XPlasma Plus 1.0.2 Public Beta

XPlasma Plus 1.0.2 Public Beta

This update fixes installation and visual issues and expands the actual XP desktop widgets across Plasma 6.0–6.8.

• Keep the XP Start menu, task buttons, clock, tray and notifications mandatory. An unsupported layout or failed widget build stops installation and reports the failure.
• Add a copyable installer failure report with complete output, system details and recovery messages. A private copy is saved at ~/.local/state/xplasma-plus/last-failure.log.
• Fix desktop icon shadows, title shadows on dark captions and the empty IE6 Firefox bookmark bar after Firefox initializes Places.
• Refresh APT package indexes before resolving dependencies, report missing candidates and use system Python for privileged installation.
• Install Quick Launch and notification-volume dependencies even when using a prebuilt runtime.
• Fix the Start menu's Run Command action on Plasma 6.0, the old tray graphics import and recursive notification cleanup. Fix notification popup geometry loops on Plasma 6.7 and 6.8.
• Preserve personal files added between installations when upgrading and later removing XP; keep the original pre-XP settings backup.
• Add experimental Void/XBPS dependency support and a non-systemd theme/cursor watcher. Automatic display-manager management still requires systemd.

Downloads

Choose the generic installer or the matching Kubuntu/Ubuntu 26.04 or Fedora 44 installer for x86-64 (amd64) or ARM64. A verified matching runtime speeds installation. If the distribution, Qt, Plasma, KWin or source identity differs, supported components build locally. The Fedora ARM64 archive also includes the Fedora-built runtime validated against the matching Asahi Remix 44 libraries, native CLI and exact KWin caption ABI. No GitHub account is needed for installation.

Upgrade

Back up your configuration and save your work. Extract the complete new archive and run Start-Installer.desktop or install.sh as your desktop user. Installing over an existing installation uses the in-place upgrade path and retains the original pre-XP settings backup. Follow any reported recovery instructions if a step fails.

Validation and limits

Live desktop acceptance passed on Plasma 6.0.4, 6.1.2, 6.2.1, Debian 6.3.6, 6.4.3, 6.5.5, 6.6.4, 6.7.5 and 6.8.1. It exercises apply/reapply, a visible task button restoring a minimized window, Start and All Programs, Run Command, calendar, real notifications, Classic switching and reset. The pinned source matrix checks 108 files and parses 99 QML files. Qt 6.6.3 builds and the native regressions also passed.

These are disposable desktop and build tests, not certification of every distribution, full login/hardware configuration or system-wide installer lifecycle. Void remains experimental. The previously unidentified failure in issue #30 still needs a retry with the new diagnostic report.

See RELEASE-VALIDATION.json alongside the archives for the actual package preparation and test results. Original artwork, third-party notices and credits retain their existing licenses. No OTA update feed is included.

Verify your download

Download SHA256SUMS, SHA256SUMS.sig and xplasma-release-key.pem beside your chosen installer:

openssl pkeyutl -verify -pubin -inkey xplasma-release-key.pem -rawin -in SHA256SUMS -sigfile SHA256SUMS.sig
sha256sum --ignore-missing -c SHA256SUMS

XPlasma Plus 1.0.1 — Public Beta

Warning

This project is vibecoded. Hands-on testing has been limited to Asahi Linux (ARM64) and Kubuntu on Intel/AMD x86-64. Issues are expected, including on these systems; builds for other platforms do not mean they have been tested on real hardware. I do not recommend installing this on a computer without backing up your data and system configuration first.

XPlasma Plus 1.0.1 — Public Beta

XPlasma Plus is a modified fork of hotsocket's XPlasma. Its native theme engine, Qt style, Properties editor and desktop generators originate in that project. Please also check out Rozniak's Windows XP Total Conversion for XFCE, an inspiration for this work.

The upstream lineage includes xp2plasma, XPlasma’s predecessor, whose earlier desktop integration work was carried into XPlasma before its C++/Qt application rewrite. See the upstream import record.

Choose a download

Installer	Matching prebuilt components
Kubuntu x86-64	Kubuntu/Ubuntu 26.04, Intel/AMD 64-bit; Qt 6.10 / Plasma 6.6
Kubuntu ARM64	Kubuntu/Ubuntu 26.04, ARM64; Qt 6.10 / Plasma 6.6
Fedora x86-64	Fedora 44, Intel/AMD 64-bit; Qt 6.11 / Plasma 6.7
Fedora ARM64	Fedora 44 and matching Fedora Asahi Remix 44, ARM64; Qt 6.11 / Plasma 6.7
Generic installer	Builds against the receiving computer's supported KDE/Qt

All five variants include the same features, bundled resources, both Firefox runtime architectures and the source fallback. Choose the prebuilt closest to your system to reduce installation time. A prebuilt is accepted only when its distribution, release, architecture, Qt/Plasma and source identity match; the caption effect also checks the exact KWin package. Mismatches build locally. No executable build downloads are needed during installation.

The generic installer supports APT, DNF, pacman and Zypper families. Native Plasma integrations currently support Plasma 6.6 with Qt 6.10+, and Plasma 6.7 with Qt 6.11+. Feature availability is checked before installation; this does not claim compatibility with every KDE release or distribution. Linux dependencies require internet access. An XP ISO is not needed.

Changes from 1.0.0

• Rename the project and repository to XPlasma Plus, with explicit upstream fork attribution and expanded inspiration credits.
• Enable Firefox's real Menu Bar toggle by default, repairing the old false-valued autohide setting while preserving subsequent user choices.
• Hide the IE6 status bar and reclaim its space in browser and page/video full screen; restore it on exit.
• Use one Royale custom-color base for Royale, Noir, Embedded and Zune. Title-button fringe pixels follow the caption color instead of the button face; Close keeps its red face. The updated generator invalidates old generated-style caches.
• Use the matching XP cog for Default Applications in both standard and HiDPI icon choices. Both options have identical name coverage and fallback aliases: 7,391 mapped names with no missing mappings in the audit.
• Refresh caption-animation colors after theme changes without requiring repeated logout/login.
• Recover safely from the orphaned XPlasma text-helper folder that could block a reinstall, while preserving third-party widget overrides.
• Mark Crisp XP text as experimental.
• Provide four native CI prebuilds and a generic source-build download, with an additional locally built Asahi ARM64 runtime in the Fedora ARM64 package.

Install or upgrade

1. Extract your chosen tar.gz archive.
2. Open XPlasma-Plus-1.0.1/Start-Installer.desktop (or run install.sh) as your normal desktop user.
3. Desktop is selected by default; IE6 Firefox is optional. Choose the components and resolution options you want.
4. For an existing managed installation, choose Upgrade installation to preserve its original rollback backup, current theme, dark mode and Quick Launch choices. To remove selected existing components, remove the installation first.
5. Close other applications before installing. Log out and back in afterward to refresh native components already loaded by KDE; reboot when testing boot-screen changes. Setup does not log out or reboot automatically.

If testing an older saved Royale-family custom-color theme, reapply its custom colors to regenerate it with the corrected shared base and button fringes. Original stock themes keep their own appearance with custom colors disabled.

Scope and validation

The default desktop includes Start/taskbar/clock, window decorations and animations, custom colors and dark application colors, XP icons/fonts/cursors/sounds/wallpapers, desktop shortcuts, checkered selection/snapping, session dialogs, lock/login/boot screens and the Welcome splash. The optional IE6 theme uses a separate Firefox ESR profile. XP applications/games, custom tray menus, Codex additions and OTA updates are excluded.

Four matching native CI builds and caption-effect/rendering checks cover both architectures and distributions. The Royale regression tests use the bundled artwork on each build, including Kubuntu's Qt 6.10. Firefox Menu Bar, full-screen restoration and icon rendering are tested in actual Gecko at 100/125/150/200% scaling, in light and dark mode. Installer unit tests, focused native regressions and archive inventories are checked. These are build/automated checks, not a claim of interactive hardware testing on every target computer.

Verify the downloads

Download SHA256SUMS, SHA256SUMS.sig, and xplasma-release-key.pem alongside your chosen installer. Verify the signature and then the archive:

openssl pkeyutl -verify -pubin -inkey xplasma-release-key.pem -rawin -in SHA256SUMS -sigfile SHA256SUMS.sig
sha256sum --ignore-missing -c SHA256SUMS

The public key is the same release key used previously. Full credits and licenses name and link the included projects. Original Microsoft XP resources retain their separate rights; see asset distribution and provenance. This modified project is not endorsed by upstream developers or Microsoft.

XP Transformation Pack 1.0 — Public Beta

XP Transformation Pack 1.0 — Public Beta (1.0.0) — 2026-10-18

The first public release of XP Transformation Pack: a Windows XP look for KDE Plasma 6, based on hotsocket's XPlasma. Desktop is installed by default; the IE6-style Firefox theme is optional.

What's in it:

• XP visual styles (Luna Blue, Olive Green and Silver, Royale, Royale Noir, Zune, Embedded) and Windows Classic, with custom colours, for window borders, applications, the taskbar, Start menu and tray.
• XP fonts with crisp XP text, icons, pointers, sounds, wallpapers, desktop shortcuts, window behaviour and caption animations.
• XP Welcome, lock, login and boot screens, logoff and shutdown dialogs.
• XPlasma Properties for themes, colours and settings after installation.
• In-place upgrades, a Remove that restores your previous desktop and leaves nothing behind, and a Rebuild for Plasma updates.

Changes since the last alpha:

• Setup asks you to close other programs before installing, and to log out and back in afterwards.
• Plasma no longer crashes during installation: the desktop is left to finish loading before Setup restarts it again.
• KDE's password prompt no longer shows garbled text when reinstalling without logging out.
• Window caption animations follow the colours of the current theme.

Extract the complete archive and open Start-Installer.desktop (or run ./install.sh) as your desktop user, and close other programs first. Linux dependencies require internet access. Supplied XP resources are included; no XP ISO is required. Log out and back in after installing.

Upgrading from an alpha or Release Candidate 1: run this installer and choose Upgrade installation. An installation that includes features this edition doesn't offer (such as the XP apps) needs Remove installed features first.

Matching Kubuntu 26.04 AMD64 native components are included. Other distributions and architectures, Fedora on ARM64 among them, build compatible components from the bundled source during installation (Plasma 6.6 and 6.7 widget sources are included). Tested on Fedora 44 Asahi Remix (ARM64), and on Kubuntu 26.04 (AMD64) through the alpha releases.

This is a public beta. Please report problems at https://github.com/andymenard/XP-Transformation-Pack/issues

Windows XP assets remain Microsoft's copyright and are not covered by the project licence; Setup marks the features that use them as non-free. See the README's licence section.

Source: a87a23e
Kubuntu build: https://github.com/andymenard/XP-Transformation-Pack/actions/runs/39168397747
Installer regression tests: 143 run, 9 skipped, no failures (repository, clean home). Native suites pass apart from one apply test that needs the XP media. Native source/prebuilt identities and exclusion of the OTA payload and update-check autostart were verified.

Credits and licenses remain in CREDITS.md, THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES and LICENSES/. SHA256SUMS.sig authenticates SHA256SUMS with release-key.pem. No OTA feed or update payload is published by this release.