Ars Takes a Look At KDE 4.0 RC2

As we posted yesterday, KDE 4.0 RC2 has been released, and now Ars Technica took the opportunity to take a look through what’s new and relay their thoughts. I’ve been a KDE user for quite some time, so I am looking forward to checking out the latest version after it’s final release next month. I am not so sure it will be a simple transition though, since so much has been upgraded and changed, but it’s hard to know without giving it a go.

According to the article, while the latest release candidate works well overall, it lacks polish and needs to be cleaned up greatly before the launch on Jan 11. Considering how close we are to that date, it might be difficult for the KDE developers to take care of all of the lingering issues before then, and the month following the launch will likely be used to fix up notable bugs that were left over.

KDE 4 is really bringing a lot to the table this time around. It’s eye candy has been amped up, which should cater more towards newer Linux users, although I am hoping that customization will allow altering of the panel. I am not a personal fan of the huge buttons and clock. That could change though, once I sit down and actually use it. Those who are looking to give the latest RC a test-drive can download the live CD here.

Although the release candidate has many rough edges and is significantly lacking in polish, the underlying technologies are all in place and deliver some very impressive functionality. KDE 4 offers some unique architectural advantages over its predecessor, including a completely redesigned desktop and panel system called Plasma, an improved version of the KWin window manager with advanced compositing features, a new modular multimedia framework called Phonon, and a sophisticated hardware API called Solid.

Source: Ars Technica