These visibility modes were not removed deliberately as a result of an intentional design decision, but rather for technical reasons due to the port to standardized Wayland layer-shell protocol; see https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-desktop/-/merge_requests/1521 and https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-workspace/-/merge_requests/2924. In essence, these features would have been prohibitively challenging to implement on Wayland following the port to use the layer-shell. And the features were removed for X11 too to unify the experience across platforms and not make the KWin code excessively complex. This bug report tracks re-adding the features in some capacity. Ideally before Plasma 6 ships, either these modes will be brought back, or else we'll be able to implement Bug 349785 as an acceptable (and much-requested) alternative.
I would very much like to have this capability as I rely on it when giving presentations or using Mumble (so that I can see the push to talk button always).
Decision is to not bring back "Windows Can Cover" and replace it with an "intelligent auto-hide" or "dodge windows" feature, per Bug 349785. Windows Go Below will come back, though.
I use this setting as well and would very much like to have it in Plasma 6. It allows me to have a kind of alternative to "Tabbed Windows" (i use the main panel on top, covering most of the window titlebar).
Git commit e767c981bba2341763ccf00c07eaf0fce60e3edf by Nate Graham, on behalf of Niccolò Venerandi. Committed on 20/11/2023 at 20:50. Pushed by ngraham into branch 'master'. Panel: re-implement "Windows Go Below" mode M +1 -0 shell/panelview.cpp M +1 -0 shell/panelview.h M +3 -0 shell/scripting/panel.cpp M +3 -0 shell/shellcorona.cpp https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-workspace/-/commit/e767c981bba2341763ccf00c07eaf0fce60e3edf
Git commit 839f4f39fb51059764b0af8a1902389e7f876ad1 by Nate Graham, on behalf of Niccolò Venerandi. Committed on 20/11/2023 at 20:50. Pushed by ngraham into branch 'master'. PanelConfiguration: re-add UI to enable "Windows Go Below" mode Depends on https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-workspace/-/merge_requests/3568. M +6 -0 desktoppackage/contents/configuration/PanelConfiguration.qml https://invent.kde.org/plasma/plasma-desktop/-/commit/839f4f39fb51059764b0af8a1902389e7f876ad1