• support for Python v3
• support for Qt v4.5.1
• added the QInputContextFactory class
• a new, more Pythonic, API has been added for connecting signals and slots which does not require knowledge of C++ data types
• new signals can now be defined using pyqtSignal as a more Pythonic replacement of the pyqtSignals class attribute.
• added the pyqtSlot decorator as a more Pythonic replacement of the pyqtSignature decorator
• the "type" argument to pyqtProperty() can also be a Python type object
• the "type" argument to Q_ARG() can also be a Python type object
• the "type" argument to QRETURNARG() can also be a Python type object
• added QTTRNOOP_UTF8()
• super() works without restrictions
• replaced the old qtdemo example launcher with a port of the newer version
• added the editabletreemodel.py and fetchmore.py examples
• replaced the old tutorial with the newer Address Book tutorial.

Downloads here. Available under the GPL (v2 or v3) or a commercial licence, as was Qt.

• based on Scintilla v1.78
• added the QsciLexerCustom, QsciStyle and QsciStyledText classes
• added annotate(), annotation(), clearAnnotations(), setAnnotationDisplay() and annotationDisplay() to QsciScintilla
• added setMarginText(), clearMarginText(), setMarginType() and marginType() to QsciScintilla
• added QsciLexer::lexerId() so that container lexers can be implemented
• added editor() and styleBitsNeeded() to QsciLexer
• added setDollarsAllowed() and dollarsAllowed() to QsciLexerCPP
• added setFoldScriptComments(), foldScriptComments(), setFoldScriptHeredocs() and foldScriptHeredocs() to QsciLexerHTML
• added setSmartHighlighting() and smartHighlighting() to QsciLexerPascal
• added setFoldPackages(), foldPackages(), setFoldPODBlocks() and foldPODBlocks() to QsciLexerPerl
• added setV2UnicodeAllowed(), v2UnicodeAllowed(), setV3BinaryOctalAllowed(), v3BinaryOctalAllowed(), setV3BytesAllowed and v3BytesAllowed() to QsciLexerPython
• added setScriptsStyled() and scriptsStyled() to QsciLexerXML
• added Spanish translations.

Downloads here. Available under the old Qt dual licensing system.

Also, RBC have released updates for SIP, their engine for generating Python bindings for C++ libraries, and PyQt 3. SIP v4.8 (download here) now supports Python 3, Sphinx-based documentation and "the ability to supply alternate super-types and meta-types for wrapped objects". PyQt v3.18 (download here) is a maintainance release for compatibility with SIP v4.8. SIP is under the same licence as Python; PyQt is under the old Qt dual licence arrangement.

A first beta of version 4.3 of KDE, the desktop environment for Unix based on Qt 4, has been released. Major new features include:

• Integration of new technologies, such as PolicyKit and geolocation services
• New Window animation effects, a more usable Run Command popup and many new and improved addons in Plasma
• Many bugfixes and improvements across all applications and more integration of features coming with the KDE 4 platform

For full changelog, see the announcement. For source downloads, and links to binaries, see the info page. The final release is expected in late July.

Version 2.9.5 of Yakuake, a drop-down terminal (based on Konsole) similar to the console in the Quake games, has been released. Changes include:

• Added a new framework, referred to as the visual event overlay, to display notifications (and potentially other information) on top of the terminals. It's used for a number of new features found in this release, as described in their separate entries.
• Added an option to visually indicate the newly-focussed terminal when moving focus in a session with multiple terminals (i.e. via splits), or the currently focussed terminal when switching to a session with multiple terminals.
• Added a feature to disable keyboard input for all or individual terminals in a session
• Added a feature to lock a session to prevent it from being closed accidentally
• Added various new D-Bus interfaces
• Bug fixes, including 2 crashes
• Fixed linking with the new gold linker in binutils

For full changelog, screenshots and downloads, see the KDE Apps page. Requires KDE 4.

Version 4.2.3 of KDE, the Qt4-based desktop environment for Unix, has been released (see official announcement). Major changes in this release, codenamed Cugamire (after a character in Family Guy), include:

• Fix to IMAP filtering in KMail
• KMail's system tray icon now reacts to changes to folder properties and updates the number of emails shown there automatically
• Bugfixes and performance improvements in KHTML, including painting and web standards interoperability

Full changelog here; downloads and links to binaries and build instructions here.

Version 9.04, codenamed Jaunty Jackalope (or just Jaunty), of Kubuntu, the KDE variant of the Ubuntu Linux distro, has been released. Major changes:

• KDE v4.2.2, Amarok v2.0.2, new KDE Network Manager plasma applet to replace the old system tray applet
• Qt v4.5
• New Intel Atom (LPIA) version, for netbooks
• GTK app integration into KDE using QtCurve

This is part of the general Ubuntu release (see earlier entry for major new features).

A release candidate (likely to be the only one) of Kubuntu v9.04, codenamed Jaunty Jackalope or just Jaunty, has been released. This version includes KDE v4.2.2 and Digikam v0.10.0, neither of which had been released at the time of the beta. For full information, including download locations and important changes, see here. This is part of the forthcoming Ubuntu release, which includes Linux kernel version 2.6.28, Ext4 file system support, GNOME 2.26, X.org server v1.6 and Eucalyptus, which facilitates cloud computing; for more information see here.

• Xorg v7.4
• New print manager, removing need to use CUPS web interface
• Software & Updates application, consolidating "Add/remove Programs" tool and the updater
• Updater Tray streamlined into tray-only update notifier
• FreeBSD ports and packages can now be created by utilizing the "runports" command
• Greater stability for Flash 9 allows users to get higher quality from Flash sites such as Hulu and Youtube
• Enhancements to installer, including option to upgrade while preserving the userland
• Fixes to Wi-Fi and networking, and to Linux emulation

Full changelog here; downloads for both old-style and 64-bit PCs here.

A new report from the KDE e.V., the body which represents KDE for legal and financial purposes, has been published, for the third and fourth quarters of 2008. The five-page report lists the activities the KDE team has been involved in (conferences etc) and gives a brief financial statement listing its incomes (not including donations) and expenses, and a foreword from Aaron Seigo.