Introduction
As technology evolves, so do the tools and platforms we use. One such platform experiencing significant updates and enhancements is Plasma, specifically with its upcoming Plasma 6. This article will explore some of the significant updates and new features of Plasma 6 and discuss how they could influence your interactions with this environment.
Wayland Remote Desktop Support
In response to the increase in remote work, Plasma 6 introduces KRdp, a new library that enables a server to expose a KDE Plasma Wayland session over the RDP protocol. This feature allows remote clients to control the current Plasma Wayland session, an essential capability for remote teams. The use of the RDP protocol helps to provide a better experience than the previously used VNC, which wasn't ideal for various reasons.
Why RDP?
The decision to use RDP was influenced by several factors. Firstly, the developers wanted to build upon an existing protocol to save time and effort that could be better spent elsewhere within KDE. Secondly, performance was a critical consideration. Unlike VNC, which sends uncompressed images of the full screen, requiring a lot of bandwidth and affecting performance, RDP has a documented extension called the "Graphics Pipeline" that uses H.264 to compress video, significantly reducing bandwidth needs.
Other updates
Aside from the introduction of the RDP protocol, other updates have been made to enhance the remote desktop experience. For instance, KPipeWire can now use VA-API for hardware-accelerated video encoding, benefiting not only KRdp but also Spectacle once it is released with KDE Plasma 6. In addition, the KDE implementation of the FreeDesktop Remote Desktop portal is being improved, with new features being added to enhance user experience.
Visual Tweaks and New Features
Plasma 6 also brings a variety of visual tweaks and new features. For example, Kickoff no longer highlights separators, and the logout dialog's info text is less crammed. The network applet now remembers the last viewed connection tab, and applications using KXMLGui, such as Kate, KWrite, and Kolourpaint, have gained a split "Open" button in their toolbars with quick access to recent documents.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Plasma 6 promises a lot of exciting new features and updates that are sure to enhance user experience. From the introduction of the RDP protocol for remote desktop support to visual tweaks and new features, users have a lot to look forward to in this upcoming release.