KDE hopes to fill boots with 4.2 release

A Windows man, a Linux man and a Mac man walk into a bar...

By Kelly Fiveash • Get more from this author

Posted in Software, 28th January 2009 16:55 GMT

The Linux K Desktop Environment project is hoping to bag a few ordinary computer plebs with the latest release of its desktop suite.

KDE 4.2, which carries the slightly self-congratulatory codename “The Answer”, was released yesterday in a variety of flavours for Linux, Windows and Mac lovers everywhere.

Freetards can now get their mitts on the latest version that comes with a host of bugfixes and other improvements that should make it a more desirable desktop environment option for broader usage, according to the KDE group.

The latest version comes with more language support, and boasts an improved file management system and better email list views in KMail. Its little known Konqueror web browser has also been injected with performance enhancements.

On the platform side, KDE 4.2 carries enhanced scripting support, allowing Plasma widgets to be written in JavaScript, Python and Ruby. The group added that GoogleGadgets can also be used in the Plasma desktop shell, and support for Mac OS X dashboard widgets has been further improved.

In the past users have bemoaned the lack of features in KDE 4, which at release was essentially a stripped-down system using the Qt 4 application development framework. Some also complained about its glitch-ridden disposition.

Developers ditched the Qt 3 app development framework and built the desktop suite from the ground up, before debuting KDE 4.0 this time last year. ®

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