KDE Plasma 6.0 Ready For Release Next Week, Plasma 6.1 Seeing Early Feature Work

[ngraham]

1080p at 13.3" will require a different scale factor than it will at 27". Fractional scaling isn't about this resolution or that resolution... it's about the combination of resolution and physical size--the DPI/PPI value. And monitors have wildly varying DPI, from good ol' 96 all the way up to 300+. Furthermore, even if you are fortunate enough to have a screen that was designed for 200% scale, preferences regarding size and density vary. Members of the the "only integer scaling exists, buy a better monitor" crowd need to join the real world.

For these reasons, supporting fractional scaling is important, and Plasma 6.0 actually includes a very large number of improvements for fractional scale use cases. Personally I'm daily-driving a dual-screen setup with a 4K 14" screen at 225% scale plus a 1080p 27" screen at 110% scale, and it's totally boringly usable with the apps I use.

[bug77]

This sounds a bit concerning, because Chromium based browsers (with native Wayland flag enabled) have been working flawlessly for me on Gnome for about 2.5 years already. What exactly doesn't work well in Chromium Wayland on Plasma 6?

For me, it takes seconds to register mouse or keyboard input, unless I have a 2nd Chromium window opened and on top on my secondary screen. If it's not on top, inputs start to lag again. Super-weird.
Weirder still, that doesn't happen to Vivaldi, which is also Chromium-based.

[bug77]

I'm so tired of the 4k-fractional-scaling weenies bombarding every single freaking comment thread.

Just thought I'd get that off my chest. Carry on with your whining. Besides, 4k is ancient history, if you aren't using an 8k monitor you should be relegated to some caveman section of the site.

Independent screen scaling has been the poster child for Wayland for years (together with being secure). If you think we should just be thankful for integer scaling, read Nate's post above.

[andyprough]

Independent screen scaling has been the poster child for Wayland for years (together with being secure). If you think we should just be thankful for integer scaling, read Nate's post above.

I don't think you should just be thankful for integer scaling. I think you should consider your purchases wisely in advance and return products that don't work well with your setup (or with your eyes), the same thing I've thought about most computer device complaints since I started using them in the early 1980s. When I started using GNU/Linux in the late 90's, we had "HCL's" - hardware compatibility lists - and no sane person would build a system without thoroughly checking and re-checking the lists and asking others for advice based on their experience with similar devices. Now? "Everything must work, and it must work the way I think it should work". That's a great thought, but it's not reality.

Anyway, no one cares what someone like me thinks about this, so have a good weekend everyone.

[X_m7]

I don't think you should just be thankful for integer scaling. I think you should consider your purchases wisely in advance and return products that don't work well with your setup (or with your eyes), the same thing I've thought about most computer device complaints since I started using them in the early 1980s. When I started using GNU/Linux in the late 90's, we had "HCL's" - hardware compatibility lists - and no sane person would build a system without thoroughly checking and re-checking the lists and asking others for advice based on their experience with similar devices. Now? "Everything must work, and it must work the way I think it should work". That's a great thought, but it's not reality.

Anyway, no one cares what someone like me thinks about this, so have a good weekend everyone.

I did actually try that sort of approach when I was looking for a new laptop last year, and in particular I wanted a 15-16in screen with integer scaling, somewhat performant graphics that's not NVIDIA AND a non-exorbitant price for the performance/capability, and bloody hell that limited my options considerably. For the screen in particular my options are just 1080p for 100% or flat out 4K for 200%, and the latter naturally means exorbitant pricing, and anything in the middle goes out the window too (like the Framework 16 with 1600p for example), and even if I look at the 13-14in laptops my options would be either the 1366x768 type stuff for 100% or a bit over 1440p for 200% (maybe 4K for 300%?), while the fad at that size seems to be 1080p or so.

And then there's the graphics, while the lower end gaming laptops do tend to have the right screen resolution wise they also tend to be polluted with NVIDIA's stink, and even if I were to settle on just the Radeon 680M/780M the stuff I can find equipped with them tend to be super fancy laptops with the wrong screen, priced way too high given that I'm looking at them as a performance compromise already, and/or they're ALSO saddled with NVIDIA baggage.

So, all that considered, I ended up getting an HP Omen 16 with a Radeon RX 6650M plus a 1080p screen, and it was also discounted quite a bit so it met the above requirements. While I know it doesn't have anywhere near perfect Linux support (another compromise I made, if I didn't I'd have absolutely no viable options then), I assumed that the default power profile, fan curve etc would be reasonable, which was true with the old MSI laptop I had, plus this Omen doesn't have RGB anyway so that's one less thing to worry about. Little did I know, the fan curve is rather stupid in that for a CPU only load the fans will take its sweet time (like 10 mins) while the CPU is going ham at 95+C the whole time, plus the GPU gets throttled from its standard 105W to 35W after some time regardless of temperatures. On top of that the built in microphone didn't work, and the MediaTek WiFi chip turned out to be even more garbage than I thought it could possibly be (download speeds drop to sub 1Mbps in WiFi 6 mode unless I can somehow make it use WiFi 5, but the best I could do with the Linux drivers was make it drop to 2.4GHz). Now I managed to get fixes or figure out workarounds for all of those eventually, but damn it I could have avoided them if I didn't have to worry about stupid screen resolutions or painful proprietary drivers, fucking hell.

/rant over

Anyway, it's been great to see all the improvements coming in, maybe by the time I need to replace this laptop I'd have more choices given the fractional scaling improvements, NVK+Zink, Intel Arc graphics being an additional option and so on.

[fallingcats]

the MediaTek WiFi chip turned out to be even more garbage than I thought it could possibly be (download speeds drop to sub 1Mbps in WiFi 6 mode unless I can somehow make it use WiFi 5, but the best I could do with the Linux drivers was make it drop to 2.4GHz)

Usually those WiFi modules can easily be replaced, I'd suggest Intel AX210 or similar. You can also look into whether any "powersave" modes are enabled by default with your wifi module, those commonly cause such issues.

[X_m7]

Usually those WiFi modules can easily be replaced, I'd suggest Intel AX210 or similar. You can also look into whether any "powersave" modes are enabled by default with your wifi module, those commonly cause such issues.

I already did toss that damn thing out and put an AX200 in its place lol, although trying to snap the antenna cables on was rather nervewracking since it was my first time, plus I've seen some reports about certain laptops having whitelists embedded in the system firmware that can block replacement modules, luckily mine didn't have such an asinine measure included.

[mirmirmir]

Yes, "i don't use it", as every GNOMie says.
It's flawless when you are on decade old hardware and "just don't use" things that everybody in the modern world with 4k screen considers as basic.

The problem with that mindset is that you imply that it is ready for use. Ready to be shipped. Ready for everyone to use. Even if it is clearly not, because it is missing crucial things that everybody expects from modern software.

I've been keeping "Large Text" option in accessibility for years, it's pretty much 1.25 scaling. I've been also on Wayland, so I don't get what you're on about.

The problem with KDE fans, they are delusional on how superior KDE is. To the point they are making shit up, lying though their teeth because other mindless fans just agree with the lie. Make it even more comfortable to lie for another time.

[DumbFsck]

Would you also say "I have a Ford Taurus SHO car" or would you say "I have a Ford Taurus SHO"?

Depends if Ford's top marketing guy is being like Phil Shill and ranting on twitter about people using their products' names as a normal person would.


BTW, I think people misunderstood me. My point was exactly that Apple's rules are dumb. I call it the ugly and unintuitive way they suggest because fsck Phill Shill and I like drawing attention to how stupid it sounds, lampshading how dumb that "rule" is.


Even Tim Cook has been on record saying stuff like "iPhones".

[stiiixy]

The conflation of 'smart phone' to 'iPhone' and tablet/slate to 'iPad' is older than my 13 year old nephew who refuses to learn he utilises a mobile telephone and tablet/slate to conduct gameing sessions....

The name game was lost on his mother's (my sister) generation in the naughties, because it's all their fault 😁

Hyundai has a whole range of cars called (cringeingly) iWhatever, and amazingly weren't sued.

Whattayado!