KDE Linux Distribution now open
The KDE Project has announced the release of the alpha version of its own Linux distribution, designed specifically for KDE enthusiasts and developers. This distribution will showcase the latest in-development versions of the KDE Plasma desktop environment and applications.
Previously, many had speculated about the possibility of a KDE-specific operating system, but the project was grounded by the success of KDE neon, which provides access to cutting-edge KDE software based on Ubuntu. In contrast, KDE Linux is built upon Arch Linux packages, which grants it an immutable base, although it is not officially categorized as an Arch-based distribution. Users can utilize the systemd-sysext command for installing additional packages and making system modifications.
KDE Linux primarily employs Flatpak for applications, while core KDE applications such as Dolphin and System Settings will be built from source. Furthermore, AppImages and container formats are supported, with a recommendation for users to build software from source when possible.
On the technical side, KDE Linux defaults to the Btrfs file system, uses Wayland as the display server, and relies on PipeWire for audio. It’s worth noting that KDE Linux lacks a traditional package manager; users will update and install applications solely through the Plasma Discover application.
From a hardware compatibility perspective, KDE Linux is designed for UEFI-enabled computers outfitted with AMD or Intel CPUs. It does not support Secure Boot and does not run on systems with proprietary NVIDIA drivers for GPUs prior to the Turing architecture. Users with older NVIDIA graphics cards will need to manually activate the Nouveau driver.
This alpha version is particularly targeted towards passionate KDE users and developers. It can be downloaded from the official KDE website with installation instructions, although users are cautioned against using it for production environments, as it remains a pre-release version.
To run KDE Linux, users must write the alpha release to a USB drive for booting, as it currently doesn’t support virtualization.
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