With the latest release of Nitrux 3.4.0, I was puzzled as to why they opted for the older KDE Plasma 5.27 instead of the newer and more advanced Plasma 6 desktop environment, like many other recent distros have. However, after reading their announcement, I realized that there is a bigger plan in motion and it will shape the future of Nitrux. Let’s dive into the details without wasting any time.
What’s Happening:
In a surprising and bold move, the developers of Nitrux have revealed their intention to move away from Plasma and make Maui Shell the default desktop environment by late 2024. This means that Maui Shell will be the only DE option for Nitrux users. It’s been a while since we saw the first alpha release of Maui Shell, but its development has been consistent and promising, as evident from its active GitHub repository.
What to Expect:
The transition is inevitable but not imminent. The team behind Nitrux will continue to use Plasma 5.27.x LTS release until the majority of 2024. The decision to switch to Maui Shell was driven by the fact that many of the widgets and plasmoids used in NX Desktop (Nitrux’s custom layer for Plasma) will not be compatible with Plasma 6. 📋 This is one of the elements that sets Nitrux apart from other Plasma-based distros.
The developers are confident that NX Desktop has accomplished its goals and also aided in the development of Plasma. However, they have assured that Nitrux will continue to utilize various KDE components such as KDE Frameworks, Extra CMake Modules, and more. Additionally, they have expressed interest in providing an AppImage of Plasma 6 “for fun” for those who want to use it alongside their Nitrux installation.
For now, the focus is on porting their apps and Maui Shell to Qt6 and completing the remaining work on AppImages at NX AppImage Build Hub. 💬 So, which one would you prefer – Plasma 6 or Maui Shell?
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KDE Plasma 6: The Big Release is Here!
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