Fedora Linux 39 launches with GNOME 45
Twenty years after the debut of Fedora Core 1, Fedora Project commemorates this milestone with the release of Fedora Linux 39 (available here). This iteration brings forward a suite of enhancements and updates that solidify its stance as a versatile operating system for a multitude of platforms. At the heart of Fedora Workstation 39 is GNOME 45, which promises not only improved performance but a slew of user experience refinements.
GNOME 45 introduces new widgets and a redesigned Image Viewer application, boosting both aesthetics and functionality. The desktop environment has become more informative with a dynamic workspace indicator, giving users a clear view of their virtual desktop landscape. A new camera activity indicator, alongside the pre-existing privacy features, now notifies users when their camera is accessed.
The Quick Settings menu includes a keyboard backlight setting for supported systems, a subtle but significant improvement for user comfort. Fedora 39 also bids farewell to the Adwaita-qt and QGnomePlatform themes, opting instead for the upstream default for Qt applications.
The core applications of GNOME 45 are not left behind in this update. They now employ the new widgets from libadwaita 1.4, offering a sleek two-tone design and improved adaptability to different window sizes. The headerbar widget also receives a visual enhancement, clearly distinguishing it from the rest of the window content.
Fedora Workstation 39 features the new GNOME Image Viewer app, Loupe, which is built for high performance using Rust, GTK 4, and libadwaita. The core apps like the Settings app now boast a new System Details section, a keyboard layout viewer, and improved navigability.
Performance improvements in GNOME 45 are notable: hardware-accelerated video decoding is now a default where possible, thumbnail generation in Files is multithreaded, and there is a significant reduction in cursor stutter and latency. These enhancements are bolstered by systemic optimizations in GLib, GTK, and systemd, made possible by enabling frame pointers in the previous Fedora release.
Fedora Linux 39 comes with its own set of under-the-hood changes. A colorful Bash prompt now greets the user by default, the Noto fonts take over for Indic script languages, and the modular repository has been retired due to low engagement and maintenance.
Fedora Project does not stop at the desktop front. Fedora Cloud images are now available on Microsoft Azure, alongside Google Cloud and AWS, offering more options for cloud deployment. There are also updates to programming language stacks, including Python 3.12 and Rust 1.73, and the inclusion of the latest version of Inkscape, coincidentally celebrating its 20th anniversary as well.
As Fedora Linux 39 rolls out, it’s a reminder of the project’s commitment to delivering a cutting-edge and comprehensive operating system. Whether it's for desktops, laptops, servers, or cloud infrastructure, Fedora continues to embody the spirit of open source that has been its hallmark for two decades.
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