Manjaro has announced the release of its latest version, 23.1, codenamed Vulcan, following the success of Uranos in September 2023. This release is mainly focused on providing its users with the most up-to-date versions of the leading desktop environments to its users.
At the same time, however, under the hood, it introduces some exciting updates in its various editions, so let’s look at them.
Transition to Pipewire 1.0.0
A key development in Vulcan is the transition to Pipewire 1.0.0, a modern multimedia framework that handles audio and video streams in Linux, guaranteeing the best possible audio and video handling for Manjaro users.
In addition, WirePlumber, the session manager for PipeWire, has also been bumped to v0.4.17
Kernel 6.6 LTS and Additional Support
Vulcan is powered by the latest and greatest Linux kernel, 6.6.7 LTS, ensuring compatibility with the latest drivers. Additional support for older hardware is maintained with 6.1 LTS and 5.15 LTS kernels.
Plasma 5.27.10
As in the previous Uranos release, Manjaro’s Plasma edition ships with the latest Plasma 5.27. However, the desktop environment received an update to its latest minor version, KDE Plasma 5.27.10, and the software app collection KDE Gear has been bumped to v23.08.4, released less than ten days ago.
Notable features include:
- A new window tiling system.
- A stylish app theme.
- Revamped tools and widgets for improved desktop control.
Moreover, Plasma’s Wayland support has also seen significant improvements, enhancing reliability and introducing new interactive capabilities.
Manjaro 23.1 Welcomes GNOME 45
However, the most pleasant surprise in Manjaro 23.1 “Vulcan” is for GNOME users, as with this release, they can now enjoy its latest major update, GNOME 45.
It comes with many improvements, which you can read about in detail here, with more important ones being:
- The new activities button dynamically displays the number of available virtual desktops.
- The file manager received a significant performance boost, redesigned with a full-height sidebar, giving it a more modern feel.
- GNOME’s System Settings has a reorganized “System Details” dialog, a revamped “Privacy” tab, and introduced a dedicated “Devices” section.
- Some of the GNOME 45’s core apps have been updated. The default image viewer, Eye of GNOME, has been replaced by the new one, Loupe. GNOME’s new camera app, Snapshot, replaces the previously used Cheese, but Fedora 39 still ships with Cheese.
- Quick Settings now includes a button for controlling keyboard backlights.
Xfce 4.18
As in the 23.0 “Uranos” release, the Xfce edition of Manjaro 23.1 comes with Xfce 4.18, featuring new enhancements like file highlighting in Thunar and recursive search.
There’s nothing new to note here, but let’s mention that the panel now offers more customization, including pixel-based length configuration and a new “Keep panel above windows” option.
Download Manjaro 23.1 “Vulcan”
Being a rolling release distribution, keeping Manjaro up-to-date is enough to always be at the latest version. For those who want to perform a fresh install, the Manjaro 23.1 installation ISO images are available from the download section on the project’s website.
You can refer to the release announcement for detailed information about all changes.
