We're one step closer to a KDE Linux beta

KDE developers Nate Graham posted an update yesterday about KDE Linux, the nascent Linux distribution with a purely KDE infrastructure and experience. The blog post covers several exciting changes we can expect when the beta release is finally here. These are the most notable.

What's new

• The KDE-made package base: KDE Linux alpha releases have so far used Arch Linux packages as the base. That infrastructure has been replaced by KDE's own kde-builder tool to compile packages for KDE Linux in-house.
  • This gives KDE Linux developers more control and, reportedly, faster build times.
• Automatic app installs: If you have an already-installed copy of KDE Linux, newly added apps in the KDE Linux preinstalled app lineup will now be automatically installed on your system.
  • The exception is if you've previously manually uninstalled the exact same app, then you won't receive the forced installation.
• A dedicated website: The project now lives at linux.kde.org where you can go to find downloads, information, and documentation.

What's getting better

• Quality assurance: A new system for quality assurance for KDE Linux was put in place using OpenQA. It automatically checks that all the most important aspects of the operating system are functional, from booting to installing to configuring settings.

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What's going away

• The Zen kernel: KDE Linux alpha builds had so-far been using the Zen kernel, but it's being replaced by the "vanilla" kernel because Zen "no longer offered very much beyond the config tweaks we had already made anyway."
• KWalletManager: As I reported earlier, KWalletManager is being replaced by a new secrets manager, KeepSecret, and that's now happened on KDE Linux itself.
• OpenRazer and APFS kernel modules: Modules enabling Razer peripheral control and Apple File System compatibility won't be included in KDE Linux's kernel because they were blocking Secure Boot compatibility.
  • APFS support is now an installable userspace package, so you can still access Apple File Systems if you need to.

Zooming out

Why this update matters: KDE Linux was announced last summer, and according to the project's Beta milestone work item the project appears to be about 75 percent of the way to a beta release. Milestone progress can change as issues come up, but it's clear a lot is happening.

My take: I'm excited to give the beta release a try, and I'm glad to see KDE taking independent control of its package base.

Diving in

The fineprint: See the blog post for more about what's changing, including several more packages that have been removed for security and compatibility reasons.

Get it now: If you're brave enough to try the alpha, head to the KDE Linux download page.