Course set: the first alpha of Pop_OS 24.04 is scheduled for release on August 8th.
So if you’ve been counting the days until you can try the new COSMIC desktop environment first hand… Well, keep counting until then!
Pop!_OS 24.04 will based on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, and inherit much of the foundational improvements Canonical’s engineers and Ubuntu developers have plumped in.
On top of that will sit the new COSMIC desktop environment, its new homegrown apps (file manager, terminal, software hub, etc), and all of System76’s other embellishments n’ enablements (including first-tier support for their own laptops and desktops, of course).
But COSMIC will be the real star.
System76 unveiled the official COSMIC DE branding for its new desktop last month, indicating at the time that a first alpha was expected in late July – which seemingly slipped, as System76 founder Carl Richell announced the August date on X today.
Reporting on that announcement I remarked that COSMIC is “shaping up to be something truly out of this world, combining modern design with intuitive navigation, embracing customisation, and taking full advantage of [being built in Rust]”.
My predilection for hyperbole aside, whether or not Linux users end up using COSMIC as their daily driver is arguably by the bye. The excitement and goodwill for the effort within the Linux community is awesome, and more development, exploration, ideation is a net-positive thing.
As a sheer engineering effort, siring a complete desktop environment, core apps, and bootstrapping a (already growing) ecosystem for community developers to add value is impressive and promising.
On August 8th, intrepid testers will get to feel that out, firsthand.
Still, it will be an alpha release.
Don’t expect the world. Missing features, rough edges in the UI, performance quirks, etc will be present, but provide an important opportunity for users to test, send feedback, contribute code, be inspired, and generally help move things along further.
Onwards!