Tuxedo OS has been upgraded to include the latest KDE Plasma 6 desktop, as well as enabling Wayland by default.

Tuxedo OS is a Linux distro that is based on Ubuntu LTS, but running Plasma as the desktop environment. Tuxedo OS is somewhat unique in that it pulls the entire KDE stack from KDE Neon, making it a semi-rolling release distro. While the underlying base is stable Ubuntu, Plasma and the KDE apps are regularly updated, as are the kernel and graphics drivers. Unlike KDE Neon, however, the Tuxedo team does extra testing to ensure a smooth experience for users.

Roughly two months after the release of Plasma 6, the Tuxedo team’s testing and integration is complete and the distro now defaults to Plasma 6.

On 28 February 2024, the KDE project released Plasma 6, a rock-solid release with sensible changes. We have integrated Plasma 6 into TUXEDO OS for you over several weeks and tested it extensively so that it now acts as the updated desktop environment for TUXEDO OS.

As part of the upgrade, Wayland is now the default display server, instead of the aging X11. For users whose workflows are not yet compatible with Wayland, Tuxedo OS still includes X11 and users can easily select it at the login screen.

Users downloading and installing a fresh installation of Tuxedo OS will automatically have Plasma 6. Existing users will be prompted by a notification giving them the option to upgrade. For more detailed upgrade instructions, please see this article.

We reviewed Tuxedo OS as part of our Linux Distro Reviews series and found the OS to be the best KDE Plasma experience of any we had reviewed, both on Tuxedo and non-Tuxedo hardware. The distro’s unique approach of buliding on a stable base, while still offering a well-tested, up-to-date KDE experience is hard to beat. The fact that Tuxedo OS is part of the Ubuntu/Debian ecosystem also ensures users have the widest array of available software.

Individuals wanting a trouble-free KDE Plasma experience should give the latest Tuxedo OS a spin.