After almost a month since the last alpha version was released (which was the fourth), the System76 developers have announced the release of the fifth alpha version of COSMIC, which comes with several notable improvements (compared to the previous release), which are intended to provide improvements to the user experience and optimize the performance of the environment in the system.
One of the main novelties is the default integration of the player «COSMIC Media Player«. This Player takes advantage of Vulkan graphics API for rendering and VAAPI technology for decoding videos, offering a smooth and efficient playback experience. Additionally, it is mentioned that a specific tool for managing the installation of multimedia codecs is being developed, which will eventually replace the existing session installer.
Another of the novelties thatWhat is presented in this alpha version of COSMIC is in user management, since the Configurator now includes a dedicated section that allows users to modify your account settings. Administrators have access to additional features such as creating new users, editing existing account information, and assigning administrative permissions to other users.
The widget ContextDrawer has also received major improvements. Now allows you to include buttons in your header, which improves its functionality in applications such as the file manager. For example, buttons have been added to move between files, such as “<” and “>”, and to open files directly in external applications. File manager also received improvements with options such as saving files to new directories and renaming them directly from the search results. Also, in the recently opened files section, the directory where the selected file is saved can be accessed via a context menu.
The active window switching system, activated with Alt+Tab, has been redesigned, as now shows the actual order in which apps have been usedThis means that the most recently used window will appear first, while the least used ones will be at the end. It is also possible to navigate in reverse with the Alt + Shift + Tab combination, facilitating a more intuitive management of the windows.
VRR support (variable refresh rate) hhas been improved to ensure smoother transitions on the screen. The system now takes into account the minimum frequency of the monitor, ensuring that even cursor movement is smooth, especially when running full-screen applications with lower refresh rates.
Finally, a handy feature has been added to the terminal emulator: users can now open links directly with a simple left-click on the URL. This improvement simplifies interaction with web addresses without the need for additional actions.
Of the other changes and corrections that have been made:
- The Show hidden files option no longer resets after selecting Show details
- Added “Open Item Location” context menu option to the Recent folder in COSMIC Files
- New files can now be saved to a new folder
- Added the ability to rename files while using file search.
- Right-click and middle-click now close context menus. Also removes the permanent highlighting of segmented buttons when right-clicked.
- Canceled authentication to install system packages in COSMIC Store now cancels the operation.
- Fixed an issue that caused pixelation when right-clicking on a title bar.
- Fixed an issue that occurred when duplicating screens.
- Fixed a bug with missing window controls in Google Chrome
- It is now possible to set spaces below 3 in Appearance Settings
- Linux Kernel 6.12 Support
- Fixed a terminal bug that caused a crash when calling wl-paste
- Transparent windows now stay transparent in the Workspaces view
- Clicking on the Find Text search field now blurs the current text box
- Added libnvidia-egl-wayland1 to prevent Steam from crashing and XWayland performance
Finally, if you are interested in trying out the environment COSMIC desktop, Two Pop!_OS ISO images are offered with COSMIC, designed for systems with NVIDIA GPUs (2.9 GB) or only for systems with Intel or AMD processors (2.5 GB) These images are based on a test version of the Pop!_OS 24.04 distribution.
If you want to install COSMIC on other distributions, you can refer to the detailed installation instructions found here. In the following link. To learn more about COSMIC and its features, you can access the full details In the following link.