The KDE Plasma 6.7 desktop, scheduled for release in June, receives a new batch of fixes focused on eliminating bugs and improving overall stability. At the same time, the development team has already set its sights on version 6.8, where one of the most anticipated new features is the integration of the Intel Xe graphics driver into the System Monitor application and its widgets.
Intel Xe support lands in System Monitor 🖥️
The arrival of the Intel Xe driver in System Monitor will allow users with recent Intel graphics hardware to monitor GPU usage, video memory, and other metrics in real time directly from the desktop. This feature, which many considered a notable shortcoming, will also be integrated into desktop widgets, offering data without needing to resort to terminal tools. The patch is already under development and aims to be part of the Plasma 6.8 cycle.
Developers have to eat too ☕
While users have been asking for years when they would see that Intel GPU data in a nice widget, developers have taken the opportunity to remind us that code is not written with enthusiasm alone, but also with coffee and patience. At least now, when the system monitor shows that the graphics card is at 100% due to an animated desktop wallpaper, we can blame something more concrete than the phases of the moon.