The launch of the new version of Elementary OS 6 Odin which arrives completely redesigned and introduces a lot of important changes, as well as a host of new features to the system.
For those who are unfamiliar with the distribution, they should know that it has positioned itself as a fast, open and privacy-friendly alternative to Windows and macOS. The main focus of the project is quality design, aimed at creating an easy-to-use system that consumes minimal resources and provides high start-up speed.
Main new features of Elementary OS 6
In this new version, a large number of changes have been made to the appearance of the system and the most notable that we can find is that initially the installer uses a new interface offering a simpler interface and is significantly faster than the Ubiquity installer used previously.
In the new Elementary OS 6 installer, all installations are handled similarly to OEM installations, that is, the installer is only responsible for copying the system to disk, and all other configuration steps, such as creating the first users, setting up network connectivity, and updating packages, are done during the first boot up by calling the Initial Configuration utility.
On the system side, we can find the completely redesigned new visual style, in which all design elements have been refined, the shape of the shadows has been changed and the corners have been rounded windows, plus the default system font set is Inter, which is optimized for high definition characters when displayed on computer screens.
Another change in appearance is the ability to select a dark theme and accent color, which determines the display color of interface elements such as buttons, option buttons, input fields, and background when text is selected. This can be done from "System Settings → Desktop → Appearance". "
Also the notification display system has been redesigned, in which Nowapplications have the ability to show indicators in notifications Visually indicating status and adding buttons to notifications to request a decision without opening the app itself.
On the other hand, the multi-touch support for gesture control based on multiple simultaneous touches to a touch panel or touch screen. In apps, the two-finger swipe can be used to cancel notifications or return to the current state. To configure the gestures, this is done from "System Configuration → Mouse and touch panel → Gestures" in the configurator.
Also in Elementary OS 6 to organize access to resources outside the container, a portal system is used, which requires the application to obtain explicit permissions to access external files or launch other applications.
Notification Center layout has been redesigned to group notifications by app and add the ability to control using multi-touch gestures, such as hiding a notification with the swipe of two fingers.
All additional applications offered for installation through AppCenter, as well as some of the default apps, they are packaged in flatpak format and run using sandbox isolation to block unauthorized access in case the program is compromised.
On the panel, when hovering over the indicators, the display of contextual suggestions is implemented, informing about the current mode and the available control combinations.
Of others changes that stand out:
- Zoom level memory is provided for each tab.
- A button to restart a tab has been added to the context menu.
- Added experimental builds for Pinebook Pro and Raspberry Pi.
- A performance optimization has been performed. Reduced disk access and better interaction between desktop components.
Finally if you want to know more about this new version system, you can check the details in the original post. The link is this.
Download Elementary OS 6
Finally, if you want to download and install this Linu distributionx on your computer or you want to test it under a virtual machine. You just have to go to the official website of the distribution and in its download section you can get the system image.
For free download from the project website, enter 0 in the field with the donation amount. You can make use of Etcher to save the image to a USB.
Thanks but no. Ubuntu keeps giving it a thousand turns in every way. But you can tell that the elementary guys have done a great job.
Hello! After a battery of quick tests (and not so fast) installed directly on the M2 disk (no virtual machines), I'm going to see what I can figure out. At first the initial appearance is wonderful. The artistic conjunction that the Elementary team has made is, without a doubt, wonderful (at least for my taste) in the visual integration of all its elements.
Moving on to more specific things, the newest thing is the trackpad / mousepad configuration. I have to say that I have not missed the mouse per se since with the gestures of between 1 and 4 fingers fully configurable it is, without a doubt, the perfect tracing that made the Mac trackpad stand out.
The subject of application alerts is also very well integrated, either by system alerts or by applications themselves, and of this the keynote is the "Do Not Disturb" mode that is always useful.
Another point that I tried is the integration with the quick music panel, which is very comfortable to operate with the buttons that appear on the top control panel without having to go to the player.
Note: there are people who have had graphics problems (glitches) but, in my case, none.
Now come the shadows, which in my case are few, but quite defining. At first my main problem was that Elementary's own application store is empty, and saying empty is not enough. The applications compiled in Flatpak is fine, but here a problem.
Being a derivative of Ubuntu why not show the Ubuntu repository applications plus the Elementary ones? Something like Ubuntu Mate does, which is not like there are no examples. Or the other option would be that, being applications in Flatpak format, why not integrate the FlatHub repository? Given this no idea.
And the second point against and also considering that Elementary is based on Ubuntu, why doesn't the proprietary driver installer come by default? This seems as basic to me as the app store with (or without) apps (?). In fact I installed the driver installer through Gnome Software which, obviously, I also had to install through the command line (sudo apt install gnome-software), since through the Elementary store, of course, it did not appear .
Anyway, a little analysis that I have been able to do after a few hours of testing and I know that in this case both the store issue and the driver installer will be resolved. Something that seems basic and absurd considering that they champion the ease of use post-installation (out of the box), or so they think.
Not everything is bad, as I say. Excellent performance, although I cannot be objective since I test it with an M2 SSD and that flies, the use itself is simple, everything is beautiful and well integrated ... But those two things that fail me I consider them basic.
I hope this brief review serves those of you who read it. I encourage you to try the system, I promise it is a marvel, but for me with that it limps because both things are essential for me.
Greetings!