The upcoming openSUSE minor release is finally here. If you use OpenSUSE as your daily driver for desktop or server, you might have already tested the release candidate version available for a couple of weeks now.
The openSUSE Leap 15.4 focuses on software package updates to match the SUSE Linux Enterprise 15 Service Pack 4. So, you will notice several deprecated packages, and new upgrades available to replace them.
Of course, you should have some packages available to ensure compatibility. But, most of the older ones have been removed.
openSUSE Leap 15.4: What’s New?
To match the latest SUSE Linux Enterprise (SLE), packages like Python 2 and KDE 4 have been removed. You can find newer desktop environments with this release.
Furthermore, for containers and AI/ML use-cases, podman, containerd, Tensorflow,and Grafana have been updated.
Leap Micro 5.2
Leap Micro is the latest version of its lightweight operating system tailored for container and virtualized workloads. It is a new offering of MicroOS for Leap, which is a variant of Tumbleweed, providing automated administration and patching.
Desktop Environments
Xfce 4.16 is here to stay, but you can find additions for new major features that include new icons, and palettes.
The settings manager in Xfce 4.16 also received a visual refresh. Similarly, there were some improvements to file manager (Thunar), dark mode support for a new status tray plugin, and more.
KDE 4 packages have been dropped, Plasma 5.24 LTS has been included as an LTS release.
To explore the changes, you can check out our original coverage for KDE Plasma 5.24 LTS. Overall, the new KDE Plasma experience should be impressive for desktop users.
When it comes to GNOME, you can find GNOME 41 included with Leap 15.4 with a range of improvements and new features. Learn more about GNOME 41 to know what you can expect.
For other available desktop environments, Leap 15.4 includes:
- MATE 1.26
- Enlightenment 0.25.3
- Deepin Desktop Environment 20.3
Dropped Packages
Some essential packages removed include python 2 (end of life), digikam, tensorflow 1.x, and Qt 4 packages.
You will find Qt 5 and Plasma 5 available to update the system.
Updated Packages
Many vital packages have been updated for Leap 15.4, some of the popular ones include:
- TensorFlow 2.6.2
- podman 3.4.4
- GNU Health 4.0
- sudo 1.9.9
- systemd 249.10
- AppArmor 3.04
- DNF 4.10.0
- LibreOffice 7.2.5
So, you should notice useful upgrades for both server users and desktop users with various application updates. Many multimedia applications like VLC, and GNOME MPV have also received upgrades.
Other Improvements
Along with essential updates, and clean-up, you can also find a newer Linux Kernel 5.14.21 maintained by SUSE.
The hardware support should see an improvement with the updated kernel.
For more information, you can refer to the release notes for openSUSE Leap 15.4.
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