KDE 4.1 to bring back Konqueror tree view, other goodies

KDE developers are finalizing the feature plan for KDE 4.1, which is scheduled …

When I wrote about file managers in my review of KDE 4.0, I noted that several important features had been removed from Konqueror, including the tree-based detailed view. Many power users regard the tree view as the most effective mode for advanced file management and mourned the loss of this feature. Developer Peter Penz reports that the tree view has been restored and that it will be fully functional in time for the KDE 4.1 release.

The tree view was originally omitted from the 4.0 release because it had to be completely rewritten using Interview, a model-view-controller framework for tree structures that was introduced in Qt 4. According to Penz, the commonly-requested feature will be restored in Konqueror, but not enabled by default in Dolphin, KDE's new user-friendly default file manager.

Many basic features that were noticeably absent in the 4.0 release are beginning to show up as the as the 4.1 release—which is scheduled for July—approaches. Improvements to Plasma are particularly significant but lots of other little features and fixes, like bringing back the tree view, are subtly contributing to a much-improved KDE experience. For an overview of additional features that are planned for inclusion in KDE 4.1, check out the feature plan at KDE's TechBase web site. The cutoff for scheduling new KDE 4.1 features is April 7, so plans should be finalized soon.