The lightweight modular Enlightenment desktop environment has released version 0.28, introducing NetworkManager integration, native PipeWire audio support, a built-in clipboard history module, and improvements to power management, window handling, and desktop stability.
One notable addition is a new NetworkManager module that allows users to manage Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth networking, and VPN connections directly from the desktop. It includes signal strength and security indicators, connection details, saved network management, and options to forget previously configured connections.
VPN handling has been expanded with connection importing, authentication prompts, and remembered form fields, as Enlightenment can now automatically detect both NetworkManager and ConnMan services.
On the audio side, Enlightenment 0.28 introduces native PipeWire mixer support alongside existing PulseAudio integration. Users can select audio outputs and cycle between available sinks, with improvements to mixer controls, event handling, and error reporting when output devices are unavailable.
Another addition is an integrated clipboard history module with configurable persistent storage, which allows users to access previously copied content, manage individual entries, and remove items from the history. The release also improves clipboard tracking and fixes issues related to selection timing and module initialization.
Power management has received updates as well. Users can configure battery charge limits, with Enlightenment remembering the maximum charge setting separately for each battery. Plus, battery and AC status polling have been moved to a worker thread to reduce their impact on desktop responsiveness.
Furthermore, the release adds support for ACPI CPU power profiles, improves AMD GPU power settings, and reduces unnecessary polling when displays are turned off. Several fixes address CPU frequency monitoring, deferred suspend handling, and unwanted wakeups from power-saving states.
Window management improvements include a smooth Roll Up animation for window shading, configurable X11 keyboard repeat rates and delays, and controls for keeping windows above or below others. Fixes address fullscreen window layering, maximization behavior, focus handling, and window stacking.
Display handling has received fixes for black screens during startup, monitor disconnections, and screen reconfiguration. The update also improves display mode sorting and addresses Wayland-related canvas initialization issues.
Bluetooth reliability has improved by fixing crashes when the Bluetooth daemon restarts, disappearing devices, and unexpected unpairing. Additional fixes cover adapter controls and battery indicators after reconnection.
Enlightenment 0.28 also includes stability fixes affecting notifications, system tray components, D-Bus menus, desktop gadgets, and the file manager. Developers have addressed memory-management problems and improved diagnostic logging and crash handling.
Lastly, the release adds initial NetBSD support, including power-management commands and signal handling, restores the Pants module, and updates French, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese translations.
For more information, see the release announcement.
