elementary OS is probably the most slick looking Linux distribution around, and their attention to all the small styling details is truly awesome. The next major release is looking like a big overhaul.
Announced on their blog post, one of the major user-facing changes will be the theme. They're moving from their original CSS based styling which has been going for 7 or so years over to a more modern Sass system, which is CSS but a lot more feature-filled. They say it makes it easier to maintain their dark style, better compatibility for apps built directly for GNOME's "Adwaita" style and overall just easier to maintain. It should look very similar but have better lighting, shadows, contrast and lots of other subtle improvements.
One new feature I'm quite pleased to see is their "Screen Shield". They've replaced Light Locker, the simple session-locker with their own which should better respect apps that inhibit your screen locking and sleeping, so you should hopefully see far less screen dimming to lock while you're sitting back with that coffee watching Netflix.
Another of the major upgrades will be the introduction of system-wide Flatpak installs. Currently you can install them as your user but they're taking that a step further so they can supply some of their own software as a Flatpak to enable much faster updates and more secure applications. The first of which will be the web browser Epiphany, meaning on elementary OS 6 you will get the latest and greatest quicker.
They're also building in better accessibility features, making preparations for Wayland support, a new settings daemon to provide additional features and integrations with their own custom stuff, a much better notifications system and improved multi-touch gestures support. Overall, it sounds like it's going to be a great Linux distribution release.
You can try out elementary OS 6 right now if you sponsor them on GitHub.
Their way of funding their work on the distribution is certainly interesting, with one way giving you the option to pay any amount (yes, even zero) for your ISO download right there on the homepage. Open source software takes a lot of effort to produce and a pay what you want style is pretty great.
Find out more about elementary OS on their website.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Quoting: LinuxerQuoting: gustavoyaraujoFlatpak is a horrible way to distribute binaries. Appimage are the most interesting way to do that.
Appimages are not new comer friendly: they have to be chmodded to make 'em run. This alone is too much for a new user. Appimages are also not mandatorily sandboxed, so a security risk more or less.
Flatpaks and snaps are a thing, really. Both improving all the time too.
Completely desagree. Any human being will be able to right click on the Appimage file, select properties and mark the file as executable.
It just works.
I wouldn't say flatpaks or snaps are more secure than Appimage. If the security depends on the developer, the same security issues are in all package methods.
Also, snaps are bounded to Canonical, which is annoying, flatpaks are too big, it like hundreds of MB for a 5 MB app.
Also if you are on a distro that hasn't it pre installed, you have to go to the terminal and type some commands which is not trivial for newbies.
Also with Appimage it's very easy to keep different versions of the same app and you can even get some in a USB stick and run where you want. It's more convenient and less painful.
Quoting: constIn my last comment I wrote something about it.Quoting: gustavoyaraujoFlatpak is a horrible way to distribute binaries. Appimage are the most interesting way to do that.I'd consider both a major improvement over distribution-specific deployment methods for applications that I want to be regularly updated and I'm fine with different techologies available, as all have strengths and weaknesses.
So what exactly makes Flatpak so horrible?
UnixOutlaw Oct 7, 2020
But over the intervening years, I just found it easier to use Ubuntu with default gnome - and tweak somethings to make feel it like elementary / pantheon...
I still want to love elementary - but each time I try it again, I just find the locked down nature of some things too limiting...
One good thing that may come from this is getting plank working on wayland!!!
RandomizedKirbyTree47 Oct 8, 2020
Quoting: TemporaryThe only thing I don't like about flatpaks is the auto-update. I stopped using Windows specifically because Microsoft tries to remove the option from users on when/what to update. Now flatpaks do it too? Or am I wrong? Maybe I am, I'm still a noob. Is there an easy GUI way for a Linux noob to decide which flatpaks to update and when, like it's done with the apt applications?Flatpak on it's own does not have an auto-update feature. Some distros and DEs add there own system for flatpaks to update automatically, so you may be able to disable it in your distro's settings.
On Linux Mint, for example, the toggle-switch for flatpak auto-updates is under Preferences->System Settings->Startup Applications (Uncheck the "Apply flatpak updates" switch). On other distros, there ought to be a similar option.
I should note that you might have confused flatpaks with Snaps, another cross-distro packaging format. Snaps do auto-update, and there is no way to turn it off.
Also, see this discussion on the Flathub forum about installing old versions of flatpaks.
Schattenspiegel Oct 20, 2020
Quoting: LinuxerIs there a even a single distro that features snap and flatpak parameter modification for troubleshooting (like directory access) or even simple cleanup and maintainance of dependencies or old data without requiring you to drop to the CLI?Quoting: gustavoyaraujoFlatpak is a horrible way to distribute binaries. Appimage are the most interesting way to do that.
Appimages are not new comer friendly: they have to be chmodded to make 'em run. This alone is too much for a new user. Appimages are also not mandatorily sandboxed, so a security risk more or less.
Flatpaks and snaps are a thing, really. Both improving all the time too.
How is that new user friendly in any way shape or form, compared to a one file - click to run or delete - Appimage?
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