KDE Neon gives you the latest and greatest KDE Plasma desktop

While KDE Plasma isn’t my desktop of choice, I can’t deny the power, beauty, and ease of use it offers.

It really is a sleek, user-friendly desktop that anyone, regardless of skill level, can use with very little explanation.

And while it offers a slew of configuration options that could easily overwhelm new users, these features aren’t necessary for day-to-day desktop use.

The beauty of KDE is that it allows users to grow as they use the desktop.

At first, you may only be looking at a small percentage of the available configuration options.

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At some point you may find yourself dealing with workspace behavior, window management, shortcuts, backups, the firewall, KDE Connect, online accounts, and more.

Rather than adding third-party software to accomplish some of the things KDE can do, it’s all built-in and ready to go… whenever you’re ready.

The truth is that there is a lot to be found in KDE, but not all of it is necessary.

With that in mind, what is the best way to get, test and enjoy the latest version of KDE Plasma? The answer is KDE Neon.

What is KDE Neon?

KDE Neon is a Linux distribution developed by the KDE team and based on Ubuntu. KDE Neon offers two different versions of the operating system:

• User Edition, the stable version for everyday use.
• Testing Edition intended for testers and those who want the latest and greatest version of KDE Plasma.

The distinction between the two is significant because one is stable and the other is not. The Testing Edition contains bugs, which means it is not suitable for everyday use, and the User Edition does not contain the latest version of KDE. However, if you want to see what’s in store for the next stable KDE Plasma release (and don’t mind dealing with a bug every now and then), the Testing Edition is a great option.

For example, recently I wanted to see what’s in store for KDE Plasma 5.27 (which is officially available on Valentine’s Day), so I downloaded the Testing Edition ISO and booted up a virtual machine. Yes, I knew there would be random issues, but I was fine with experiencing the latest version of the desktop.

My first impression was “Wow!” Having used KDE Plasma before, I knew how sleek a desktop is. But this latest version is simply spectacular. If I wasn’t so rooted in GNOME and using System76 hardware I would seriously consider switching to KDE Plasma… that’s how good this upcoming version is.

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Now, before you get too excited, KDE Plasma 5.27 isn’t packed with a ton of new features. It’s still the same KDE Plasma it’s been for a while. But the combination of a few new features, bug fixes, performance improvements and all the features added in previous versions make this new version very special. From the transparency of the desktop menu, background blurring, animations and a beautiful default theme, the appearance of KDE Plasma is absolutely wonderful. And the best thing about KDE Neon is that it doesn’t bother with those default settings. Other distributions that ship with KDE Plasma tend to give it a unique spin with themes and behaviors that aren’t standard. With KDE Neon, you get KDE Plasma exactly as it should be, and that’s a good thing.

This Ubuntu base

KDE Neon is based on the latest LTS (Long Term Support) version of Ubuntu. However, some variations can be found. For example, if you prefer to use the command line to update and update software, you will very quickly notice that sudo apt-get update and sudo apt-get upgrade have been replaced by sudo pkcon update. However, you can still use sudo apt-get dist-upgrade or sudo apt-get full-upgrade. Or you can continue with the recommended process and do it all with the single sudo pkcon update command.

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Even better, simply perform all your software updates and upgrades through the Discover application, making the process very user-friendly. In fact, with distros like KDE Neon, there’s no need to ever touch the command line (unless you prefer to go that route).

Pre-Installed Software

Note that KDE Neon doesn’t come with much pre-installed software. You’ll find Firefox, Okular (document viewer), Gwenview (image viewer), KDE Connect (to connect your Android phone), VLC media player, and the Kate text editor. Luckily, you can find thousands of free and open source applications to install in Discover. Do you need an office suite? Install LibreOffice. Need an image editor? Install Gimp.

You’ll also find that the Discover App Store has built-in Flatpak support, meaning you can easily install Slack without having to use the command line.

Who is KDE Neon for?

This is a simple answer…all. As long as you stick to the stable version of the distribution, KDE Neon will serve you reasonably well. It’s as beautiful as it is easy to use, highly configurable when needed, and instantly familiar.

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I’ve watched KDE from its inception (back when it was unstable and boring) to the present day and am absolutely blown away by what the developers have produced. If you’re looking for a new desktop operating system, you can’t go wrong with KDE Neon. Just remember to stick with the User Edition for everyday use and you’ll find that the experience is a delight.