GNOME 3.10 Gets an Overhaul: Top 10 New Features
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The open-source GNOME desktop is one of the primary desktops in use on Linux operating systems today. The GNOME 3.10 desktop, which was officially released Sept. 25, provides users with a number of user interface enhancements as well as new applications and under-the-hood improvements for developers. In total, more than 30,000 changes were made in GNOME 3.10, with over 1,000 individuals contributing to the new release. On the user interface front, there is a new system status area that provides a more unified view of the user's system. In terms of new software applications, the GNOME 3.10 release starts right at the beginning with a new "Software" application to help users to explore and find new software. As part of the release, GNOME developers have also introduced a new "Maps" application that pulls data from the open-source OpenStreetMap project. Plus, there is a new Web browser aptly named "Web" that advances GNOME's browser technology, formerly known as Epiphany. In this slide show, eWEEK takes a look at what is new and what is improved in the open-source GNOME 3.10 desktop.
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GNOME 3.10 Gets an Overhaul: Top 10 New Features
by Sean Michael Kerner
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System Status Gets a New Look
The top right side of the GNOME 3.10 desktop is getting an improved integrated menu to provide users with updated system status information and access.
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Scrolling Gives Way to Paginated Application View
Instead of scrolling through a long list of applications, GNOME 3.10 has paginated the folder view for applications. Users now flip through pages of applications, rather than scrolling through one long page.
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Header Bars Land in GNOME Windows
Individual application windows are also being improved in the GNOME 3.10 release with the new header bars element. With the header bar, both the title bar and the application toolbar have been merged into a single interface element.
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Improved Geolocation Will Improve Time and Date Setting
GNOME 3.10 benefits from improved geolocation capabilities that can help users with automatic time zones for clock setting.
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Finding Your Way With Maps
Another benefit that users will get from the improved geolocation capabilities is the new Maps application. GNOME pulls data from the OpenStreetMap project, which provides open data for maps.
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Takes Notes, With Notes
GNOME 3.10 introduces the open-source project's latest take on a simple note-taking application, simply titled Notes. Notes gives users the optional ability to store their notes using the open-source ownCloud cloud-sharing technology.
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GNOME Moves Away From Google for Web Search
GNOME 3.10 includes its own Web browser, which was once known as Epiphany but has been renamed simply as Web. The rebranded Web browser has also shifted its choice of default search engines to DuckDuckGo.
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Finding Software With the 'Software' App
Users can now explore and discover new software applications for GNOME 3.10 via the new "Software" application.
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Running Other Systems in a GNOME Box
GNOME includes its own virtualization system called "Boxes." In the 3.10 release, Boxes has been improved to enable files to be easily transferred via drag-and-drop between a virtual machine and the user's desktop.
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Wayland to Improve on Legacy of X Desktop Server
With GNOME 3.10, the Wayland display server protocol takes root, replacing the legacy X server. Matthias Clasen, member of the GNOME release team and supervisor and software engineering at Red Hat, told eWEEK that the main benefits of Wayland are initially for developers. "The Wayland protocol has learned lessons from 25 years of X, and things that are hard or impossible to do with X will become a lot easier," he said.
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