KDE Plasma’s Major Changes: LTS Discontinued, Telemetry Upgrades & More

 

 

KDE Plasma announces major changes: LTS releases discontinued, telemetry upgrades, and a potential shift to 6-month cycles. Learn how these updates impact Linux users, developers, and enterprises—plus security enhancements for theming.

The KDE Plasma development team recently convened in Graz, Austria, to strategize significant updates for this open-source desktop environment. Key decisions included discontinuing Long-Term Support (LTS) releases, refining telemetry collection, and evaluating release cycles—changes poised to impact Linux users, developers, and enterprise adopters.

1. The End of Plasma LTS Releases

KDE developers confirmed the discontinuation of Plasma LTS versions, citing limited adoption and practicality. Instead, they’ll extend support for standard releases by adding an extra bug-fix update, increasing maintenance from five to six releases.

"Our conclusion was that the fairly limited nature of the product isn’t meeting anyone’s expectations, so we decided not to continue it." — Nate Graham, KDE Developer

This shift aligns with broader industry trends favoring rolling updates over rigid LTS models, particularly in Linux desktop environments.

2. Moving to a 6-Month Release Cycle?

The team debated switching from a 4-month to a 6-month release cadence, allowing more time for bug fixes and stabilization. A final decision will be made after Plasma 6’s release and further discussions at Akademy 2024, KDE’s annual conference.

Why This Matters for Users:

• More stable updates with fewer regressions

• Better resource allocation for developers

• Enterprise-friendly scheduling for sysadmins

3. Security & Theming: Phasing Out Risky QML Customization

A major concern addressed was third-party theming risks, particularly QML-based themes, which execute code and pose security vulnerabilities.

"QML-based theming is inherently dangerous because QML is code; there’s no way to make it completely safe."

Developers are now working on safer alternatives, ensuring user customization doesn’t compromise system integrity—a critical consideration for privacy-conscious professionals.

4. Telemetry Overhaul: A "Steam Hardware Survey" Approach

KDE’s opt-in telemetry will be revamped to resemble Valve’s Steam Hardware Survey, offering more actionable insights while maintaining user consent.

Key Improvements:

✔ Dynamic data collection (tailored per survey)
✔ Transparent opt-in prompts (users see what’s collected)
✔ User feedback integration (e.g., explaining niche feature usage)

This change helps developers make data-driven decisions, such as deprecating underused features like specific KWin effects, rather than relying on guesswork.

Final Thoughts: What’s Next for KDE Plasma?

These updates reflect KDE’s commitment to performance, security, and usability—factors that attract premium Linux users and enterprise deployments. With Plasma 6 stabilizing and major policy shifts underway, the future looks promising for this leading open-source desktop.

🔗 Read Nate Graham’s full sprint notes here.