System76 has just rolled out the Cosmic Alpha 2 update, bringing a wealth of usability and customization enhancements to its promising new desktop environment. This update introduces a range of new features, fixes pesky bugs, and significantly improves the overall user experience.
Among the standout additions is a fully-functional file manager, alongside density options and new UI scaling features. The update also introduces the long-awaited “focus follows cursor” functionality, greatly improving ease of use. System76 has taken user feedback to heart, addressing various complaints and minor issues while packing in a host of customization and configuration options.
It’s been a mere month since Cosmic, the Rust-based desktop environment, made its official debut on Linux systems. While the initial alpha release of Cosmic DE laid a solid foundation, it was evident that more work was needed to achieve a polished, feature-complete environment. The dedication of the System76 team has paid off, culminating in this robust Alpha 2 release.
The latest update, announced on the System76 blog, highlights several key improvements aimed at making the desktop viable for everyday use. Here are some of the major updates:
– **Window Focus Options**: Users can now choose between “focus follows cursor” and “cursor follows focus,” offering flexibility to both mouse enthusiasts and keyboard navigation users.
– **Appearance Settings**: New density adjustments allow users to tailor the UI to be more touch-friendly or densely packed, catering to different preferences.
– **Enhanced Cosmic Files**: The file manager now includes additional UI elements and navigation options, such as a file menu for creating, compressing, or extracting files and folders. A new preview sidebar makes file selection more intuitive, and the file manager defaults to floating mode when opened by another app for uploads and downloads.
– **Power & Battery Settings**: This update adds detailed battery information for connected devices and introduces modes like Extended battery life, Balanced, and High-performance modes.
– **Sound Settings**: Users can now manage input and output devices more finely, with options for audio profiles and output-specific volume control.
– **Improved Network Management**: The settings app now includes options for managing VPNs and wired connections.
These updates, particularly the UI density options, enhancements to Cosmic Files, and window focus options, significantly enrich the user experience, making the Cosmic DE a viable option for a daily driver. Additionally, performance and stability improvements, especially regarding X11 and XWayland apps, make activities like gaming and image editing smoother.
System76 has also shared its roadmap for Cosmic, promising a new alpha version each month until the desktop environment is fully feature-complete. This dedication to regular updates ensures that users can look forward to continuous improvements and new features.
The Lenovo Legion Go is reported to work seamlessly under Linux, currently available at a retail price of $599.99 from Lenovo US.
Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting development journey. Your feedback is valuable, so don’t hesitate to share your experiences with the Cosmic desktop environment.
