KDE Plasma 6.4 has received its first point release, which includes an important fix to reduce the risk of inducing seizures in photosensitive users.
Now, it’s not like latest KDE desktop was running a disco out of the box, but the ‘highlight window’ effect enabled by default for Task Manager thumbnails might, under a specific workflow, cause enough screen flickering at the frequencies that trigger seizures in susceptible users.
Which is not good (just ask the Pokemon cartoon).
As such, KDE Plasma 6.4.1 turns the ‘highlight window’ effect off by default.
KDE’s Nate Graham, relaying the change, outlines the workflow needed to create consistent full-screen flickering with the effect, noting that though ‘unlikely’ to occur it is ‘not impossible’.
“[U]ntil and unless we can fix the effect to not be so flickery with this specific usage, it’s safer to keep it off. Furthermore, even for people who aren’t photosensitive, it’s currently a really unpleasant visual effect,” he adds.
Similarly, the ‘visual bell’ is now throttled. This change was made because if “too many bell requests are sent too fast there is a risk that the screen flashes repeatedly, causing issues for users with photosensitivity.”
There are some other (less dramatic) fixes in KDE Plasma 6.4.1 including:
- Text label contrast improvements to meet WCAG AA
- UI adjustments in Discover
- Window list widget menu is now working
More fixes will find their way out in to the wild over the coming months, with next point release, KDE Plasma 6.4.2, scheduled to arrive in early July 2025.
It’s likely that we’ll see more fixes that, like the photosensitivity buffs in this update, continue to address, and improve accessibility in KDE Plasma.
Accessibility is about everyone
KDE, like other Linux desktops, is focused on complying with the European Accessibility Act 2025 (EU Directive 2019/882). This requires a wide range of digital products and services to be made accessible to people with differing abilities.
Accessibility in open source has become an angsty topic of late, often framed as something that only benefits a select group of people with specific needs. It’s seen as a set of additional tools or settings to undo the ‘standard’ experience most people use.
I don’t use high contrast mode or a screen reader, but I do benefit from accessibility features like text labels that are legible and easy to read, and app UIs I can navigate properly with my keyboard tab key when my mouse battery runs flat1.
So the hand-wavey gripe that focusing on accessible features is niche “building for them” rather than “building for us” is—I wear glasses, so bite me for saying this—a tad myopic.
Everyone benefits from better accessibility in software. Concientious design which accommodates accessibility needs from the get-go shouldn’t be viewed as compromise, but creating software that is better for everyone, by default.
Which these photosensitivity fixes in Plasma 6.4.1 underscore.
- Bit freaky: whilst writing this article my mouse battery did indeed run flat! ↩︎