Void is one of those special kinds of Linux distros that captures your heart from the very first moment, promising lifelong affection. It just works, standing slightly apart from all the hustle and bustle of the Linux ecosystem as it is these days.
True to its nature, Void has introduced the Plasma 6 desktop environment to its users without unnecessary fanfare or loud announcements, offering a seamless experience on its systemd-free platform.
Now, you might be wondering, ‘Why did it take so long for Plasma 6 to arrive in Void, a rolling release distribution?’ The answer lies in Void’s commitment to stability over rapid updates. They take a measured approach to updates, ensuring a more stable operating system. Now, back to the topic.
After a slightly longer than usual wait, Void users finally have the opportunity to enjoy the Plasma 6 (6.0.4) in its full glory. The desktop environment introduces many new features, which are detailed in our dedicated article on the topic. Here, we will highlight only the key ones:
- Build on top of the Qt 6.6 and Frameworks 6.1
- Wayland as display server protocol by default
- The latest in the KDE Gear 24.02.2 app collection
- Partial HDR support
- New floating panels and redesigned panel’s settings
- Return of the Desktop Cube effect
- New Overview effect
- Settings to choose your preferred sound theme
- New default Task Switcher
- More relevant Accent Colors
- Improved search functionalities and better Night Light
- Accessibility improvements
We want to highlight a minor detail concerning the Plasma 6 packages in Void. If you’re installing the desktop environment for the first time, you might find it confusing that the package names include “kde5” and “kde5-baseapps,” even though they actually install Plasma 6.
We agree that this can confuse new users, and we hope the Void devs will soon address this naming inconsistency.
For those interested in exploring Void, our installation guide is available here. After that, we highly recommend checking out our XBPS package manager tutorial to ensure a smooth experience with the distribution.
