Gnome 47 - The Best Release Yet?

Summary

GNOME 47 brings a plethora of enhancements to the desktop environment, focusing on improved customization, accessibility, and overall performance. Notable features include native accent color support with nine options, refined settings, and better integration of file manager Nautilus with the file Chooser. Accessibility improvements and fixes for blurriness in applications on distributions with fractional scaling are also highlighted. The update addresses drag and drop issues, improves video playback performance with hardware acceleration, and introduces the DRM lease protocol for VR compatibility. The GNOME team is applauded for their significant efforts in refining the user experience.

Takeaways

• 🌟 GNOME 47 introduces native support for accent colors, offering nine predefined color schemes for action elements and highlights.
• 🔄 The appearance of folder icons in the file manager remains unchanged, but the potential for future customization is acknowledged.
• 🎨 The GNOME Shell now scales better on smaller displays, improving the overall user experience on various screen sizes.
• 🖥️ Nautilus, GNOME's file manager, has seen significant changes including a revamped navigation bar and a new network section for easier access to network resources.
• 🔗 The file Chooser is now integrated with Nautilus, enhancing visual consistency and fixing issues with bookmark尊重 in applications like Firefox.
• 🖱️ Drag and drop functionality has been improved, especially when moving items between X11 and Wayland clients, enhancing the smoothness of the operation.
• 🖥️ Color conversion in video playback is now offloaded to specialized hardware when available, potentially improving performance in video projects and screen recording.
• 🎮 The DRM lease protocol is implemented, allowing VR headsets to display content on GNOME with Wayland, marking a significant step for VR support.
• 🛠️ GNOME 47 focuses on refining the user experience by improving settings, window elements, and performance, while also addressing long-standing issues.
• 📺 There are ongoing developments in GNOME's media players, with new versions of Showtime and Decb in the works, expected to replace their older counterparts soon.

Q & A

What is one of the main focus points of GNOME 47?

One of the main focus points of GNOME 47 is the introduction of natively supported accent colors, which allows users to choose from nine predefined colors to change the color scheme of action elements like buttons and sliders.

How does GNOME 47 improve the integration of online accounts?

GNOME 47 makes the integration of online accounts for school and business more understandable by clarifying the additional information required to fill out.

What new accessibility setting has been introduced in GNOME 47 for pointing and clicking?

A new accessibility setting in GNOME 47 allows a window to become active as soon as the mouse hovers over it, improving the user experience for those with accessibility needs.

How has the GNOME file manager, Nautilus, been updated in GNOME 47?

Nautilus in GNOME 47 has seen changes such as a completely revamped navigation bar with a new network section for mounting network resources, and the ability to display multiple disks in the sidebar by default.

What changes have been made to directory shortcuts in GNOME 47?

In GNOME 47, directory shortcuts for common locations have been moved down to the bookmarks and are now completely customizable.

How does the file Chooser integration with Nautilus in GNOME 47 improve the user experience?

The file Chooser is now properly integrated with Nautilus in GNOME 47, which brings visual improvements and fixes issues like Firefox not respecting bookmarks, allowing for easier access to drives and shares.

What improvements have been made to drag and drop support in GNOME 47?

GNOME 47 sees improvements and fixes to drag and drop support, especially when moving items between X11 and Wayland clients, enhancing the smoothness under load.

How does GNOME 47 handle color conversion in video playback?

GNOME 47 offloads color conversion in video playback to specialized hardware when available, which can improve performance in video projects and screen recording.

What gaming-related improvements are included in GNOME 47?

GNOME 47 implements the DRM lease protocol, allowing VR headsets to properly display content on GNOME with Wayland, marking a significant step forward for gaming on GNOME.

What are some of the other improvements in GNOME 47 that were not covered in the script?

Other improvements in GNOME 47 include a new lock screen with better notifications, persistent remote login sessions, improved monitor matching and window restoration when reconnecting to multiple monitors, and refinements to settings and window elements.