Cinnamon, a desktop environment developed by the Linux Mint team, has earned the favor of Linux users seeking a classic desktop experience.
Designed to balance functionality and resource efficiency, it’s the perfect choice if you’re getting into Linux, especially for those transitioning from Windows.
That’s why the open-source community eagerly anticipates each new version, and now we’re presented with a major new release, Cinnamon 6.0. So, let’s explore the updates and features it brings.
Cinnamon Desktop 6.0 Highlights
We start with the significant updates, such as changes to the System Settings, now offering a more refined visual presentation. Moreover, the gesture controls have been fine-tuned to adjust to amplified max volume settings, ensuring a smoother user interface interaction.
Of course, the desktop environment’s aesthetics have not been overlooked. Updates to the “cinnamon.css” file center text in the applet box contribute to a cleaner and more organized desktop appearance. Additionally, the lightbox now employs dithering to reduce color banding, enhancing the overall visual quality.
Moving on to a crucial aspect, which is the topic of Wayland. As we have informed you, in 2024, various distributions, such as Fedora, and desktop environments like GNOME and KDE, will fully transition to Wayland, abandoning the outdated and unsupported Xorg.
Although Linux Mint has stated that it will continue to rely on Xorg, the first efforts to prepare for the future switch to Wayland are visible in Cinnamon 6.0.
In light of this, this release focuses on enhancing the desktop environment’s functionality and compatibility with Wayland. Notable adjustments include adding session files specific to Wayland, efforts to avoid using Gtk/Gdk in core and startup code, and modifications in various modules to ensure better integration with Wayland’s architecture.
Now, back to the desktop, where, in terms of functionality, the sound applet has seen several updates, including better text wrapping for artist and title labels, thus improving the overall look and usability.
This is complemented by changes in the Menu Editor, which now allows for window resizing and an update to keybindings for enhanced customization.
Cinnamon 6.0 also focuses on bug fixes and system stability. Numerous bugs have been addressed, including menu applet issues, ensuring a more stable and reliable experience. The gesture management system has been refined, removing device detection to streamline the user interaction process.
Lastly, we should also mention that Cinnamon’s devs have worked tirelessly to enhance the codebase. Improvements include simplifying window focus updates in the window list, emphasizing using string instead of regexp in JavaScript.
You can refer to the changelog for detailed information about all changes in Cinnamon 6.0.
Can’t wait to try out the new desktop release? As always, rolling release distribution users will get it in their repositories in the coming days and weeks, and Arch users can already enjoy it.
Among the other distributions, the first to get it are those of Linux Mint, in its 21.3 release, which is expected to be out in the days around Christmas.
