On the disc
Discover the highlights from this month’s packed DVD!
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ONCE YOU POP!_…
MIN SPECS: 64-BIT CPU, 2GB RAM, 16GB DISK
Pop!_OS 21.04
We might not be sure about the punctuation in Pop!_OS. But we are certain that since its inception in 2017 it’s fast become one of our favourite distros. Developed by System76 and pre-installed on its finely crafted Linux laptops and desktops, it’s great for beginners and pros alike.
Pop has been innovating the bejesus out of the Gnome desktop lately. Most notably, the previous Pop LTS release (June 2020) introduced a tiling window mode, encouraging a smoother, keyboard-driven workflow. That evolved in the interim 20.10 release (with stackable tiles and exceptional floating windows), and in this fresh outing it’s better than ever. The desktop at large is now known as COSMIC (a beautifully wrought acronym for Computer Operating System Main Interface Components) and as its centrepiece now includes a custom dock for launching and switching applications. This will be great news if you find Gnome’s Activity View cumbersome to work with.