Elementary OS isn't as popular as it once was, but it's still a well-rounded desktop Linux distribution with an excellent set of purpose-built applications. A new major version is now available with multitasking improvements, 64-bit ARM support, and more.
previous update Elementary OS 8 introduced a new Dock for opening and switching applications, replacing the Plank panel from previous versions. Some Plank features return, such as multiple dots for apps with multiple windows and cycling through app windows when you drag a file onto an app icon. It is also now possible to display background applications in the Dock.
AppCenter already includes the Flathub software repository by default, and in Elementary OS 8.1 the same ODRS ratings used by GNOME software are visible in the app listings. There are also new indicators for games that support controllers and changes to the app update page. Other design improvements include dark mode support for the lock screen, improved screen reader compatibility in the installer and system settings, and a blur effect behind the Dock and notifications.
There are also some changes to the built-in apps. There's a new System Monitor for checking system resources and processes, a new Maps app, improved queue management in the music player, a modern tab bar in the Terminal, and an updated GNOME Web 48.3 web browser.
Moving on to the behind-the-scenes improvements, “Secure Session” is now the default session that runs on Wayland instead of X11. This was already available in Elementary OS 8, but the blog post explains: “We release updates every month fixing the issues you've reported, third-party app developers have updated their apps to support Wayland-based sessions, and hardware manufacturers like Nvidia have fixed issues in their drivers to support Wayland-based sessions.”
Elementary OS 8.1 now also uses the Linux 6.14 kernel and Mesa 25, bringing some performance improvements and reduced power consumption to certain Intel and AMD hardware. This is also the first release with ARM64 builds, so if you have an Apple Silicon Mac, Raspberry Pi, or other ARM device with UEFI firmware, you can join the Elementary group. Fractional scaling should now also work better in Secure Session (Wayland) mode.
You can download elementary OS from the official website of the project and several PC manufacturers sell computers with Elementary preinstalled.
Source: Elementary blog
