KDE 4.0 Release Schedule Finalised

The KDE Community and the release team have put together a release plan for the long anticipated version 4.0, which is planned to be released in October 2007. KDE 4.0 will be a major milestone for the Free Desktop, as it offers a new foundation and set of frameworks that will shape the desktop user experience for years to come. Users will benefit from improved speed through Qt 4, integration of hardware through Solid, multimedia performance via Phonon, usability enhancements by close collaboration with OpenUsability, new real-time communication options with Decibel, spell-checking with Sonnet, comprehensive desktop search through Strigi and Nepomuk, a new desktop metaphor through Plasma and, last but not least, a completely new artwork experience called Oxygen.

KDE 4.0 will likely contain initial versions of all the major subsystems that have been described in recent Dot articles.  These "Pillars" of KDE set the stage for desktop and application growth and maturity over the life of the KDE 4 series. The release schedule contains a number of milestones and dates, the most important of those being:

  • April 1, 2007: Subsystem Freeze
    From this date forward, no new KDE subsystem or major changes can be committed to kdelibs.
  • May 1, 2007: Alpha Release + kdelibs soft API Freeze
    Alpha will be a source-only release without translations. The kdelibs API is "soft-frozen", meaning that changes can be made but only with the consent of the core developers.
  • June 1, 2007: trunk/KDE is feature frozen
    Trunk is frozen for feature commits. Internationalised string changes are allowed. A list of main modules that will be included in the final release will be made.
  • June 25, 2007: Beta1
    Beta 1 is prepared and released after some initial testing. The incoming bugs will be reviewed for their severity. After this release, a new Beta version will be released every month.
  • September 23, 2007: Total Release Freeze
    This is the very last date for committing anything that isn't reviewed on the development lists.
  • September 25, 2007: Release Candidate 1
    Targetted date for first release candidate. Only regressions (breakage caused by the KDE 4 port) or grave bugs can be fixed. Starting with this Release Candidate, a new Release Candidate will be put out every two weeks until the codebase is sufficiently stable and all showstopper bugs have been fixed.
  • October 23, 2007: Targetted Release Date

As always, the KDE community welcomes involvement with translations, documentation, testing and promotions.  Developers who want to contribute to make KDE 4 even more rocking should check out techbase.kde.org, the new platform for all development-related information about KDE and its technologies.

A more detailed version of the release roadmap can be found on techbase. More and updated information about the release schedule can be found on the Release Schedule webpage.

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Comments

by superstoned (not verified)

The theme is being worked on (I have it running) but not ready. And it doesn't have to be ready for June the first, too.

Plasmoids - no, not jet. They don't have to be ready very soon, the libraries behind them are still being worked on (I do recall they had superkaramba compatibility almost ready a week ago, so we're getting there).

Decibel integration in Kopete is currently experimental, but yes, it's there.

by nescius (not verified)

right! i like that style!
its really something else than usuall styles, and really good looking

by Rainier Sephr (not verified)

I completely agree KDE's best themes have never been the default and I think Domino is an exceptionally pleasant well rounded theme. Can't think of a better choice for the default.

by djouallah mimoune (not verified)

Where is webkit, I thought it was supposed to be another pillar ok kde4, perhaps we are missing a great opportunity specially now, as it has been adopted by major IT names, just look at adobe with Apollo thingy.
But why bother, we pushed dcop and now dbus is here, and eh where is arts.

by slacker (not verified)

DBus is based on lessons learned from DCOP. Basically, it's a "better" DCOP, designed from the beginning to be more flexible and independent from the windowing system. Arts was a mistake from the beginning... it's being replaced by the new and shiny Phonon. WebKit is based on KHTML, WTF do we need to abandon our own version, if it isn't any worse?

by MamiyaOtaru (not verified)

Especially when webkit is controlled by a company that doesn't necssarily have KDEs interest at heart.

There's also the PR side. Now it's nice to say Webkit is based on KHTML, it's something that KDE started and Apple decided was worth picking up. If KDE starts using Webkit, any indication that it originally came from KDE kinda disappears. Now KDE is using Apple tech, but really, it came from KDE first! No srsly!

Now, being in control of your own destiny is a more important reason to stay with KHTML, so don't get hung up on my worry about appearances.

by KDE Astrology (not verified)

Congratulations.

All the dates will be one day before or after the full moon.
This is great because you got all the community at full intellectual activities.

September 23 is the equinox, this means autumn at North and spring at South.
The autumn will bring to KDE an introspective development phase, something to improve at the northern community and a expansion at the user base at the southern community. The KDE will freeze when the nature start the introspective phase.

October 23 we will have a conjunction with the sun and mercury. A stormy day.

by KDE Astrology (not verified)

The KDE will freeze when the northern community and the nature starts an introspective phase. At the southern community this means the point where the nature blossom is at the main point, the blossom of new people and new values.

The European guys will stay at the office developing and improving, the seed at the soil, the potential working in silence at the winter. The south America guys will spread this new tool around, make noise and get new users.

by Bille (not verified)

Sounds like you could be the right person to write a KAstrology program!

by Vlad (not verified)

Or perhaps the right person to help pick important dates! :)

Vlad

by Vlad (not verified)

Ah! Another KDE astrologer.

Could you tell me which (if any) programs you use to do your charts? I have begun looking into software that runs on linux and preferably using kde and haven't found any that actually work :( Kastrolog looked promising but the project seemed to have ended a long while ago and using plain Astrolog is mind boggling.

Vlad

by Zoltan Bartko (not verified)

Not to mention that there was a revolution in Hungary 23rd October 1956. Is 23rd October 2007 going to be a revolution?

Have a nice day

Zoltan