KaOS is an independent rolling-release distribution inspired by Arch Linux that includes the latest KDE Plasma Desktop and related Qt Toolkit-based software.
Unlike most other Linux distros, KaOS does not provide various installation images with GNOME, Xfce, LXQt, or any other desktop. In other words, the distro is solely dedicated to the KDE Plasma desktop.
The distro uses Pacman as its package manager but does not rely on software repositories developed and maintained by Arch Linux. Instead, the software is available from in-house repositories and is built exclusively for 64-bit machines.
KaOS 2022.06 is the third release of this Linux distribution this year. So letโs see whatโs new.
KaOS 22.06 Highlights
The most notable change in the latest KaOS release is the inclusion of the most recent version of KDE Plasma, 5.25. So naturally, this brings with it all the advantages and features that this version of the popular desktop environment offers.
You get advanced search capabilities in the ability to search for apps, documents, and browser tabs with KRunner and the Application Launcher. On top of that, Plasma 5.25 offers new gestures, the ability to match the accent colors in your theme with those on your current wallpaper, the new Touch Mode, and so on.
Additionally, KaOS 2022.06 comes with the latest KDE Frameworks 5.95 and the newest app set provided by KDE Gear 22.04. Midna, the Plasma theme used in KaOS, has seen some changes, the most noticeable of which is the addition of a well-integrated virtual keyboard in the login and lock screens.
Another milestone in this release is the integration of the Calamares installer based on its most recent 3.3 version. In addition, the integration with KPMCore has been improved, and LUKS support has been strengthened.
Additionally, Calamares now offer an option not to encrypt the boot partition when encryption is selected for the installation. It is also important to be noted that KaOS 2022.06 is installed by default with the XFS file system.
The installation ISO now includes a new long-term support version 470xx of the video driver for users with Nvidia GPU. Unfortunately, Nvidia’s transition to 495 means the end of support for Kepler-based cards, necessitating the addition of a new legacy version.
Under the hood, KaOS 2022.06 ships with the Linux kernel 5.17.15. In addition, of course, there are other changes. The system’s base is built on a new Glibc 2.35, GCC 11.3.0, and Binutils 2.38-based Toolchain. A number of the other core elements have also received updates, such as DBus 1.14, Systemd 250.7, and Nettle 3.8.
The in-house developed Croeso tool is also available in this release. It will run on the newly installed system and allow you to adjust 15 frequently used settings.
These include a custom Wallpaper picker, distribution information, and the ability to install programs from six different groups. Croeso is written in QML and works nicely with the Live system’s Welcome application.
You can refer to the official announcement for detailed information about all changes.
Download
KaOS Linux is a rolling distribution, so keeping up with the updates is enough to get you the latest packages. The command shown below will always give you the latest.
sudo pacman -SyuThe official ISO is also updated every few months to keep it up to date with all the latest changes for new installations, so you are not presented with a sizeable first update.
The latest KaOS 2022.06 installation ISO image can be downloaded from the projectโs website for those wishing to carry out a new installation.
