KaOS 2021.06 Release: Brings Plasma 5.22 with Adaptive Transparency

KaOS is a Linux distribution with specific focus on Qt and KDE, offering better flexibility and usability, with the latest update KaOS 2021.06 having packages such as the new Plasma 5.22 with Adaptive Transparency.

While the new Plasma 5.22 Adaptive Transparency feature means that the panel widgets will be translucent, and if there are any maximized windows, it will be entirely opaque.

The latest KaOS version also offers other new functionalities, such as support for JPEG XL, an upgrade to the JPEG format, and Plasma Wayland session now supports Activities, allowing users to keep their main work separate from other tasks.

What's New in KaOS 2021.06 Release?

Besides the desktop environment upgrade, KaOS 2021.06 comes with LibreOffice, replacing Calligra as the default office suite. And the latest Plasma packages are built on Qt 5.15.2+, including Plasma 5.22.2, Frameworks 5.83.0 and KDE applications 21.04.2.

Other new and updated core tools in KaOS 2021.06 includes:

KWin Wayland now supports Present Windows effect
Maliit virtual keyboard packages now Added
Fosshost is now the default mirror, utilizes Fastly CDN to deliver content
Calamares installer now offers two new QML modules
KSysguard replaces Plasma System Monitor

Further more, there is no need to adjust a mirror list to install/update to KaOS anymore, with Fosshost as the default mirror.

How to Download or Upgrade to KaOS 2021.06 Release?

For existing KaOS user, simply use the following command to upgrade your current system to KaOS 2021.06:

sudo pacman -Syu

And for a fresh installation, you can download the ISO images from the official site, but note that the welcome screen can now display text or other info as a QML file in the Calamares window.