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Plasma is a set of developed by for operating systems. With the KDE brand repositioning in 2009, Plasma 4.4 succeeded KDE 4.3. Currently, it has four workspace variants: one for and (Plasma Desktop), one for TVs (), one for smartphones (), and another for embedded and touch-enabled devices (). Plasma Desktop, in its default configuration, resembles from K Desktop Environment 3 and Microsoft Windows XP; however, extensive configurability allows radical departures from the default layout.

Its technology is a fundamental rewrite of several desktop interaction programs included in previous desktop environments for systems, focusing on eye candy and special graphical effects. Plasma replaces the previous shell, Kicker taskbar and widget engine used in the K Desktop Environment 3 series with a unified system of widgets that can be configured and replaced with alternative designs.

Since the split of the KDE Software Compilation into KDE Plasma Workspaces, and , each subproject can develop at its own pace. Plasma 5 is on its own release schedule, with feature releases every four months, and bugfix releases in the intervening months.

Releases
Plasma 4
Plasma 4 was released as part of KDE Software Compilation 4 and replaced Kicker, , and , which formed the Desktop in earlier KDE releases. They are bundled as the default environment with a number of , such as Chakra, , (DVD version), , or .

From KDE SC 4.0 to KDE SC 4.2, the default theme, "", was characterized by dark tones. In KDE SC 4.3, it was replaced by the new "Air" theme, which predominates in transparency and white as the base color. New themes for Plasma can be chosen and installed through software like Discover or online at store.kde.org.

With the release of KDE SC 4.11 on 14 August 2013, Plasma 4 was placed into a feature freeze and turned into a long-term stable package until August 2015. On 15 July 2014 Plasma 4's successor, Plasma 5, was released.

Features
Plasma features containments, which are essentially applets that contain other applets. Two examples of containments are the desktop background and the taskbar. A containment can be anything the developer wants: an image (either or an SVG image), animation, or even . Images are most commonly used, but with Plasma the user could set any applet as the desktop background without losing functionality of the applet. This also allows for applets to be dragged between the desktop and the taskbar (two separate containments), and have a separate visualization for the more confined taskbar.

Plasma separates components into "data engine" and their visualization counterparts. This is intended to reduce the total programming effort when there are multiple possible visualizations of given data; and to make it easier for the data engine and the workspaces to be written independently.

The scalable nature of the Plasma widgets allows for them to be resized and rotated to any size, with only a brief pause to redraw themselves. The Kross scripting framework allows developers to write widgets in a variety of programming languages in addition to C++.

KRunner is a versatile tool for several functions. It replaces the dialog box "Run Command" from K Desktop Environment 3, and also inherits from the application launcher feature, expanding the possibilities through a modular plug. KRunner stores previously entered commands and searches, accessible via an auto-complete feature. KRunner can be shown on the desktop via the keyboard combination or by selecting "Run Command ..." in the desktop menu.

These functions are handled by the plugin:

  • Application launcher: Type at least three letters of the desired name or description. KRunner shows applications associated with the terms of the search and allows the selection of the desired one.
  • Calculator: Simply enter the desired operation to show the result. It also supports sophisticated expressions.
  • Contacts can search for entries in KDE's address book allowing users to directly open, for example, to write an e-mail. The address of the recipient of your choice is automatically added to the message.
  • Unit Converter converts values between different units of measure.
  • Web history: Search history of recently visited sites in .
  • Recent documents: Search for recently opened files.

Widgets
This is a list of widgets that the current release version of Plasma supports. Not all widgets are supported by default in all Linux distributions; some may require different packages or even a recompilation of Plasma.

  • First-generation native widgets (in C++, , Ruby, or Python. In many distributions, the Ruby and Python bindings must be downloaded separately as packages.)
  • Second-generation native widgets written in QML
  • Apple
  • widgets – used in KDE 3
  • (supports and )

Previous Plasma Workspaces releases also supported gadgets and E17 modules. Support for those was developed in 2008 but removed later, in 2010.

were also supported. After Google announced the discontinuation of its two services that utilize Gadgets –  and  – KDE removed support for this widget engine in early 2013.

Version history
Plasma 5
Plasma 5 is the fifth generation of the graphical workspaces environment created by primarily for Linux systems. Plasma 5 is the successor of Plasma 4 and was first released on 15 July 2014. It includes a new default theme, known as "Breeze", as well as increased convergence across different devices. The graphical interface was fully migrated to , which uses for hardware acceleration, which resulted in better performance and reduced power consumption.

is a Plasma 5 variant for Linux-based smartphones.

Architecture
KDE Plasma 5 is built using Qt 5 and KDE Frameworks 5, predominantly .

It improves support for displays and ships a convergable , which can adjust itself according to the device in use. 5.0 also includes a new default theme, dubbed Breeze. Qt 5's QtQuick 2 uses a hardware-accelerated () scene graph (canvas) to compose and render graphics on the screen, which allows for the offloading of computationally expensive graphics rendering tasks onto the GPU, freeing up resources on the system's main CPU.

Windowing systems
KDE Plasma 5 uses the X Window System and Wayland. Support for Wayland was prepared in the compositor and planned for a later release. It was made initially available in the 5.4 release. Stable support for a basic Wayland session was provided in the 5.5 release (December 2015).

Support for NVIDIA proprietary driver for Plasma on Wayland was added in the 5.16 release (June 2019).

Features
  • KRunner, a search feature with many available plugins. In addition to launching apps, it can find files and folders, open websites, convert from one currency or unit to another, calculate simple mathematical expressions, and perform numerous other useful tasks.
  • Flexible desktop and panel layouts composed of individual widgets (also known as "Plasmoids") can be individually configured, moved around, replaced with alternatives, or deleted. Each screen's layout can be individually configured. New widgets created by others can be downloaded within Plasma.
  • Powerful clipboard with a memory of previously copied pieces of text that can be called up at will.
  • Systemwide notification system supporting quick reply and drag-and-drop straight from notifications, history view, and a Do Not Disturb mode.
  • Central location to control playback of media in open apps, the phone (with KDE Connect installed), or the web browser (with Plasma Browser Integration installed)
  • Activities, which allow users to separate methods of using the system into distinct workspaces. Each activity can have its own set of favorite and recently used applications, wallpapers, "", panels, window styles, and layout configurations. It also couples with (X Session Manager implementation) which keeps track of apps that can be run or shutdown along with given activity via subSessions functionality that keep track of state of applications (not all applications support this feature as they do not implement XSMP protocol).
  • Encrypted vaults for storing sensitive data.
  • Night Color, which can automatically warm the screen colors at night, or user-specified times, or manually.
  • Styling for icons, cursors, application colors, user interface elements, splash screens and more can be changed, with new styles created by others being downloadable from within the System Settings application. Global Themes allow the entire look and feel of the system to be changed in one click.
  • Session Management allows apps which were running when the system shut down to be automatically restarted in the same state they were in before.

Version history
The first Technology Preview of Plasma 5 (at that time called "Plasma 2") was released on 13 December 2013. On 15 July 2014, the first release version Plasma 5.0 was released. In spring 2015, Plasma 5 replaced Plasma 4 in many popular distributions, such as Fedora 22, 15.04, and Tumbleweed.

Feature releases are released every four months (up to 5.8 every three months) and bugfix releases in the intervening months. Following version 5.8 LTS KDE plans to support each new LTS version for 18 months with bug fixes, while new regular releases will see feature improvements.

First release.
Ported missing features from Plasma 4.
New components:

  • BlueDevil – integrates Bluetooth technology within Plasma and KDE Applications
  • KSSHAskPass – front-end for ssh-add which stores the password of the ssh key in KWallet
  • Muon – a collection of package management tools for Debian-based systems, using the apt-xapian index and the Synaptic search algorithm
  • sddm-kcm – config module for SDDM themes
  • KScreen – screen management software Hooks into KDE System Settings, makes use of and
  • kde-gtk-config – GTK 2 and 3 style configurator
  • KDecoration – a plugin-based library to create window decorations. These window decorations can be used by window manager which re-parents a client window to a window decoration frame.
Tech preview of Plasma Media Center. New and touchpad applets. Enhanced power management.
Initial Wayland session. New QML-based audio volume applet. Alternative full-screen application launcher.
Improved Wayland support.
Increased security.
"basic workflows now fully functional" in the Plasma Wayland session. Automatic virtual keyboard.
Long Term Support version.
Wayland improvements. Global menu support.
Performance improvements.
System Settings redesign. Notification history. Added Plasma Vaults. Wayland improvements.
Increased stability and speed. Wayland improvements.
Integration with non-KDE web browsers. New lock and login screen designs. Improved Discover appearance. New screen layout selection dialog upon connection of a new screen
GTK global menu integration. Wayland improvements.
Support for virtual desktops, touch drag-and-drop, and the XdgStable, XdgPopups and XdgDecoration protocols in the Plasma Wayland session.
Revamped notification system with Do Not Disturb feature, grouping in history, critical notifications in fullscreen apps, and better file transfer progress notifications. Support for the proprietary driver on Wayland. Full support for . Full touchpad configurability on X11 with Libinput driver. Modernized login, lock, and logout screen designs. UI improvements throughout Plasma and Discover
Night Color available for X11. Plasma now recognizes when a program is running in full-screen mode and prevents pop-ups. Fractional scaling support in the Plasma Wayland session.
Easier system settings. Interactive notifications. New Emoji picker. New wallpapers. Improved GTK app integration.
New system monitoring widgets. New Info Center app. Improved System Tray visuals and interaction. Timezones visible in clock pop-up. Inline reply function for notifications from supported apps. Global animation speed setting.
S.M.A.R.T. disk monitoring. "Highlight changed settings" feature in System Settings. Digital clock applet shows date by default. Redesigned status OSDs. More options and improvements for switching between grouped Task Manager tasks. Window corner-tiling shortcuts. Adjustable per-channel audio balance. Middle-click on notifications icon to enter Do Not Disturb mode. Support for screencasting, shared clipboard, middle-click paste, window thumbnails, and adjusting the scrolling speed in the Plasma Wayland session.
New application launcher. Applications theme improvements (unified header bar). Breeze Twilight, a new variant of Breeze with a mix of dark and light colors. New Plasma System Monitor app. New Plasma Firewall settings page and improvements to System Settings. Media Player applet's includes the list of applications currently playing music in the header as a tab bar. Support for virtual keyboards in GTK applications in the Plasma Wayland session.
Adaptive Transparency for panels. Many style improvements and bug fixes for widgets and KRunner. Stability improvements for the Plasma Wayland session.
Switch between different performance/power saving modes (on supported hardware). Overhauled visual style for the Breeze theme. Customizable accent color. Bluetooth enablement status configurable and remembered across reboots by default. Easier to search for settings in System Settings. Application launch feedback animations and stability improvements for the Plasma Wayland session.
New Overview manager to more easily switch between desktops. Visual refresh for the Breeze theme. Color picker for accent colors. Accent for critical notifications. System tray widget enhancements. Speed and productivity enhancements to Discover. Help integration into KRunner. Fingerprint authentication support. Additional support for colors, VR, and drawing tables in Plasma Wayland.
Overview manager displays all open windows and virtual desktops. Trackpad gesture support. Sync accent color to the wallpaper. New touch mode with resized elements. New customization options. Reworked Discover application page. Greater global theme options
Resizable panel widgets. New timer widget. New Aura browser and Plank media player for Plasma Big Screen. Enhancements to Night Color. Sharper scaled text on applications. Wallpaper changes alongside dark mode. Dismiss notifications with middle click.
Welcome wizard, window tiling system, a more stylish app theme, cleaner and more usable tools, the ability to control permissions in Discover (similar to Flatseal), additional widgets for users to control their machine

Plasma 6
KDE Plasma 6 is the sixth and current generation of the graphical workspaces environment made by KDE. It is the successor to Plasma 5 and was initially released on the 28th February 2024.

Plasma 6 changes the default display server from X11 to Wayland, though the former is still available.

Variants
Plasma Desktop
Plasma Desktop is the main variant of KDE Plasma, targeted to desktop PCs and laptops.

Plasma Netbook
Plasma Netbook aims at and may also be used on . The first stable release shipped with KDE SC 4.4. With the release of Plasma 5, Plasma Netbook's functionality was merged into Plasma itself.

Plasma Active
Plasma Active was a workspace for devices with touchscreens. It shipped with several applications such as and a document viewer based on . "Contour" was the name of an interface for tablet devices. Its development was started in April 2011 by basysKom. Replacing an earlier tablet prototype, Contour has then become the main workspace UI of Plasma Active and was shipped as 1.0 in October 2011.

Plasma Active has been succeeded by starting with Plasma 5.

Plasma Mobile
Plasma Mobile was targeted at and small tablet devices that are mainly used via . It was originally expected to be released in 2011 along with Plasma Active 1.0 but development focus shifted towards Contour. A new version but based on KDE Frameworks 5 has been announced on 25 July 2015.

Plasma Bigscreen
Plasma Bigscreen for TVs and set-top boxes incl. voice interaction.

Plasma Nano
Plasma Nano is a minimal shell for embedded and touch-enabled devices, like IoT or automotive.

See also

Notes
External links

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