The GNOME Project has officially released GNOME 48, codenamed “Bengaluru,” . This release brings a host of new features and improvements designed to enhance user experience and promote digital wellbeing.

Digital well being app in GNOME 48

Notification Stacking

To keep your workflow organized, GNOME 48 introduces notification stacking. Notifications from the same application are now grouped together, allowing for a cleaner and more navigable notification list.

Performance Enhancements

Significant performance improvements have been made in this release:

• Dynamic Triple Buffering: This feature enhances the smoothness of on-screen animations and reduces frame skipping, particularly benefiting systems with integrated graphics.

• JavaScript Engine Optimization: The core JavaScript engine now consumes less CPU and memory, leading to a more efficient desktop environment.

• File Indexing and File Manager: Memory usage during file indexing has been reduced, and the Files application has seen improvements in folder load times and scrolling performance.

Enhanced Image Viewer

The default image viewer has been updated to include basic editing functionalities such as cropping, rotating, and flipping images. Additionally, zoom controls have been redesigned for better usability.

New Adwaita Fonts

GNOME 48 introduces new interface and monospace fonts: Adwaita Sans and Adwaita Mono. These fonts offer improved rendering, extensive character coverage, and support for modern font features, enhancing both aesthetics and readability.

Digital Wellbeing Features

To promote healthier computing habits, GNOME 48 debuts digital wellbeing tools:

• Screen Time Tracking: Monitor daily screen usage and compare it over days and weeks.

• Screen Time Limits: Set daily usage limits; upon reaching the limit, receive notifications or enable grayscale mode as a reminder.

• Break Reminders: Configure periodic alerts to take breaks, encouraging regular movement and reducing eye strain.

HDR Support

For users with compatible displays, GNOME 48 introduces support for High Dynamic Range (HDR), delivering enhanced visual quality with richer colors and better contrast.

Battery Health Preservation

A new feature allows users to limit battery charging to 80%, prolonging battery lifespan by preventing constant full charges. This is particularly useful for laptops that remain plugged in for extended periods.

Developer Improvements

Developers will find numerous enhancements in GNOME 48, including updated developer tools, refined libraries, and improved language bindings, facilitating the creation of next-generation GNOME applications.

For a comprehensive overview of all the new features and improvements, refer to the official GNOME 48 release notes.