A look at KDE Plasma 6 Dev

[Schwarzer Kater]

Just a quick glance actually…
I downloaded today's KaOS 6 ISO containing Plasma 6 Dev (see https://forum.kaosx.us/d/3072-plasma-6-test-iso).

The default session is Wayland, but Plasma did not start in my VM - so I had to change it to X11.

I have not really been following the Plasma 6 development that much, so I was very surprised to see that the default Breeze cursor has been changed and personally I don't like the new design…
Therefore I hope it will be possible to install and use the old cursor (I think it certainly will be - as it was with the Oxygen cursors).

The Plasma panel is floating by default now (that I knew ).
The new "defloating" effect of the panel when maximising a window is actually very good and up to par with Latte Dock's.
The "Panel Settings" window ("Enter Edit Mode") also has been improved a lot. Unfortunately the options for panel "Visibilty" have been reduced: there is "Auto hide" "on" and "off" - that's it. No more "windows can cover" for example and there is no new "intellihide" or any other option whatsoever (yet?).

System Settings have been cleaned up and improved (e.g. there are much more options in the "Default Applications" module).
It looks a bit less confusing now, but I think the naming for the "Network" section is quite unfortunate (and incorrect): "Internet". I wrote to Nate about my thought and he said they would consider changing it back, but that only experts would know the term's real meaning and the normal user would not care.

All in all my short visit to Plasma 6 Dev has been a surprisingly stable experience.

And that's it for now - if you have any observations (I am sure there are tons to be made) I would really like to read them!


PS: I forget to tell the versions I used in this Plasma 6 Dev…

Plasma 5.27.80
Frameworks 5.245.0
Gear 24.01.75
Qt 6.6.0

[Montmorency]

The Plasma panel is floating by default now (that I knew ).
The new "defloating" effect of the panel when maximising a window is actually very good and up to par with Latte Dock's.

Is it possible to maximize a window and keep the floating? Leaving two narrow margins on both sides of the panel?

[Schwarzer Kater]

Not in Plasma 6 Dev as far as I could see (it is also not possible in Plasma 5.27.x).
This is only something you can do in Latte Dock (and I keep my fingers crossed that it will still be usable in Plasma 6…).

[Beerislife]

I haven't been paying much attention, but I thought Latte Dock was dead... Or on its last legs...

[Schwarzer Kater]

OT Beerislife : Well, at least in Plasma 5.27.x the Latte Dock versions 0.10.9 and 0.11 (this is what openSUSE calls what I think is the git version) have been working without problems for me… For my Latte Dock setup that is, of course. And there have been some minor commits during the last few weeks.

[Beerislife]

I'd like a dock but Latte just has too many options. I much prefer the Plank Dock for its simplicity. As it is, I just use the Icon Only Task Thingie...

[kc1di]

Thanks for the update on Plasma 6. I use latte-dock here also hope it's not dead although there are other options Plank being one.

[claydoh]

Latte dock is dead, essentially, unless someone picks up development.

The git commits are just automated translation updates

For me latte stopprd being usable some time ago. It's always on top, so it covers maximized windows.

I only used it as a way to have unique panels per Activity, not so much for the dock style.

And yes, I built it regularly from current git pulls.

[Schwarzer Kater]

Here are some screenshots. Keep in mind that this a very early release and several things are not finished yet!
I changed the defaults back to Breeze as I prefer it to KaOS's theme and layout…




The new System Sounds setting (new black Breeze cursor and floating Plasma panel).




The new settings for Default Applications (new black Breeze cursor and defloated Plasma panel).




The Info Center has also been improved (new Breeze Light cursor and defloated Plasma panel).

[Schwarzer Kater]

The widget windows of the Plasma panel also are floating now - but the gap between the windows and the panel is too large… (new black Breeze cursor and floating Plasma panel).




They stick to the Plasma panel when it is defloated - here by a Konsole window that is "too close" (new Breeze Light cursor and defloated Plasma panel).




The new Panel Settings (new Breeze Light cursor and floating Plasma panel) - no "intellihide", no more "windows can cover"…

[Schwarzer Kater]

OT:

Latte dock is dead, essentially, unless someone picks up development.

The git commits are just automated translation updates
For me latte stopprd being usable some time ago. It's always on top, so it covers maximized windows.[…]

At least the recent commits seem to be something different than "automated translation updates"- and there seem to be people that make some minor changes and have some kind of interest in Latte Dock.
Hope dies last?

And I have never encountered the "cover" problem in Debian or openSUSE (I don't use Latte Dock in Kubuntu anymore) - sure it is not some setting?

[claydoh]

sure it is not some setting?

I am 1000 % positive. First thing I looked at, even on a clean OS install and fresh latte configs. Both on 'stock' latte packages as well as my self compiled code.
It h happened due to a plasma upgrade, 5.25? Probably 5.26, I think.
I had been using it for a few years, and building it from source for about a year or so, before it started breaking.
It seems to have different bugs depending on the user, to be honest.

It has been almost a year and a half since its (only) developer stepped away.
I don't think this activity indicates anyone is actually developing it, just a few edits to account for library name/location changes and the like.
https://invent.kde.org/plasma/latte-...ref_type=HEADS

And yes, there is a 'fix' from last February that did not work for me, though I may try it again, just to see
https://invent.kde.org/plasma/latte-...ge_requests/44

[Schwarzer Kater]

OT:

[…]
It seems to have different bugs depending on the user, to be honest. […]

This might be true!
OK, I forgot that you use Wayland… I don't (yet?). That could make a difference amongst other things.

[Schwarzer Kater]

A minor, but IMHO very important, improvement: the Plasma panel has a proper shadow now when it is floating.
So when you use it e.g. as a "dock replacement" you can still see its borders when an area of the same or similar colour is beneath it. Still no icon shadows within the panel, though.


Some of the widget's icons are missing atm - but here could be another improvement: the single widget's icon sizes and spacing seem to have been adjusted to those of the icons within the Icons-only Task Manager widget.

[Schwarzer Kater]

OT:

I'd like a dock but Latte just has too many options. I much prefer the Plank Dock for its simplicity. As it is, I just use the Icon Only Task Thingie...

I think Plank might be better suited for something like Xfce or Cinnamon than for Plasma. You e.g. cannot put Plasmoids in it like you can with Latte Dock or the Plasma panel (which is a very important feature IMHO).