What started as a QEMU frontend for virtualization via CLI is now on track for an ambitious makeover with modern user interface bits underneath. I am talking about KDE Karton, which is set for these upgrades as part of a GSoC 2025 project.
Intrigued? Then keep on reading! 😃
What's Happening: Being undertaken by Derek Lin, a student at the University of Waterloo, Karton will be receiving a major overhaul aimed at integrating modern tech to ensure seamless compatibility with recent Plasma desktop versions.
Derek is working on implementing a native KDE user interface using Kirigami/Qt Quick and libvirt as the backend service to facilitate the creation and management of virtual machines (VMs).
What to Expect: Currently, Derek has already pushed out his first merge request that was meant as a proof-of-concept rewrite of the app, with new UI components allowing users to list, view, configure, and install libvirt-powered virtual machines.
Following that, another merge request was submitted that added management tools for QEMU virtual disk paths and another one for introducing a domain installer, which uses libosinfo to detect OS installer images and generate the necessary libvirt XML configuration for new virtual machines.
There are plans to add snapshot support so that users can easily save/restore VMs, a better user interface that utilizes screen space smartly, and a system monitor to display CPU and RAM usage of VMs. Additionally, the installer will be enhanced with more configuration options, such as device pass-through, giving users greater control over their virtual machines.
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