New Features For KDE 4.4 Desktop

KDE 4.4 is scheduled to be released in early February of 2010 as the six-month feature update to KDE4 and now its feature plan has surfaced. KDE 4.4 is poised to pickup a number of exciting new features along with various bug-fixes and other updates. Below is a list of some of the KDE 4.4 features that caught our attention.

- Konqueror bookmarks support using Akonadi and Nepomuk
- An improved search bar in the Dolphin file manager
- Back-ends for Samba/LISa/UPnP in network kioslave
- Support for storage device auto-mounting
- Many Nepomuk improvements
- X Input 2 support in Mouse KCM
- A Plasma shell focused for netbooks
- Plasmoid support in the system tray
- Python 3 support for PyKDE4
- UPnP support in kdenetwork
- Telepathy Tubes support in Krdc/Krfb
- Messaging and friendship management in opendesktop

The complete list of KDE 4.4 changes can be found in its TechBase feature plan. The first KDE 4.4 development release, KDE 4.4 Beta 1, is expected at the start of December, per the KDE 4.4 release schedule.

In related news, KDE 4.3.3 is being released today as a monthly point release in the KDE 4.3.x series. KDE 4.3.3 brings various bug-fixes and minor improvements to the K Desktop Environment.