Solus is a modern-day Linux distro aimed at home users. It offers a cohesive desktop experience for users who are new to the Linux world. So, if you’re a starting Linux user looking for a polished system, Solus might be a good fit for you.
The developers recently released Solus 4.3, the latest stable version of this distro. It comes with a new kernel, several desktop improvements, and support for new hardware.
What’s New in Solus 4.3?
This iteration of Solus is powered by Linux 5.13, which adds hardware support for the following:
- Apple’s M1 Chipset
- Intel’s Alder Lake S Graphics
- AMD’s FreeSync/Adaptive-Sync
- A Generic USB Display driver
Apart from new hardware support, Solus 4.3 also ships with several improvements to the desktop experience. Solus’s homegrown Budgie desktop has received many updates, including bug fixes and quality of life improvements. Changes have been made to display notifications, screen tracking, themes, and window customizations.
The GNOME desktop packs the latest release, GNOME 40.2. This version adds several changes to the GNOME shell, offering features like tap-drag-release, horizontal layouts for app grids, improved trackpad gestures, and updated keyboard shortcuts.
Several changes have also been made to Mutter. It now supports rounded clipping during background drawing and locking the scroll button. Plus, developers have also fixed several X11-related issues, such as unwanted position changes and client resizing while moving.
The KDE version ships with Plasma 5.22.2 and adds a handful of user experience enhancements. It now offers adaptive transparency for Breeze, a new speed dial, and a redesigned digital clock alongside others. Users can also use KRunner as a simple command-line launcher.
Improve Desktop Experience With Solus 4.3
The 4.3 release of Solus brings many quality of life changes to the desktop experience. It ships with the latest versions of the GNOME, KDE, Budgie, and MATE desktops. It offers the freedom to choose the desktop that best suits your need.
However, if you are unsure of which desktop to choose for Solus 4.3, try a few of them first. And don’t forget there are other desktop environments to look at as well.