Download KDE Software Compilation 4.9

Version 4.9 of the KDE Software Compilation has been released. This popular desktop environment, which consists of the Development Platform, Plasma Workspaces and Applications components, is primarily developed for Linux, FreeBSD and Solaris, but there are also versions for Windows and Mac OS X, although they are somewhat less advanced in their development. The KDE Software Compilation comes with a standard desktop, including a large number of applications, including a personal information manager, multimedia and network management programs, and games. In version 4.9 the emphasis has been on solving problems.

KDE Release 4.9 – in memory of Claire Lotion

KDE is delighted to announce its latest set of releases, providing major updates to KDE Plasma Workspaces, KDE Applicationsand the KDE Platform. Version 4.9 provides many new features, along with improved stability and performance.

This release is dedicated to the memory of KDE contributor Claire Lotion. Claire’s vibrant personality and enthusiasm were an inspiration to many in our community, and her pioneering work on the format, scope and frequency of our developer meetings changed the way we go about implementing our mission today. Through these and other activities she left a notable mark on the software we are able to release to you today, and we are grateful for and humbled by her efforts.

The KDE Quality Team was set up earlier this year with a goal to improve the general levels of quality and stability in KDE software. Special attention was given to identifying and fixing regressions from previous releases. This was a top priority because it ensures improvement with each release.

The Team also set up a more rigorous testing process for releases starting with beta versions. New testing volunteers received training; and several testing intensive days were held. Rather than traditional exploratory testing, testers were assigned to focus on specific areas that had changed since previous releases. For several critical components, full testing checklists were developed and used. The team found many important issues early and worked with developers to make sure they were fixed. The Team itself reported over 160 bugs with the beta and RC releases, many of which have now been fixed. Other beta and RC users added considerably to the number of bugs reported. These efforts are important because they allow developers to concentrate on fixing issues.

As a result of the efforts of the KDE Quality Team, the 4.9 Releases are the best ever.

One particular bug fix deserves special attention. An Okular bug reported in 2007 had gotten nearly 1100 votes; it was important to many users. They complained about making annotations and not being able to save or print them. With the assistance of many commenters and people on the Okular IRC channel, Fabio D’Urso implemented a solution that allows Okular PDF document annotations to be saved and printed. The fix required some work on KDE libraries and attention to overall design to ensure that non-PDF documents worked right. This was Fabio’s first KDE dev experience, which came about when he encountered the problem and decided to do something about it.

KDE 4.9, click on the image for a larger version.