The GNOME project today released GNOME 41, the latest version of its open source desktop environment.
And it brings some interesting additions to the table.
As with most GNOME desktop updates, GNOME 41 is packed with an assortment of new features, user interface tweaks, and performance improvements.
GNOME says that “[…] with these changes, GNOME is smarter, more flexible, and offers a richer and more engaging experience than ever before.”
Source code for the latest release is available to download from the GNOME website from today.
However, most Linux users will want to wait for their distro maintainers to package it up and push it out to them.
On rolling release Linux distros (like Arch) this will be relatively soon. On fixed-release distros (like Ubuntu) it’ll be …sometime in the future.
GNOME 41’s New Features
If you enjoyed our look at the top GNOME 41 features a couple of weeks back you’ll be familiar with all of the key changes.
Eye-catching design changes in GNOME Software make it easier to browse and discover apps. You’ll find new app categories, new promo images, and larger app screenshots. Plus, GNOME Software 41 features new info tiles that convey important information about each app, such as its download size, form-factor support, and security ranking.
A crop of new Mobile Network settings are available. These allow configuring mobile 2G, 3G, 4G, and GSM/LTE connections, enabling data roaming, mobile data connection, and more. The settings only appear if a supported modem is present.
Also included are new Multitasking settings to configure workspace and window management features, such as:. enable/disable hot corners and screen edges; choose a dynamic or fixed number of workspaces; showing workspaces on all displays/primary display only; and tweaking the behaviour of the Super + Tab shortcut.
GNOME 41 also includes a new remote desktop client called Connections. Designed to replace similar functionality previously included in Boxes app, the new Connections tool is said to be easy-to-use and simple to set up. It supports VNC and RDP connections.
Other key changes in GNOME 41 include:
- Power modes can be changed in the System Status menu
- Power Saver mode automatically turns on when battery level is low
- Music app has a refreshed UI with new playbar and rounded album covers
- Nautilus can now create encrypted .zip archives
- Calendar supports importing events from
.icsfiles - Improved dark mode in Web
- Better performance
More details can be found in the official release notes for this release, in the the short release trailer, and on the GNOME GitLab.