The Linux desktop ecosystem is powered by various desktop environments like GNOME, Xfce, Cinnamon, COSMIC (currently in development), KDE Plasma, and others, with GNOME and Plasma being the most popular.
GNOME, despite its many controversies, remains the desktop environment of choice for users who prefer a simpler experience with less control over customization. KDE Plasma, on the other hand, is more suitable for users who enjoy tweaking the look and feel of their desktop.
The KDE team just announced Plasma version 6.3 today, several months after the launch of version 6.2. This update brings improvements across different parts of the Plasma environment, including KRunner, KWin, and more.
One notable improvement in 6.3 is that it is now easier to clone panels. To do this, enter edit mode, click the "Clone Panel" button in the panel settings, select the position of the duplicated panel, and that's it.
Plasma’s window manager, KWin, also gets an improvement that artists and designers will appreciate. It now renders content more precisely by snapping elements to the screen’s pixel grid whenever possible, which the KDE team says will reduce blurriness and produce sharper images.
Screen colors are now more accurate, especially when using Night Light. Additionally, you can adjust screen color accuracy, though this may impact system performance.
Among the smaller changes in 6.3, there's now a "Help" category in the launcher. The "Settings" category has been merged into the "System" category.
The desktop context menu has also been updated. When right-clicking on a symbolic link, there's now a "Show Target" option that allows quick navigation to the original file or directory. This highly requested feature was previously available only in the Dolphin file manager but is now accessible on the desktop.
These are just some of the updates in 6.3. You can check out the announcement or the changelog here.
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