This past week, KDE Plasma reached an exciting milestone with the release of Plasma 6.5.0, introducing a brand-new Initial System Setup wizard (nicknamed KISS)—a streamlined, production-ready solution for first-run configurations. Let’s dive into what’s new, why it matters, and what else comes along for the ride.

A Fresh First-Run Experience: Say Hello to KISS

Until now, KDE’s Welcome Center would greet users after their first login—but who creates that first user account? If the OS was pre-installed by someone else (like from the manufacturer or a previous owner), no accounts exist yet to log in with. That’s where the Initial System Setup wizard steps in, handling those vital first steps—like creating a user account, setting a keyboard layout, selecting a time zone, and more.