The OS brings support for new computer models and peripheral equipment, fresh applications for users and system administrators.
The Russian company "Bazalt SPO" announced the release of an update to the "Alt Workstation K" operating system, version 11.4. Key changes include the transition to the KDE Plasma 6.6 graphical shell, optimization of work with Nvidia drivers, and improvements to accessibility features.
In the new Plasma 6.6 version, the Spectacle screenshot utility has been significantly improved, with an optical character recognition (OCR) tool built-in. Users can now extract and edit text in Russian and English directly from images, eliminating the need to retype it manually. The standard Maliit on-screen keyboard has been replaced with the more modern Plasma Keyboard, which is better integrated with the desktop and adapted for screens of any width.
The "Accessibility" section has been supplemented with four filters for correcting various color perception disorders. Also, the "Zoom and Screen Magnifier" function now includes a tracking mode that keeps the mouse pointer in the center of the screen, facilitating navigation. In addition, the system now automatically adjusts display brightness on devices with a corresponding sensor.
Important changes have also affected Nvidia video drivers. Developers introduced new driver packaging, thanks to which all necessary components are supplied in a single package. This ensures full functionality, including CUDA and OpenCL support, even for outdated driver versions such as 390. Compatibility of driver version 390 with new OS kernels was restored, which solved the black screen problem after updating. Now, updating the driver does not require updating the system kernel – it is enough to install a system update and restart the computer.
In addition, the web terminal session transitioned to using Wayland and Systemd, and audio support was added, which improved stability and compatibility. Errors that caused login screen crashes on older Nvidia video cards were fixed, and the display of background images on widescreen monitors was improved.