David Edmundson and Oliver Beard introduced the Plasma Login Manager project in the KDE developers' mailing list. The desire to replace the login manager is due to unresolved architectural issues in the Simple Desktop Display Manager (SDDM), which replaced KDM starting with Plasma 5.
The gold standard to follow when creating a new login manager is GDM (GNOME Display Manager). GDM is based on GNOME Shell and Mutter technologies and is heavily tied to them, achieving a level of integration with GNOME that is unattainable when using SDDM. The Plasma Login Manager aims to implement an architecture similar to GDM, allowing for tighter integration of the login manager with the KDE Plasma desktop environment and compositor. proxy server Kwin.
The issues arose because SDDM is developed as a universal login manager, written in Qt and suitable for all graphical environments. SDDM is designed to output a single window for the login screen, but the KDE developers require tighter integration than just a window displaying sessions and users. SDDM also employs its own implementation of power management functions with its own configuration system. Without complications, it is challenging to integrate SDDM with the existing KDE Plasma volume control, brightness, power management, and network connection tools. Additionally, SDDM has a problem with functional duplication already present in KDE, which significantly complicates maintenance.
As a result, a prototype of the new multiprocess Plasma Login Manager was developed, using a backend based on a slimmed-down version of SDDM and a launch mechanism identical to that used for starting a KDE Plasma desktop session. The login screen design is similar to the existing KDE screen locker, and the settings are unified with KDE Plasma. The developers decided against using QML for theme customization in favor of supporting existing desktop wallpaper plugins, color schemes, and Plasma themes.
A working prototype of the Plasma Login Manager is available for testing, which is not yet up to the quality level suitable for use in the stable branch of KDE Plasma. The backend is based on SDDM code, and the new frontend, along with a configuration module (KCM), are still being developed in separate repositories, which are planned to be merged in the future. In terms of capabilities, the Plasma Login Manager is almost at parity with the old login manager.
Among the features that are planned for implementation in the Plasma Login Manager:
- High-quality operation in multi-monitor configurations, high pixel density displays and HDR.
- Keyboard layout switching.
- Support for a virtual keyboard.
- Support for input in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese languages.
- Control of screen and keyboard backlighting.
- Comprehensive power management.
- Support for screen readers.
- The ability to pair with Bluetooth devices.
- The ability to connect to known Wi-Fi access points.
- Support for remote work via VNC/RDP.
Source: opennet.ru
