COSMIC (desktop environment)

System76 announced in 2021 that it would be creating a new desktop environment that is not based on any existing desktop environment. This desktop environment would be written in Rust and developed to be similar to GNOME. System76 cites limitations with GNOME extensions, as well as disagreements with GNOME developers on the desktop experience, as reasons to build a new desktop environment.{{cite news |last1=Sneddon |first1=Joey |date=2021-11-09 |title=Don't Miss: System76 is Building its Own Desktop Environment |url=https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2021/11/system76-is-building-its-own-desktop-environment |access-date=10 November 2021 |work=OMG Ubuntu |publisher=OHSO Media}}

The first alpha release, branded as "Epoch," released on August 8, 2024.

The second Epoch alpha released on September 24, 2024.{{Cite web |last=Larabel |first=Michael |date=2024-09-26 |title=System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 2 Desktop Packages |url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/System76-COSMIC-Alpha-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927202727/https://www.phoronix.com/news/System76-COSMIC-Alpha-2 |archive-date=2024-09-27 |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=www.phoronix.com |language=en}} It added more pages to the settings application which was unfinished in the first alpha, as well as several more features for the file manager.{{Cite web |last=Sneddon |first=Joey |date=2024-09-26 |title=COSMIC DE Alpha 2 Released, This is What's New |url=https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/09/cosmic-desktop-alpha-2-pop-os-released |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240927032507/https://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2024/09/cosmic-desktop-alpha-2-pop-os-released |archive-date=2024-09-27 |access-date=2024-09-27 |website=OMG! Ubuntu |language=en-GB}}

The third alpha released on October 31, 2024. This release introduced multiple connectivity features, including the ability to connect to wireless networks and Bluetooth devices from the built-in COSMIC Settings application.{{Cite web |title=COSMIC Desktop Alpha 3 Released With More Enhancements |url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/COSMIC-Desktop-Alpha-3 |access-date=2024-11-01 |website=www.phoronix.com |language=en}}

The fourth alpha released on December 4, 2024, introducing region and language settings, COSMIC Store improvements, and accessibility features.{{specify|date=December 2024|reason=How was the store improved? What accessibility features?}}{{Cite web |last=Borisov |first=Bobby |date=2024-12-05 |title=COSMIC Desktop Alpha 4 Released, Here's What's New |url=https://linuxiac.com/cosmic-desktop-alpha-4-released/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241209174129/https://linuxiac.com/cosmic-desktop-alpha-4-released/ |archive-date=2024-12-09 |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=Linuxiac |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Larabel |first=Michael |date=2024-12-05 |title=COSMIC Alpha 4 Released For System76's Rust-Based Desktop |url=https://www.phoronix.com/news/COSMIC-Alpha-4-Released |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205165513/https://www.phoronix.com/news/COSMIC-Alpha-4-Released |archive-date=2024-12-05 |access-date=2024-12-10 |website=Phoronix |language=en}}

The fifth alpha released on January 9, 2025, adding a Users page to the settings application, and some minor UI improvements. It also introduced a media player.{{Cite web |last=Rudra |first=Sourav |date=2025-01-10 |title=COSMIC Alpha 5: The Evolution of System76's Desktop Continues! |url=https://news.itsfoss.com/cosmic-alpha-5/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250110160832/https://news.itsfoss.com/cosmic-alpha-5/ |archive-date=2025-01-10 |access-date=2025-01-11 |website=It's FOSS News |language=en}}

The sixth alpha released on February 21, 2025, adding improvements to settings such as desktop icons, the launcher, and scaling, as well as introducing various memory optimizations.{{Cite web |date=2025-02-21 |title=COSMIC Alpha 6: Big Leaps Forward |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250222002351/https://blog.system76.com/post/cosmic-alpha-6-big-leaps-forward |archive-date=2025-02-22 |website=System76 |access-date=2025-02-22 |url-status=live |url=https://blog.system76.com/post/cosmic-alpha-6-big-leaps-forward}}

{{Main articles|Pop! OS#Features}}

COSMIC is made from scratch and is not based on any existing desktop environment. It features a custom theming system, utilizes the Rust-based iced graphics toolkit, streamlined window tiling, and its own applications (a text editor, a terminal emulator, a file manager, a settings application, an app store, and a media player).{{Cite web |last=Dawe |first=Liam |date=2024-08-08 |title=System76 desktop environment COSMIC alpha now available to try |url=https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2024/08/system76-desktop-environment-cosmic-alpha-now-available-to-try/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240808194703/https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2024/08/system76-desktop-environment-cosmic-alpha-now-available-to-try/ |archive-date=2024-08-08 |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=GamingOnLinux |language=en}}

COSMIC Edit is the built-in text editor. It supports bidirectional text, ligatures, emoji, and more. It also has programming-oriented features such as line highlighting and Git integration.

COSMIC Terminal is the built-in terminal emulator. It was built using code from the terminal Alacritty and a custom renderer. It supports bidirectional text, theming, and GPU rendering. Furthermore, it also includes a feature that allows users to divide a terminal window into multiple areas.

COSMIC Files is the built-in file manager. It includes standard file manager functionality as well as keyboard shortcuts, built-in file archiving functions, and a file preview feature.

COSMIC Store is the built-in application center. It gives users an all-in-one solution to browse and install/update/remove apps from Flathub. It also provides a convenient way to update the system components.

COSMIC Settings is the built-in configuration app that allows users to customize the desktop environment to their preferences. It includes a search bar to quickly find specific settings without browsing through menus.

COSMIC Media Player is the default media player. It uses Vulkan for rendering and VA-API for decoding.

{{Reflist}}

• {{GitHub|pop-os/cosmic}}

{{Linux-stub}}

{{Foss-stub}}{{Desktop environments and window managers for X11 and Wayland}}

Category:Free desktop environments

Category:Free software programmed in Rust

Category:Unix windowing system-related software