LXQt is a desktop environment for Linux and UNIX-like operating systems, known for being lightweight, resource-efficient, and highly customizable. These qualities make it a popular choice for users with older hardware or those who prefer a minimalistic computing environment.
Almost six months after its previous v1.3, the LXQt team announced the release of LXQt 1.4, marking the final iteration of the lightweight desktop environment to be based on the venerable Qt 5 framework.
Key Updates in LXQt 1.4
Before we move on to what’s new in this release, there’s other important news – this release encapsulates the culmination of efforts and enhancements made throughout the Qt 5 series, setting the stage for the upcoming transition to Qt 6.
In other words, the new LXQt 1.4 based on the Qt 5.15 LTS release is the last in the Qt 5-based series. From now on, the developers will put all their efforts into porting the desktop environment to the upcoming release of Qt 6, expecting that LXQt 1.5 will be entirely based on it.
This includes reworking existing code, adopting new APIs, and redesigning components to align with the new framework’s capabilities.
Now, back to what’s new in this release. In LXQt 1.4, PCManFM-Qt, the LXQt’s file manager, has received several improvements. For example, the split view state is taken into account when restoring the tabs of the previous window, and the user can now add a command for the default terminal.
Additionally, a new SVG icon has been introduced for PCManFM-Qt, while the mounting dialog now retains password and anonymity preferences. Moreover, numerous improvements and corrections have been applied to the codebase.
The LXQt QTerminal now includes an optional feature for an audible bell, catering to users who prefer auditory feedback. In addition, it has introduced support for swapping mouse buttons in the style of Putty, enhancing its accessibility for users accustomed to this configuration.
Lastly, adding the Falcon color scheme gives users a fresh and modern aesthetic for their terminal experience.
The image viewer within LXQt has recently been enhanced to include minimal support for color spaces, broadening its utility for viewing images with more accurate color representation.
Additionally, LXQt 1.4 has seen a substantial influx of translation updates, significantly improving the accessibility and user experience for a diverse, multilingual user base.
Finally, we mentioned that issues with the management of urgency indication and the functionality of cycling through windows using the mouse wheel within the taskbar of the LXQt Panel have been resolved. Moreover, the custom command plugin has been improved with a new feature that displays output as an image.
Of course, additional minor improvements and bug fixes exist across the entire LXQt 1.4, so you can find more information about them in the release announcement.
At the time of writing, LXQt 1.4 is only available as source code, and no precompiled packages are available for the various Linux distros.
However, as usual, in the coming weeks, users of rolling-release distros like Arch, openSUSE Tumbleweed, Gentoo, Void, and so on will be the first to get and enjoy the new LXQt 1.4 desktop environment.
