Short Bytes: Solus Project has rolled out a minor update in the form of Solus 1.2.0.5. This release focuses on fixing the reported bugs in Budgie desktop and Solus installer. Apart from adding lots of new software packages, Solus has also ditched some popular packages, including gnome-tweak-tool. If you are already running Solus, which is a rolling distribution, you don’t need to download the new ISO. Another news from the Solus Project comes in the form of Solus MATE edition’s confirmation, which will be launched soon.
Solus Project has now pushed a minor update to Solus 1.2 in the form of Solus 1.2.0.5 release. While Solus 1.2 resolved multiple issues like recognition of eMMC storage devices and the ability to create a separate home partition, Solus 1.2.0.5 improves more bugs and fixes issues.
Improved Budgie desktop, smoother installation
The improvements made in Solus are spread all across the operating system. So, I’ll be starting with the biggest ones. Budgie, the flagship desktop environment of Solus, gets the attention it deserves.
The battery icon refresh issue has been solved and now it works without any hassle. A couple of more customization options have been incorporated into Raven–the notification and customization center of Budgie. You’ll also notice that gnome-screensaver has been adopted for power management and screen locking. Solus 1.2 users also complained regarding an issue with the keyboard layout. The 1.2.0.5 update fixes that.
In my previous tests of Solus 1.2, I noticed some installation issues that have now been resolved. Now the installer doesn’t hang while scanning the disks. There were also some issues with NVIDIA Maxwell cards and Intel Skylake CPUs. This update fixes them as well.
Packages — Updated, added, removed
You’ll be pleased to notice an updated GNOME 3.20 Stack, Pulseaudio 9, and Mesa 12. Talking about some core components, Solus 1.2.0.5 comes with stable Linux kernel 4.7.2, glibc 2.24, and GCC 6.1.0. For the complete set of changes in this release, you can read the change log.
Apart from a wide range of new additions, there were some unfortunate packages that didn’t make the final cut. The biggest surprise comes in the form of removal of GNOME Tweak Tool. Wondering why? Probably because it’s not very compatible with Budgie desktop for obvious reasons.
Soon you’ll meet your Sol-MATE!
Earlier this month, in its weekly newsletter, Solus Project announced the upcoming option of MATE as a desktop environment. This new version is expected to arrive with Solus 1.2.1. MATE is a widely popular desktop environment and Solus Project wishes to ship a full MATE experience enabled with GTK3.
Adding MATE as a desktop environment might be a controversial move. At the moment, adding more software to Solus repositories and improving Budgie should be preferred. Well, to each his own.
Here’s a small video preview of Solus 1.2.0.5:
Should I grab the new Solus 1.2.0.5 ISO?
Back in July, Solus embraced the rolling release model. It means that if you are running Solus on your computer, you don’t need to download the new ISO files. So, just update your system and you are good to go.
If you wish to reinstall your operating system from the scratch, you can find Solus 1.2.0.5 ISO and torrent links on Solus Project website.
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