Based on the latest Qt 5.11 open-source application framework and the forthcoming KDE Frameworks 5.50 software suite, due for release on September 8, the upcoming KDE Plasma 5.14 desktop environment promises yet another set of new feature and improvements.

One of the coolest new features of the KDE Plasma 5.14 desktop environment, as developer Nate Graham notes in his latest usability and productivity report, is the ability to upgrade your computer's firmware through the Plasma Discover graphical package manager, which is installed by default and helps KDE Plasma users update their GNU/Linux distributions and KDE applications.

The ability to upgrade your computer’s firmware recently landed in the Plasma Discover package manager and was implemented by developer Abjiheet Sharma. KDE Plasma 5.14 looks to be the first release of the open-source desktop environment to ship with this features, as it doesn't look like it will be backported to Plasma 5.13.

Also, thanks to KDE developers Aleix Pol and Nate Graham, Plasma Discover's Updates and Settings pages have also received various visual tweaks as part of the KDE Plasma 5.14 desktop environment release, which you can see in the screenshot gallery below, to make them look better and more consistent with each other.

KDE Plasma 5.14 slated for release on October 9, 2018

Apart from the Plasma Discover changes, the upcoming KDE Plasma 5.14 desktop environment will also ship with an improved, re-organized the Desktop Effects System Settings page thanks to developer Vlad Zagorodniy, and the soon-to-be-released KDE Applications 18.08.0 software suite with many updates apps.

The final KDE Plasma 5.14 desktop environment release will be hitting the streets on October 9, 2018, but it will be available for public beta testing starting next month on September 13. KDE Plasma 5.14 will be yet another short-lived branch of the open-source desktop environment supported until January 1, 2019.