GNOME 43.0 announced
Release 43.0 of the GNOME desktop environment was announced by Matthias Clasen.
Stating that the GNOME Project is proud to announce the release of GNOME 43.0, Clasen
said; said that this is the newest version of the popular open source desktop environment
used by Fedora Workstation, Ubuntu and many other GNU/Linux distributions . Clasen said
that users who want to compile GNOME 43.0 can use BuildStream ; new version sees a redesigned
quick system settings area, many Mutter defragmenter enhancements for better Wayland support, porting
many more applications from GTK3 to GT4, a new “device security” management area,
various improvements for GNOME Files (Nautilus) and stated that it includes many other changes
throughout the desktop stack
:: More ::
GNOME 43 is here now, code-named Guadalajara.
And it continues to improve on this with a group of usability and accessibility improvements.
So, what exactly are these significant changes?
Let us take a quick look.
GNOME 43: What's New?
While we already had a GNOME 43 feature list before the release, let us focus on those
changes, testing it with GNOME 43 release candidate on Fedora 37 beta.
Redesigned Quick Settings
Alongside the overview, the quick settings are among the most interacted-with components
of the desktop.
Unfortunately, this vital menu has not seen a significant update in a long time, so a
redesign was long overdue.
Compared to the old system menu, the new GNOME quick settings offer more functionality in
a far more aesthetically pleasing package.
Some new functionality offered includes switching between light and dark mode and significantly
faster switching between Wi-Fi networks and audio devices.
Nautilus File Manager Improvements
As GNOME adapts to more and more different device types, so does its applications.
One of these apps, a core part of the GNOME experience, is the Nautilus file manager.
gnome 43 nautilus With GNOME 43, this app receives a complete
visual refresh, using GTK 4 and the (somewhat controversial) Libadwaita library providing
a modern and consistent look.
Additionally, the app is now adaptive, allowing it to be used on devices of any shape and
size, from a Linux phone (like the PinePhone) to a fully-fledged gaming PC.
The keen-eyed among you may also spot some subtle animation improvements dotted throughout
the app.
New Security Warnings First, it was Windows 11 not allowing you
to install the OS without secure boot and TPM, and now GNOME is warning you if some
security features like these are disabled.
Starting with GNOME 43, you will be given warnings on the splash and lock screens if
you do not have secure boot enabled.
gnome 43 history Additionally, a new "Device Security" screen
in the settings shows you the status of various hardware-level security features.
Some of these include:
Secure boot TPM
Intel BootGuard IOMMU protection
It is not a bad implementation as it provides you with a warning and does not force any
of your actions.
Major GNOME Web Improvements
GNOME Web remains one of GNOME's most forgotten-about apps due to a wide variety of reasons.
Some of these may include its lack of support for non-Linux platforms or its lack of support
for web extensions.
The web extension support will no longer be a sore point with GNOME Web 43.
Note that GNOME Web 43 is not yet available on Flathub.
So, you might want to keep an eye on installing it when the stable version releases with extension
support.
We also covered GNOME Web 43 in action with its extension support.
Not the perfect implementation, but it worked:
With Extensions, GNOME Web is Slowly Becoming an Attractive Option on Desktop Linux
GNOME Web (Epiphany) is one of the best browsers available for Linux users.
It offers a minimal, and a unique user experience.
Unfortunately, the uniqueness does not incentivize users to use it as their primary web browser.
But, it looks like that could change soon…
GNOME Web is…
New GNOME Software Features Even though GNOME Software is not yet perfect
in every sense, it gets better with every update.
App permissions have always been one of the most significant selling points of Flatpak
apps, and more information about these is now displayed in GNOME Software.
You can also now see other apps published by the same developer, hopefully allowing
some incredible apps a bit more exposure.
Not to forget, multiple sources for an app are easy to navigate now.
Other Changes
There are several under-the-hood changes to new wallpapers for dark/light modes.
For instance, the Characters app now includes a much more comprehensive selection of emojis,
including people with different skin tones, genders, hair styles, and more regional flags.
More such changes include:
Adwaita icon theme updates.
Performance improvements to GNOME apps.
Various code-cleanups.
Refinements to the calendar.
Revamped “About” window.
Translation updates.
You can get the full details in its release notes.
Get Started With GNOME 43 You can expect GNOME 43 with Fedora 37 to
be released on October 18, 2022.
Also, Ubuntu 22.10 (October 22, 2022) should provide you with a customized GNOME 43 experience.
You can also try GNOME OS to test drive the latest features until your distribution includes
GNOME 43 with the next major upgrade.
:: More ::
GNOME 43 is officially out now, bringing with it some pretty wonderful sounding changes
to one of the most popular Linux desktop environments.
One of the new highlights is a Quick Settings feature.
This is a redesign of the status menu in the top right, giving you more settings that are
easy to change like the UI style, a screenshot button, the ability to switch between sound
devices and more.
More apps are switching over to GTK 4, the next-generation GNOME user interface toolkit
and as of GNOME 43 these apps have newly moved over: Files, Maps, Logs, Builder, Console,
Initial Setup and Parental Controls.
The Files app also went through a refresh with a new modern design for the file and
folder properties window, the layout adjusts itself to various widths automatically, reorganized
menus, a new layout for search results, recent, and starred files, there's a new Open With
dialog and in the list view opening the context menu for the current directory is now much
easier.
You will also find a new Device Security section in the privacy settings, a new and improved
Web Apps feature to install websites to the desktop as apps and more.
Lots of other improvements including:
The screen keyboard now shows suggestions as you type.
It will also show Ctrl, Alt, and Tab keys when typing in a terminal.
Web’s screenshot feature is now easier to use: it can now be found in the web page context
menu, or triggered with the Shift+Ctrl+S keyboard shortcut.
Also in Web, the style of interface elements in web pages has also been updated, to match
modern GNOME applications.
The Characters app now includes a much wider selection of emoji, including people with
different skin tones, genders, and hair styles, and more regional flags.
Some of the animations in the Activities Overview have been optimized, so that they are smoother.
The “about windows” of GNOME apps, which show details about each app, have been revamped.
In Software, application pages have an improved switcher for selecting the source and format.
The dark UI style used by GTK 4 apps has been polished, so the appearance of bars and lists
is more harmonious.
When connecting to GNOME with a remote desktop app (using RDP), it is now possible to receive
audio from the host.
GNOME’s range of alert sounds has been updated, and includes a new default alert sound.
As for when you'll get it?
You'll need to refer to the update cycle of your Linux distribution as they're all different.
You can try it out right now though, using the GNOME OS Nightly image.
Thanks For Watching.