isaacj87
May 29th, 2010, 11:39 PM
I did a quick search on the forums to see if this was already posted, but I didn't come up with anything. Just decided to let those who are interested in the KDE project know that SC 4.5 has reached its first beta!
From the announcement on dot.kde.org:
KDE has released a first test version of the released that will be out this summer, in August. KDE SC 4.5.0 is targeted at testers and those that would like to have an early look at what's coming to their desktops and netbooks this summer. KDE is now firmly in beta mode, meaning that the primary focus is on fixing bugs and preparing the stable release of the software compilation this summer.
See the full announcement here: http://dot.kde.org/2010/05/26/kde-sc-45-beta1-available
I've been playing with it on OpenSUSE 11.2 with an updated snapshot of trunk (4.4.81) and it looks and runs beautifully. I read in a recent article that even though 4.5 will present new features, the KDE devs want to try and stabilize the KDE4 series as much as possible with this release. And any technologies that aren't polished to their fullest will receive some loving attention (Akonadi, Nepomuk, etc.)
Crashes for me a few and far between. And I am enjoying:
- The revised system tray. The new notification area is much more thought out than before and hidden icons, while similar to Win7, is more user-friendly. I haven't decided how I feel about the monochrome icons, but I think they contribute to a more cohesive look.
- The minor adjustments to Oxygen and Air themes. New subtle animations, color tweaks, panel background all contribute to more refreshing and modern look. One may argue that the panel is too Win7 like, but I think it suits the overall look.
- Faster Kwin. Faster Plasma. Blur effect. Kwin is a speed demon on my fiancé's System76. Plasma is considerably more responsive and solid. (Other than the occasional crash, this is beta, however.) The blur effect is awesome. I liked it with Compiz and on Win7 and on KDE 4.5, it's like icing on the cake.
- Revised Personal Settings menu. Personal Settings has received a much needed re-organization. The two tab setup is now gone and I think everything has been categorized a lot better. New users should be able to choose preferences a lot easier now.
- Activities. Still don't find them useful, but they're so fast now, I feel as if I should actually use them now.
I've mostly listed UI changes and I know I'm neglected testing some of the more "controversial" features such as Nepomuk, but this is what I've got so far. I threw in some screenies for good measure!
From the announcement on dot.kde.org:
KDE has released a first test version of the released that will be out this summer, in August. KDE SC 4.5.0 is targeted at testers and those that would like to have an early look at what's coming to their desktops and netbooks this summer. KDE is now firmly in beta mode, meaning that the primary focus is on fixing bugs and preparing the stable release of the software compilation this summer.
See the full announcement here: http://dot.kde.org/2010/05/26/kde-sc-45-beta1-available
I've been playing with it on OpenSUSE 11.2 with an updated snapshot of trunk (4.4.81) and it looks and runs beautifully. I read in a recent article that even though 4.5 will present new features, the KDE devs want to try and stabilize the KDE4 series as much as possible with this release. And any technologies that aren't polished to their fullest will receive some loving attention (Akonadi, Nepomuk, etc.)
Crashes for me a few and far between. And I am enjoying:
- The revised system tray. The new notification area is much more thought out than before and hidden icons, while similar to Win7, is more user-friendly. I haven't decided how I feel about the monochrome icons, but I think they contribute to a more cohesive look.
- The minor adjustments to Oxygen and Air themes. New subtle animations, color tweaks, panel background all contribute to more refreshing and modern look. One may argue that the panel is too Win7 like, but I think it suits the overall look.
- Faster Kwin. Faster Plasma. Blur effect. Kwin is a speed demon on my fiancé's System76. Plasma is considerably more responsive and solid. (Other than the occasional crash, this is beta, however.) The blur effect is awesome. I liked it with Compiz and on Win7 and on KDE 4.5, it's like icing on the cake.
- Revised Personal Settings menu. Personal Settings has received a much needed re-organization. The two tab setup is now gone and I think everything has been categorized a lot better. New users should be able to choose preferences a lot easier now.
- Activities. Still don't find them useful, but they're so fast now, I feel as if I should actually use them now.
I've mostly listed UI changes and I know I'm neglected testing some of the more "controversial" features such as Nepomuk, but this is what I've got so far. I threw in some screenies for good measure!