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| Developer(s) | KDE |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 11 January 2008; 17 years ago (2008-01-11)[1] |
| Final release | |
| Repository | |
| Written in | C++,QML |
| Operating system | Unix-like |
| Predecessor | K Desktop Environment 3 |
| Successor | KDE Plasma 5 |
| Type | Desktop environment |
| License | LGPLv2.1+ |
| Website | web |
KDE Plasma 4 is the fourth generation of theKDE workspace environments. It consists of three workspaces, each targeting a certain platform:Plasma Desktop for traditional desktop PCs andnotebooks,Plasma Netbook fornetbooks,[3] andPlasma Active fortablet PCs and similar devices.[4][5]
KDE Plasma 4 was released as part ofKDE Software Compilation 4 and replacedKicker,KDesktop, andSuperKaramba, which formed the Desktop in earlier KDE releases. They are bundled as the default environment with a number offree softwareoperating systems, such asChakra,[6]Kubuntu,[7]Mageia (DVD version),[8]openSUSE,[9] orTrueOS.[10][11]
With the release of KDE SC 4.11 on 14 August 2013, KDE Plasma 4 was placed into a feature freeze and turned into a long-term stable package until August 2015. On 15 July 2014 KDE Plasma 4's successor,KDE Plasma 5, was released.[12]
Plasma featurescontainments, 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 (eitherraster graphics or anSVG image), animation, or evenOpenGL. 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. TheKross scripting framework allows developers to write widgets in a variety of programming languages in addition toC++.[13]
KRunner is a versatile tool for several functions.[14] It replaces the dialog box "Run Command" fromK 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 combinationAlt+F2 or by selecting "Run Command ..." in the desktop menu.
These functions are handled by the plugin:
Plasma Desktop was a standard desktop interface. It was declared mature with the release of KDE SC 4.2.[15] It is designed fordesktop PCs and largerlaptops. In its default configuration it resemblesK Desktop Environment 3 andMicrosoft Windows XP but extensive configurability allows radical departures from the default layout.[16]
Its technology is a fundamental rewrite of several desktop interaction programs included in previousKDE desktop environments forUnix-like systems, focusing on eye candy and special graphical effects. The Desktop Workspace replaces the previousKDesktop shell,Kicker taskbar andSuperKaramba widget engine used in theK Desktop Environment 3 series with a unified system of widgets that can be configured and replaced with alternative designs.
From KDE 4.0 to KDE 4.2, the default themeOxygen was characterized by dark tones. In KDE 4.3, replaced by the newAir theme, which predominates in transparency and white as base color. New themes for Plasma can be chosen and installed through software like Discover or online at store.kde.org.
This is a list of widgets that the current release version of Plasma supports. Not all widgets are supported by default in allLinux distributions; some may require different packages, or even a recompilation of Plasma.
Previous Plasma Workspaces releases also supportedEdje gadgets andE17 modules. Support for those was developed in 2008[20] but later, in 2010, removed.[21][22]
Google Gadgets were also supported.[18] After Google announced to discontinue its two services that utilize Gadgets – Google Desktop[23] andiGoogle[24] – KDE removed support for this widget engine in early 2013.[25]
Plasma Netbook is the second workspace. It aims atnetbooks and may also be used ontablet PCs. The first stable release shipped with KDE SC 4.4.[26]
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 Plasma Active’s Semantic File Browser | |
| Developer(s) | KDE, basysKom,[27] Coherent Theory,[28] open-slx[29] |
|---|---|
| Initial release | October 9, 2011; 13 years ago (2011-10-09)[30] |
| Stable release | |
| Repository | |
| Written in | C++,QML |
| Operating system | Mer,openSUSE |
| License | GPLv2 |
| Website | plasma-active |
Plasma Active was a workspace for devices with touchscreens. It shipped with several applications such asKontact Touch and a document viewer based onCalligra Suite.[32] It has been succeeded byKDE Plasma Mobile starting with KDE Plasma 5.[33]
Contour was the name of an interface for tablet devices. Its development was started in April 2011 bybasysKom.[27] Replacing an earlier tablet prototype,[34] Contour has then become the main workspace UI of Plasma Active and was shipped as 1.0 in October 2011.[30]
Plasma Mobile was targeted atsmartphones and small tablet devices that are mainly used viatouch input. It was originally expected to be released in 2011 along with Plasma Active 1.0 but development focus shifted towardsContour. A new versionwith the same name but based onKDE Frameworks 5 has been announced on 25 July 2015.[35]
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KDE 4.0 was released in January 2008.Linux.com described the reaction from users as a "revolt", writing that the backlash KDE 4.0 received was on a scale that was unprecedented for aFOSS project. Although it was a developer's release, several distributions made the KDE 4.0 desktop environment available to their users without specifying that it was an experimental option.openSUSE released a more polished KDE 4 option while other distributions "released packages that simply [didn't] work," according to project leader Aaron Seigo. As a result, many users complained about the loss of features and stability. A number of KDE developers, including project leader Aaron Seigo, were targeted for abuse by outlets likeLinux Hater's Blog. Several KDE developers stepped back from the public scrutiny.[36]
This new release marks the end of the testing phase by being the first release ready for everyone – instead of just developers and enthusiasts.
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