Just in time for the KDE 4.0.1 release, the openSUSE KDE team has updated the KDE 4 packages in the Build Service to the KDE 4.0.1 state, featuring several improvements over the plain KDE 4.0.1 release and including further integration fixes.

KDE Four Live 1.0.1

KDE Four Live, the openSUSE KDE4 Installable Live CD, has also been updated to contain these packages and changes.

KDE Repository Re-structuring

After a long discussion and feedback period, the openSUSE BuildService repository layout for KDE packages has finally been overhauled.

There are: latest, stable and regularly updated KDE 4.0.x packages as well as experimental KDE 4.1 packages available. The repositories are kept in a modular state so you can choose how much of your system you want to be possibly affected by selecting one of the stable or unstable Desktop, Extra or Community repositories. As a result, the current KDE:KDE4 repository has now been frozen and will be removed in the future, so please update your repositories accordingly.

Of course the Backports and KDE3 repositories, which do not update any of your system libraries, are still available and will be extended even further in the near future.

~ Dirk

The KDE Community has announced the immediate availability of KDE 4.0.0. This significant release marks both the end of the long and intensive development cycle leading up to KDE 4.0 and the beginning of the KDE 4 era. KDE developers, including our openSUSE KDE Team, have been working on getting toward KDE 4.0 for over 2 years.

The Start of Something Amazing: A Revolutionary New Desktop

The KDE 4 Libraries have seen major improvements in almost all areas. The Phonon multimedia framework provides platform independent multimedia support to all KDE applications, the Solid hardware integration framework makes interacting with (removable) devices easier and provides tools for better powermanagement.

The KDE 4 Desktop has gained some major new capabilities. The Plasma desktop shell offers a new desktop interface, including panel, menu and widgets on the desktop as well as a dashboard function. KWin, the KDE Window manager now supports advanced graphical effects to ease interaction with your windows.

Lots of KDE Applications have seen improvements as well. Visual updates through using vector-based artwork, changes in the underlying libraries, user interface enhancements, new features, even new applications — you name it, KDE 4.0 has it. Okular, the new document viewer and Dolphin, the new filemanager are only two applications that leverage KDE 4.0’s new technologies.

The Oxygen Artwork team provides a breath of fresh air on the desktop. Nearly all user-visible parts of the KDE desktop and applications have been given a facelift. Beauty and consistency are two of the basic concepts behind Oxygen.

See the rest of the visual guide for more information and images.

KDE 4.0 Packages, openSUSE-based KDE 4.0 Live CD

Regular KDE 4 Packages and an openSUSE-based KDE Four Live CD have been available throughout the whole cycle, and final versions of them are also available now. On openSUSE 10.3 you can use 1-click-install to get the KDE 4.0 desktop environment:

Or you can choose to install a more basic KDE 4 desktop. Developers can also optionally install the KDE 4 build dependencies: all the packages you need to have installed for compiling KDE 4.0 from source (experts only).

The release of KDE 4.0 RC1, KOffice 2 Alpha 5, and Firefox 3.0 Beta 1 were all announced in the last week. As always, openSUSE packages are available in the openSUSE Build Service via 1-Click-Install. The openSUSE-based KDE development live CD “KDE Four Live” has also been updated.

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The GNOME and KDE teams have teamed up to provide two packaging days, from November 30th until December 1st (from any timezone to any timezone). It will take place on IRC in the #opensuse-buildservice channel.

We will help interested newcomers and already experienced packagers in learning all the little tricks and bits needed for creating good openSUSE packages of your favourite application with the openSUSE Build Service. A little existing experience in compiling software from source is recommended, and the wiki page also lists several other useful things to read.

So join our effort in creating more packages for your favourite Linux Distribution!

Dirk Mueller and Michael Wolf

A small team has created videos of the openSUSE 10.3 installation with commentary and plans to create further ones. — A Live-CD based on openSUSE 10.3 with the KDE 4.0 Beta 3+ packages from the KDE:KDE4 build service project has been announced. — Build Service architect Klaas Freitag posted a proposal for a “Personal Message Dispatching” system with code name Hermes in the openSUSE Build Service and asks for feedback.

As part of the KDE 4 hack week, which the KDE desktop team and KDE people working for SUSE are doing this week, we will do an informal and spontaneous openSUSE KDE IRC meeting tomorrow at 1600 GMT. Some possible topics are getting collected on the KDE Meetings wiki page, please join us if KDE on openSUSE interests you. — KDE 3.5.8 has been released today and we have unsupported packages available in the Build Service. The release of KDE 4.0 Beta 3, of course accompanied by packages in the KDE:KDE4 build service project, is expected later this week.

Stephan Kulow has announced Live-CD builds (GNOME, KDE ISOs) based on the openSUSE 10.3 Beta3plus packages. tuxmachines.org published their report on and screenshots of openSUSE 10.3 Beta 3. The openSUSE-Community site got a facelift and offers 1-click-install definitions for 10.3 packages. KDE 4.0 Beta 2 has been released and as usual unsupported packages are available as well as a new “KDE Four Live” CD which was created with Kiwi.

openSUSE 10.3 will see the first small parts of KDE 4 creeping into the distribution. KDE 3 will still be the default KDE session for openSUSE 10.3, but KDE 4 will be making its way in steadily. The online repository will contain a current KDE 4 development snapshot, the DVD will have a fully functional and working KDE 4 session, and even on the KDE Installation CD you will have some KDE 4 games, KRDC and KRFB.

Today we will see what exactly is new in openSUSE 10.3’s KDE 4 applications and we’ll also be talking to Dirk Müller, a long-time openSUSE and KDE core developer.

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KDE 4.0 Beta 1 has been released which marks the beginning of the integration process which will bring the powerful new technologies included in the now frozen KDE 4 libraries to the applications. Also the second Alpha of KOffice 2.0 has been announced. As usual unsupported packages are available for openSUSE 10.2 and Factory in the openSUSE Build Service. If you want to test-drive the new releases: the openSUSE Factory-based and with Kiwi created “KDE Four Live” CD has been updated.

Novell Open Audio in its current episode features a retrospection of Hack Week including development site visit reports, awarded and other selected projects including this site. In the second part, Will Stephenson of the KDE Team gets interviewed about the changes and architecture of the upcoming KDE 4.0.