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Achieving nirvana: Enlightenment 0.28 hits the desktop

SoftwareNovember 4, 20261 min read

Enlightenment 0.28, a long-running Linux desktop tool, has been released. A new version of the Trinity Desktop Environment, a continuation of KDE 3, also came out this week.

What happened

A new version of Enlightenment, often called just "E", was released. It is a window manager, which is the part of a computer screen that controls how windows look and move. The same week, the Trinity Desktop Environment (TDE) released version 14.1.7. TDE keeps KDE 3 alive on modern Linux.

Key facts

Enlightenment first appeared in 1997.
Version 0.28 came out nearly two years after version 0.27, which was released in January 2025.
The release notes list about 68 lines of changes. The last release had only one line.
TDE 14.1.7 fixes dozens of bugs and adds new features.
TDE now supports Ubuntu 26.10 "Stonking Stingray" but drops support for Ubuntu 24.10.

Some background

Enlightenment is an old tool made for experienced users. It can work on the older X11 system or act as a Wayland compositor, which is a newer way to draw screens. It is not a full desktop. It is more like a base that users build on. TDE is a port of KDE 3.5, a desktop from about 2005, to modern Linux. Forks are copies of a project made by users who dislike new versions. Most forks stop after a while, but TDE has kept going.

Why it matters

These releases show that some people still want simple, classic desktops with more control. Enlightenment is not for beginners, but it gives advanced users a lot of freedom. TDE shows that a community fork of older software can last for years.

What to watch

Whether new Enlightenment users like the added Pipewire and NetworkManager support.
How well the preliminary NetBSD support works.
Whether TDE keeps working well on Ubuntu 26.10 when it is released.

Glossary

Enlightenment: An older Linux window manager, known as E, that controls how windows look and move on the screen.
Trinity Desktop Environment: A community project that keeps KDE 3 alive on modern Linux systems.
Wayland: A newer system for drawing graphics on Linux screens. It replaces the older X11 system.
Pipewire: A sound server for Linux that handles audio for apps and the system.
NetworkManager: A Linux tool that manages network connections, such as Wi-Fi and wired internet.

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