.8.7. Every re-boot results in an end state of Num-Lock ON.

This is configurable as noted above, and properly so.

The only other possible condition affecting this is the keyboard itself, but if it's a standard - say - 100/101 key keyboard the driver will recognize as such and react accordingly.