Rename KDE Plasma pre installed apps to be more user friendly

[leandrokemp]

When KDE was created back in 1996, it was the “Kool” (with K) Desktop Environment (KDE). Since KDE Plasma release in 2008, KDE no longer was a desktop environment, but a suite of various apps, some shipped with the Plasma desktop by default, others being their own apps, independent from the Plasma desktop, being KDE apps, rather than Plasma apps.

Now, in 2025, “Kool” (with K) looks outdated rather than cool.
I believe that nowadays, KDE means just KDE, rather than Kool Desktop Environment.
Therefore, to make Plasma more user friendly and modern. Users new to Linux would get confused that eg. Dolphin is actually a File Manager (I know, they can see the icon, but you get the point).

Specially now that Plasma is shipped with the Steam Deck, more users new to Linux will start using Plasma. It would be great to make their life easier.

So, I would like to suggest renaming the KDE apps shipped by default with Plasma to something like the below:

Ark → Archive Manager
Discover → Software OR Apps
Dolphin → File Manager
Konsole → Terminal OR Console
Kwrite → Text Editor
Gwenview → Image Viewer
JuK → Music Player
KDE Partition Manager → Partition Manager
KCalc → Calculator
KFind → Find
KMag → Screen Magnification
KMouseTool → Mouse Tool
KMouth → Speech Assistant / Speech Tool
KOrganizer → Calendar (I know it’s more than a calendar, but the planner/scheduler features are also related to calendar. People would understand what it does)
KWalletManager → Wallet Manager
Okular → Document Viewer
Spectacle → Screenshot Tool
Sweeper → System Cleaner

Note: Only the apps’ label would change, not the app actual name. GNOME does the same with some apps, eg. File Manager (Nautilus) - on the desktop it’s named File Manager, but if you go to the about page, you can see its actual name (Nautilius).

Other KDE apps (not included in Plasma), suck as Kdenlive, Kate, Krita, etc, make sense to not change their names.

I’d be keen to contribute on this in any way, if approved.

[krake]

Most of these applications already have such a “category name” (internally referred to as the Generic Name)

For example if you navigate in the launcher menu to where Dolphin is it will display

Dolphin
File Manager

When you search for “file” in the launcher menu it will display the same thing.

When you hover over the Dolphin panel icon it also does that.

The KRunner search result only shows the main name per default and the generic name only for the currently hovered entry, so maybe that could be improved somehow.

[claydoh]

Please, no
This is not at all a new topic, I think it may go back as far as 1996 even

Treating people like they are a bit …dumb?.. is not the way to go, imnsho.
By default we show the name and description in the application launcher, but one can adjust this if desired.

Just like on most DEs, type "terminal’ and the correct one(s) show up, as well.

[bja]

I use the Application Menu. If you right click on the icon and select “configure application menu” you have the option under “show application as” to show name only, description only, name (description) or description (name).

Then there is the “Edit applications” option. I use the menu editor and go through my menu to edit all installed apps to what I want, delete apps or move apps some sub menus they’re in.

Like in the above screenshot I will delete libreoffice from graphics, as it’s already present in office.

[skyfishgoo]

it’s already done !

right click the app launcher > configure > general tab > show app as: Description only

now everything will be named as you suggest, no need to learn a bunch of new names for things.

easy peasy

[leandrokemp]

I beleive we always revisit “old” topics. Different times can have different outcomes on the same topic
Yes, I’m aware that it shows the app name and the description, however, As I mentioned in the original post, this suggestion is not only for user friendliness, but also to make Plasma app labels look more modern, dropping the “Kool” K.

[leandrokemp]

The Application Launcher settings does not exactly attend my suggestion as it changes all apps to display the description.

Examples:
You wouldn’t want Spotify to be called Music Player.
You wouldn’t want Firefox to be called Web Browser. (Apparently I can’t upload images in the comments :/).

My suggestion is to change the Name of Plasma core apps, instead displaying their Description.

The “Edit Applications” option works, but I’m suggesting to change the default core app names for everyone running Plasma.

[leandrokemp]

Please refer to my previous comment. This option displays the description for all apps, which is not what I’m suggesting. Firefox should stay as Firefox, instead of Web Browser.

[leandrokemp]

Re “Edit Applications”, I know that Plasma is customizable enough to change almost everything, which is great , but we’re talking about defaults here.

[claydoh]

You are assuming that each of these individual applications are all developed and completely controlled by an overarching “KDE” set of rulers, corporate interests, or heavy-handed overlords, and aren’t individual projects with individual teams, at least somewhat. Herding cats, and all that.

Convincing people to change a name will take more than “Ks are stupid” and “people are a bit dumb”.

Anyway, a distro can change the naming displayed to a different setting as their default if they choose to. I think few, if any, do.

[skyfishgoo]

i have no issue with using firefox, kate or okular by their names… i was just trying to help you get around them.

if you are fine with referring to applications by their names in one context, why wouldn’t you be fine with that in another?

not seeing the point, i guess.

[rodrigopedra]

@leandrokemp

but also to make Plasma app labels look more modern

More “modern” according to which criteria?

@leandrokemp

You wouldn’t want Spotify to be called Music Player.
You wouldn’t want Firefox to be called Web Browser.

In the same sense:

• I wouldn’t want Ark named “Archive Manager”
• I wouldn’t want Discover named “Software” nor “Apps”
• I wouldn’t want Dolphin named “File Manager”
• I wouldn’t want Konsole named “Terminal” nor “Console”
• I wouldn’t want Kwrite named “Text Editor”
• I wouldn’t want Gwenview named “Image Viewer”
• I wouldn’t want JuK named “Music Player”
• I wouldn’t want KDE Partition Manager named “Partition Manager”
• I wouldn’t want KCalc named “Calculator”
• I wouldn’t want KFind named “Find”
• I wouldn’t want KMag named “Screen Magnification”
• I wouldn’t want KMouseTool named “Mouse Tool”
• I wouldn’t want KMouth named “Speech Assistant” or “Speech Tool” (???)
• I wouldn’t want KOrganizer named “Calendar”
• I wouldn’t want KWalletManager named “Wallet Manager” (???)
• I wouldn’t want Okular named “Document Viewer”
• I wouldn’t want Spectacle named “Screenshot Tool”
• I wouldn’t want Sweeper named “System Cleaner”

For you, Spotify is pretty clear.

For me – and I also believe for several others – Dolphin, Discover, Konsole, KWrite, etc. are also pretty clear.

[leandrokemp]

I never said that “Ks” are stupid, just said they look outdated.

As I mentioned in the original post, I’m not suggesting to change the apps actual names. I’m suggesting to change their labels on Plasma. If you go to the about page it would still display the app’s actual name, so the apps individual projects won’t change anything.

[leandrokemp]

@rodrigopedra

More “modern” according to which criteria?

Well, having the “K” or other more technical names look outdated to me and I’ve heard other people saying the same in other platforms.

@rodrigopedra

In the same sense:

• I wouldn’t want Ark named “Archive Manager”

As per my original post, I’m talking specifically about the Plasma “core” apps. Apps shipped with Plasma by default. I believe it’s not the case for Spotify and Firefox (although most distros ship it with FF, it’s not the Plasma default browser).

@rodrigopedra

For me – and I also believe for several others – Dolphin, Discover, Konsole, KWrite, etc. are also pretty clear.

For me it’s also pretty clear too. However, a user new to Linux wouldn’t say the same.

[leandrokemp]

@skyfishgoo

if you are fine with referring to applications by their names in one context, why wouldn’t you be fine with that in another?

As per my above comment. I’m talking only about apps shipped with Plasma by default. I mentioned in the original post that like Kate, Kdenlive, etc shouldn’t have their names changed as their not part of the core apps.

[rodrigopedra]

Never mind, I guess I already made my point and you made yours.

Have a nice day.

[claydoh]

But this is what more than a few people will see and interpret it as, even if it is not intentional. Old-fashioned, out of style, outdated, etc all can imply such negative interpretations.

I already mentioned that a distro can can do this as their default. I don’t think this is being done anywhere, though some small or niche one somewhere might.

This sort of thing being done, and later adopted is not heard of. The recent move to double-click as the default (jokingly, against logic and my wishes!! ), for example, and I believe modified K-menu layouts used by a few distros in the KDE 3 days may have become the default (I may be mis-remembering this). This would be a direction to take, maybe, to convince people of doing something like this.

Just some commentary and internet opinion are not enough on their own, you need to demonstrate that it actually is a significant problem or complaint – like double-click not being the default. Not just the fact that something else does it a certain way.

Also to consider, being Linux, what about those who might install Thunar, Nemo, or PCManFM --possibly provided when installing a second Desktop Environment. So we’d have more than one “File Manager” entry.

Also fwiw a lot of the items in the example list are not ‘default’ items, but this will depends on what the distro either provides as their defualt, or the specific collections in various meta-packages they provide.

[LinuxGuy-cyber]

Lol, how many times this has been requested, I’ve lost count.

[krake]

@leandrokemp

I beleive we always revisit “old” topics. Different times can have different outcomes on the same topic

Absolutely. Circumstances might have changed, etc.

@leandrokemp

to make Plasma app labels look more modern, dropping the “Kool” K.

This has been going on for many years.
I don’t think there are many “Plasma apps” left that have a prefixed ‘K’.

From my own usage the only app that comes to my mind is KWrite.
Konsole starts with a K but is clearly part of a word, in this case the German spelling for console.

I’ve never run KWalletManager explicitly, only through its icon in the system tray.

KDE Partition Manager is already calls Partition Manager it just has the vendor name prefixed, e.g. Microsoft Word vs Word.

The other programs with K prefix from your original list aren’t even installed by default.
However, they could potentially follow the partition manager’s lead and use KDE Find or similar.

I have a couple of other KDE programs that have a prefixed K, like KMail and KOrganizer, however I don’t think they count as “Plasma apps”.
In their case newer generation implementations already do it differently, e.g. Merkuro Mail and Merkuro Calendar

Edit: fixed spelling of Merkuro
Thanks @skyfishgoo

[skyfishgoo]

*merkuro

with a “k”