KDE Plasma 5.27.11 available in Kubuntu Backports Extra

[Schwarzer Kater]

Above-mentioned updates for our preferred desktop environment are availabe for Kubuntu 22.04 LTS in the Kubuntu Backports Extra PPA.

Thank you for providing this during those busy days!


Link to the changelog for KDE Plasma 5.27.11 :
https://kde.org/announcements/change...27.10-5.27.11/


The Kubuntu Backports Extra PPA contains "extra backports, in addition to those in our normal backports PPA" (Kubuntu Backports PPA).

You can find the installation instructions on the Kubuntu Backports PPA and Kubuntu Backports Extra PPA websites, but here they are again (for Backports Extra only - for Backports see Kubuntu Backports PPA):

Open the Konsole terminal emulator and enter
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kubuntu-ppa/backports-extra
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade
reboot

After this any future updates that the Kubuntu Backports Extra PPA provide for your Kubuntu version will be automatically installed when you update your system.


As always I strongly recommend that you have prepared some way to revert your system to a previous state if something goes wrong, e.g.:

One can install ppa-purge before and use it to get rid of the Kubuntu Backports' packages again.
Or use a Timeshift system backup.
Or use LVM/ext4 with snapshots or btrfs with snapshots as your file system.
Or use a Clonezilla volume backup.
Or …


You can also find an overview about the different versions of the KDE Plasma desktop environment and its components in Kubuntu here:
Overview: Kubuntu, its parent and some of its siblings

[z_mikowski]

Thanks Schwarzer Kater !

This is a copy from reddit:

Kubuntu Focus tested this upgrade on many systems as described here prior to this release and we found it worked smoothly with no regressions. All systems were tested with four displays. Reports were provided to KDE and Kubuntu and we endorse this upgrade.

Changing themes can cause plasmashell to restart about 25% of the time, but that is the same as prior versions of the 5.27.x series and is not a regression. We previously found ppa-purge to work without trouble in rolling back to 5.24.7.

EDIT: Warning: Recently we have seen the package wslu get installed during some upgrades. This can break a number of things like sound, the ability to click on icons. Removing this package fixes the issue. Use sudo apt purge wslu. We are still trying to isolate when and why this occurs.

[claydoh]

EDIT: Warning: Recently we have seen the package wslu get installed during some upgrades. This can break a number of things like sound, the ability to click on icons. Removing this package fixes the issue. Use sudo apt purge wslu. We are still trying to isolate when and why this occurs.

the www-browser virtual-package bug rearing its head again, maybe?

https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...847#post669847
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...360#post663360
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...u/+bug/1971757
which is a dup bug of
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...p/+bug/1971763

[jglen490]

So there are some reasons for jumping into a new Plasma with an old LTS, and some warnings about the possibility of things going sideways. Maybe I'm just dumb, but what is the point of doing this just a few days before a new LTS comes out that is designed, implemented, and packaged with a coherent set of software that is made to use a new Plasma?

Yeah, rhetorical question, but just curious what the advantage could possibly be.

[Schwarzer Kater]

I may say that I have never experienced such issues, not once, in the past years (and thanks to z_mikowski & claydoh for providing solutions).
And there is always a possibility of "things going sideways" when you update complex software. This is what e.g. ppa-purge is for in this case.

The Kubuntu Backports PPAs are a very nice option for people who e.g. want to keep using Kubuntu 22.04 LTS (even if it is only until August when the 24.04.1 release comes and the GUI updater kicks in) and nonetheless want to have a newer Plasma etc. version (with some advantages e.g. for multiple monitors, Flatpak support in Discover now working etc.).

PS:
And before you ask : a release-upgrade from one Kubuntu LTS version with enabled Kubuntu Backports to the next LTS has never failed - at least not in my tests.

[z_mikowski]

the www-browser virtual-package bug rearing its head again, maybe?

https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...847#post669847
https://www.kubuntuforums.net/forum/...360#post663360
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...u/+bug/1971757
which is a dup bug of
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...p/+bug/1971763

Yup, that is indeed what appears to be happening. Another on our team just filed another bug. Wish I had read this sooner; it might have saved a few hours. Good catch!

Honestly, why should installing gimp-help-en pull in wslu (widows subsystem for Linux HAL, apparently) which breaks KDE so badly? Yet it does. We'll probably pin this package with extremely low priority to prevent this from happening on the ISOs.

[jglen490]

Thanks for your reply, Schwarzer Kater

I've been an exclusive Kubuntu LTS user for quite a while, now. I never do a release-upgrade, instead I always "clean house" with a clean install of the next LTS. While that may seem like a waste of time and a lot of effort, it's not. I end up with a stable, friendly platform where my data is the focus over and above what features the OS may provide. The alternative would be to simply upgrade every 6 months, chasing after every nuance of OS and software change, but that would be a lot of effort, without any appreciable gain - at least in my universe

[Schwarzer Kater]

[…] I never do a release-upgrade, instead I always "clean house" with a clean install of the next LTS. While that may seem like a waste of time and a lot of effort, it's not. […]

It may be surprising, but this is exactly what I do for my main systems.
On some others I do-release-upgrade indeed - and I have to test this way to release-upgrade for my (simple mind made) scripts periodically anyhow (both in VMs and on "real metal")…

[z_mikowski]

I'm a fan of a clean install. By the time you do the backups you really need to do anyway, and disable-and-re-enable third-party repos, there really isn't a time savings. And the reinstall removes a lot of cruft that is otherwise left behind (this happens with all OS upgrades). Here's the procedure I've used for over a decade.

Of course, if upgrades work for you, there's no religion here. This is just what I found works best for me in providing a stable platform for work.

[oshunluvr]

I'm a fan of a clean install. By the time you do the backups you really need to do anyway, and disable-and-re-enable third-party repos, there really isn't a time savings. And the reinstall removes a lot of cruft that is otherwise left behind (this happens with all OS upgrades). Here's the procedure I've used for over a decade.

Of course, if upgrades work for you, there's no religion here. This is just what I found works best for me in providing a stable platform for work.

This was always my path as well until I switched to KDEneon. Not really the same thing as "do-release-upgrade" on regular Kubuntu. Not as much upgraded during the process to get mucked up. However, the change to Plasma 6 has revealed some issues with my no 6 year old home folder. I will likely be doing a full re-install at some point this year. I'll probably wait until KDEneon re-bases to 24.04, usually OCT or so.