A recent change proposal for Fedora 42 suggests a significant shift in the default desktop environment, advocating for KDE Plasma to replace GNOME as the default on Fedora Workstation. Spearheaded by Joshua Strobl, recognized for his contributions to the Budgie desktop and Solus Linux, along with Fedora developers Alessandro Astone, Marc Deop i Argemí, Steve Cossette, and Red Hat's Troy Dawson, the proposal seeks to elevate KDE Plasma to the forefront while relegating GNOME to its own separate spin or edition.

The proposal underscores the evolution of KDE Plasma, particularly with the impending release of Plasma 6, as a robust and well-regarded desktop environment offering an enhanced end-user experience, solid standardization support, robust Wayland compatibility, and widespread industry and community backing. However, the proposal faces significant challenges given Fedora's longstanding association with GNOME and Red Hat's substantial involvement in GNOME development.

Red Hat, a key player in GNOME's development ecosystem, has historically contributed to GNOME's advancement and often drives the integration of new features into the desktop environment. Consequently, the proposal's success hinges on the verdict of the Fedora Engineering and Steering Committee (FESCo), which remains to be seen.

While the proposal may face an uphill battle, its submission signals a potential shift in Fedora's desktop landscape. Regardless of the outcome, users keen on experiencing KDE Plasma 6.0 can readily access it as an alternative spin or option with the forthcoming Fedora 40 release.

As discussions unfold, the fate of KDE Plasma's integration into Fedora Workstation will be closely monitored, offering insights into the future trajectory of Fedora's desktop environment.