The distribution elementary os 8.0.2 has been published, positioned as a quick, open, and privacy-conscious alternative to Windows and MacOS. The project focuses on high-quality design to create a simple system that consumes minimal resources and provides fast performance. Users can customize their own environment with Pantheon’s desktop. ISO-images (3.3 GB) for AMD64 architecture can be downloaded for free from the project’s website.
Elementary OS uses GTK3, VALA language, and its framework Granite for development. It is based on Ubuntu project achievements and is compatible with Ubuntu 24.04 repositories. Applications are packaged using Flatpak format and can be installed via Appsenter. The graphic environment is based on Pantheon shell, which includes components such as Gala window manager, Slingshot launcher, Switchboard control panel, wing panel, dock, and the pantheon Greeter session manager.
The environment includes integrated applications like Pantheon Terminal, Pantheon Files, Code text editor, Music player (Noise), Photos manager (Shotwell Board), and Mail client (Evolution Boat).
- Improvements have been made to the installation process for people with disabilities and the initial setup wizard.
- An error in the installer that caused crashes when creating certain disk partitions has been fixed.
- Additional features for managing music queues have been added, along with improved performance for large queues. Individual music tracks can now be removed from the context menu, and a search function named Trek has been implemented. Queue recording and restoration functions have been added.
- Issues with input focus in the terminal emulator have been resolved.
- Linux 6.14 packages have been added.