KDE SC 4.7.4 and 4.8 Beta 2 released

The KDE Community has announced the release of versions 4.7.4 and 4.8 Beta 2 of the KDE Software Compilation (KDE SC). KDE 4.7.4, the fourth, and last, point update to the 4.7.x branch of the open source K Desktop Environment, is a maintenance update that, as expected, adds no new features and includes various translation updates and bug fixes. According to the developers, issues have been addressed in KGpg, the KWin window manager, and the Okular universal document viewer, as well as the Plasma Workspaces; the update is recommended for users running all earlier versions of KDE.

Scheduled to arrive in January 2012, KDE 4.8 will be the next major update to the Linux and Unix desktop, and will include support for Qt Quick in Plasma Workspaces, as well as bringing stability improvements. The file view in the Dolphin file manager has been rewritten to improve performance and provide a "more attractive visual appearance". Aimed at testers, KDE 4.8 Beta 2, also referred to as KDE 4.7.90, includes "hundreds of fixes" for bugs found in the first beta from last month. No known issues are currently listed on the KDE 4.7.90 Info Page; users testing the release are encouraged to provide feedback and report any bugs that they find.

More details about the stable update can be found in the release announcement, in the change log and on the KDE 4.7.4 Info Page. Version 4.7.4 of KDE is available to download as source packages for self-compilation and as binary packages for various Linux distributions.

KDE is licensed under a combination of LGPLv2, BSD, MIT and X11 licences for the core libraries and the GPLv2 or GPLv3 for applications.

See also:

• KDE Telepathy 0.2 IM client released, a report from The H.
• KDE wallpaper contest announced, a report from The H.
• KDE celebrates 15th birthday, a report from The H.

(crve)