Linux hardware vendor System76 has released COSMIC Alpha 7, the latest development version of its new desktop environment designed in Rust for GNU/Linux distributions and integrated into its Pop!_OS Linux operating system.
The new COSMIC Alpha 7 brings significant enhancements to workspace management, allowing users to click and drag to move workspaces, as well as reorder them on the current display or across multiple displays. Among the exciting new features is the ability to pin workspaces, which ensures a fixed number of workspaces remain open at all times.
Accessibility is also a focus in this release, introducing several features: a High Contrast Mode for better visibility, Color Filters and Color Inversion options for users with colorblindness, and Mono Sound support for those who are hearing impaired. Additionally, the Sound Settings now include a Left-Right balance scale for audio control.
The update also introduces a seek-ahead search option in the file manager, new settings for XWayland fractional scaling to enhance compatibility with X11 applications, and tooltips for various interface elements like the app tray and workspaces. Global shortcut enhancements aim to improve user interface intuitiveness.
Furthermore, the update provides support for EAP and PEAP network authentication, along with additional improvements like cosmic-workspace-v2 protocol support and font fallback capabilities. Numerous bug fixes have been addressed as well, contributing to a more stable experience.
Interested users can explore the changes further in the full release notes and test the new features by downloading the Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS alpha live ISO from System76’s official website. It’s important to note that this is a pre-release version, and it should not be used in production environments.
As anticipation builds, it appears the beta version of COSMIC is on the horizon, indicated by the title of the announcement: “COSMIC Alpha 7: Never Been Beta.”