Developer shows first images of System76’s Rust version of Pop_OS

A developer has first started working on System76’s own Gnome desktop version based on Rust. It is still a preview version, but it shows that several UI changes are being made.

System76 already confirmed in November that it was working on a new desktop environment for its own Pop_OS!. It is based on Rust. The desktop environment is very similar to the current Cosmic UI that Pop_OS! now used, but it is still based on Gnome.

Developer Eduardo Flores has now looked at what that desktop environment looks like. According to him, it is especially striking that in addition to small UI changes, there is more to customize the Rust version of Cosmic. The current Cosmic desktop still uses GTK4 for the Settings app, but in Rust that will be something different. There are also small changes in the UI of the settings, which are partly built via CSS.

The search function is going to be one of the biggest changes in Cosmic. It can be called up from anywhere in the settings app, not just in the main menu. This means that users do not have to return to the first page every time.

Gnome’s influence can be seen in many settings. For example, the launcher is almost the same. The app drawer also looks the same, as does the dock at the bottom of the screen, which is already in Pop_OS! is used. Flores notes that the changes are not final yet because Cosmic is currently still in a preview phase. It is not yet known when that version will be released.