The latest stable ISO of KaOS, version 2025.9, a rolling KDE-centric Linux distribution that utilizes the XFS file system, has been released, featuring the latest KDE stack.
One of the main highlights is a complete overhaul of the Midna theme, which now features a fresh icon set, new login and Ksplash screens, updated wallpaper, and a modernized window decoration with a new color scheme.
On the KDE apps side, Dolphin gains two search engines—File Indexing and Simple search—to make it easier to track down files, while NeoChat adds support for polls and thread-specific context menus. Akonadi also saw improvements, cutting memory use by around 75% across several resources.
This ISO also marks the beginning of support for Plasma Login Manager, a Plasma-based replacement for SDDM. While it’s not enabled by default yet, it’s already in the repositories and expected to replace SDDM soon. Another notable tool is the rewritten IsoImageWriter, now QML-based, capable of both writing and downloading ISOs from multiple distributions.
Under the hood, KaOS 2025.9 ships with an updated core stack, including the Linux kernel 6.16, Systemd 254.27, Mesa 25.2.3, PipeWire 1.4.8, OpenSSL 3.5.3, and Git 2.51, among other components. A new phonon-mpv backend replaces VLC since it still lacks a Qt6 port. For logging, Kjournald is now part of the default install, providing a GUI for easier journal log management.
Calamares installer also got some changes. Instead of opening a web browser as root for extra info, KaOS now uses a QML drawer within the Welcome page. Automated partitioning supports XFS, EXT4, Btrfs, and ZFS, while Croeso, the KaOS post-installation tool, helps users adjust settings, choose wallpapers, and select packages immediately after setup.
New packages introduced in this release include Typst (a modern typesetting system), Plasma-bigscreen (for HTPCs and SBCs connected to TVs), and Hydrogen, a drum sequencer and synth. SDDM 0.20 is also present, which can now run in Wayland mode with kwin_wayland.
The release announcement provides detailed information about all changes. The ISO image can be downloaded from the project’s Download page. Since KaOS is a rolling-release Linux distro, current users need only execute sudo pacman -Syu to upgrade to the latest version.
I’ve tried kaos a few times, but the odd panel placement and heavy theming were a bit much for me. Nice that they’re on the cutting edge, unfortunate (to me at least) that they present kde in this unorthodox way.