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ZDNET cardinal takeaways
- Pop!_OS 24.04 has yet launched.
- COSMIC Desktop is present retired of beta and acceptable for the masses.
- Pop!_OS 24.04 is fast, reliable, beautiful, and free.
I've been utilizing Pop!_OS arsenic my default desktop operating strategy for astir a decennary now, and I've had precise fewer complaints. Sure, astatine times, the app store was buggy, truthful I conscionable utilized the bid line. Of course, the desktop wasn't rather arsenic flexible and configurable arsenic I typically like, but determination are ever extensions.
As with immoderate Linux distribution, wherever there's a will, determination is astir surely a way. However, with the merchandise of Pop!_OS 24.04 comes thing precise special: COSMIC.
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I've already covered COSMIC desktop and proclaimed it "out of this world." That earlier sum was during the alpha and beta phases of the desktop's development. We yet person the archetypal unchangeable merchandise by mode of Pop!_OS 24.04, and it's a enactment of art.
Imagine taking the GNOME desktop, rewriting it utilizing a faster programming language, and making it customizable connected the level of KDE Plasma. That's what COSMIC desktop is.
The archetypal happening that deed maine with the archetypal unchangeable merchandise of COSMIC desktop was its speed. Other than a fistful of lightweight desktop environments, COSMIC is, hands down, the fastest DE that I've ever used. That's not an exaggeration.
Configurable quality
On apical of that, COSMIC is beautiful. In little than a minute, I had the desktop configured to look similar thing beauteous special. From wrong Settings > Desktop, you tin configure accent colors, themes, panels, docks, model management, and workspaces. If you'd alternatively person a dock (instead of a pane) astatine the bottommost of your display, click Dock and past alteration the feature.
Customizing COSMIC desktop is ace simple.
One truly chill aesthetic configuration you tin marque is mounting the model and instrumentality inheritance colors. Seeing arsenic however I spot an unreasonably precocious precedence connected the look of my desktop, this diagnostic has go a indispensable for me, and COSMIC nails it.
The request for velocity
Of course, the quality of the desktop isn't astir arsenic important to most, truthful what other bash COSMIC and Pop!_OS 24.04 person to offer? As I mentioned earlier… speed.
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Of each the operating systems I've utilized implicit the years, Pop!_OS 24.04 with COSMIC is the fastest. Apps unfastened instantly (even larger apps similar LibreOffice and Zen Browser), and adjacent with respective larger apps open, the strategy has ne'er erstwhile bogged down.
Some of the reasons Pop!_OS 24.04 is truthful accelerated see the following:
- Linux Kernel 6.17, which enhances show and responsiveness.
- The COSMIC desktop situation is designed to beryllium lightweight and efficient.
- COSMIC applications (such arsenic Files, Store, and Terminal) are built utilizing the Rust programming language, which is known for its representation information and performance.
- Pop!_OS uses a caller hybrid graphics diagnostic that allows applications to automatically tally connected the due GPU.
- Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS supports a wider scope of modern hardware.
- The System76 docket is well-known for its velocity and handling of resources.
One happening of enactment is that the hybrid graphics diagnostic makes gaming astir arsenic bully arsenic it gets connected Linux.
All of those travel unneurotic to marque a screaming-fast desktop operating system.
It's stone coagulated but…
I've been utilizing COSMIC desktop since the alpha signifier of development, and adjacent backmost then, it was reliable. Now, it's arsenic stone coagulated arsenic immoderate desktop I've used. Every exertion runs without issue, and the desktop is arsenic creaseless and seamless arsenic they come.
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There are, of course, a fewer tiny caveats (not each of which are COSMIC's fault). First of all, erstwhile I spell to adjacent a VirtualBox VM, the adjacent pop-up appears arsenic thing much than a tiny rubric bar, which I ever person to grow truthful it tin beryllium used.
This small glitch tin beryllium truly annoying.
Another contented has been sound. First off, getting Bluetooth headphones oregon earbuds to link tin beryllium a spot of a challenge. On apical of that, each clip I log retired oregon reboot, Pop!_OS doesn't retrieve the past utilized dependable output device, which means I ever person to manually prime it.
Then there's an contented with GIMP and screenshots. I've tested this to marque definite it wasn't conscionable a GIMP issue, and it's not. When I spell to instrumentality a screenshot successful GIMP, I'm greeted with a pop-up that allows maine to prime if I privation to drawback the full screen, a azygous window, oregon an area. I besides get the prime of delaying the screenshot.
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On COSMIC, that does not happen. I click File > Create > Screenshot, and there's nary pop-up; the screenshot is taken, and I past person to edit retired what I don't want. That's not the biggest contented with GIMP screenshots. Because of its existent authorities connected COSMIC, I can't hold the screenshots, which means it tin beryllium problematic getting definite images.
Hopefully, those issues tin beryllium resolved soon, truthful I don't person to instrumentality the other steps.
Other than those tiny caveats, Pop!_OS 24.04 with COSMIC has been a dream. If you're looking for a rock-solid, fast, and beauteous operating system, committee the System76 rocket and alert consecutive to the Pop!_OS download area, grab an ISO, and instal away.

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