☰
AMP AMP

KDE Plasma 5.10 Desktop Environment to have a Virtual Keyboard on Lock Screen

kde

In an attempt to improvise the touchscreen experience of its users, KDE has come up with a cool innovative idea of implementing a virtual keyboard on the lock screen in its KDE Plasma 5.10 for X11. This new feature, when implemented, will ease the trouble for tablet and 2-in-1 users who log into the desktop environment without the need to connect to a physical keyboard.

Martin Grä ß lin, the developer of KDE, had in his personal blog, published an article to inform the Linux and KDE users regarding some of new features to be included in the KDE Plasma 5.10 desktop environment. All the features started in his blog are to be released at the end of the spring.

The development of the KDE Plasma 5.10 is taking shape and its Beta version is scheduled to be released in the second week of May, which is when the KDE community gets to enjoy the new touchscreen experience for the first time.

" Plasma 5.10 finally integrates qtvirtualkeyboard directly in the lock screen component of the look and feel package," states Martin Grä ß lin on his blog. " Support for Qt’ s virtual keyboard is not new in Plasma in general, it is already fully integrated into the Plasma Wayland session. This change, though, can be used on both Wayland and X11," he further added.

Tag : KDE Desktop
FAQ
Q
How can I change my Plasma theme?
A
Right click on your current desktop, select "Desktop Settings" (alternatively, you can select the same option from the desktop cashew) and you will find the option under "Desktop Theme". You can also download new themes directly from there by clicking the "New Theme" button, using Get Hot New Stuff (GHNS).
Q
My panel is gone, how do I get it back?
A
kquitapp plasma-desktop; rm $KDEHOME/share/config/plasma-desktop-appletsrc; plasma-desktop
Q
What does Plasma do?
A
Plasma is the default workspace (desktop interface) for KDE. It includes an application launcher (start menu), the desktop and the desktop panel (often referred to simply as the task bar). However Plasma is more than just this familiar collection of utilities, it is a common framework for creating integrated interfaces. It is flexible enough to provide interfaces for mobile devices (phones and netbooks), media centers and desktop computers; to support the traditional desktop metaphor as well as well as designs that haven't yet been imagined.
Q
Plasma crashed, how can I bring my desktop back?
A
Normally Plasma automatically restarts in the event of a crash. If this doesn't happen, open KRunner by pushing Alt-F2 (it should be still running) and type "plasma-desktop". Plasma will be restarted.
Q
Is there support for advanced visual effects (transparency, etc.) without using compositing?
A
In an effort to keep the codebase clean of workarounds (if not even hacks), the Plasma developers have decided that features that require compositing to work will not have a composite-less version. The main reasoning is that in the past (KDE 3.5.x), such approaches were one of the causes of the unmaintainability of the code, and also because supporting those features is actually pushing graphics card developers to write better graphics drivers.