The new COSMIC Linux desktop from System76 is out of this world

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• COSMIC desktop is currently in alpha stage but can be installed and tested for free.
• It fixes all of the problems I had with previous incarnations of Pop!_OS and vastly improves on the performance and reliability.
• But COSMIC desktop is way too early for regular usage.

Linux distributions come and go. We’ve seen every take imaginable for the open-source operating system and often they’re a twist on an old approach. However, at the heart of every Linux distribution is a passion and dedication to creating something special, an operating system that can be used by anyone, without cost, and with a high level of reliability.

Also: 5 reasons why Pop!_OS is my favorite Linux distro

Most Linux distributions rise well above the challenge, so when System76 announced it was creating a new desktop environment to sit atop its Pop!_OS distribution, I knew the company would produce something that could challenge every current desktop on the market.

I also knew it wouldn’t attempt to fix what wasn’t broken. The GNOME-based Pop!_OS desktop worked and worked well. System76 took what was already great about GNOME and tweaked it just enough to make it highly useful. So, even before I downloaded the ISO and spun up a virtual machine for COSMIC desktop, I knew what to expect. 

On the surface, it would be same as it ever was. Beneath the GUI, it was quite different. How? System76 built COSMIC desktop with the Rust language, which (according to System76) will improve performance and reduce freezes. I can attest to the latter because of late my Pop!_OS desktop has been prone to freezing when I attempt to unlock the session. It’s fine because I can use SSH to remote in from another machine and run a script I wrote that restarts the GNOME session. That always gives me my desktop back, so I can log in and do what I need to do.

Also: 5 tips for securing SSH on your Linux server or desktop

But it’ll be nice to never have to deal with that again once COSMIC is officially launched.

And when it does launch, it’ll propel System76 to yet another level. 

I’ve said for some time that the company has become the Apple of the open-source community. Before anyone gets up in arms about that statement, what I mean is that System76 has created an incredible cohesiveness between hardware and software. Other than the current state of freezing, when running Pop!_OS on a Thelio desktop, it performs better than any OS/hardware combo I have. It’s faster than MacOS/iMac or MacOS/MacBook Pro, and it’s better than Windows/Anycomputeryoucanthinkof. The combination of Pop!_OS and the Thelio desktop is mind-blowing.

Also: The best Linux laptops of 2024: Expert tested and reviewed

Imagine my excitement about having even better performance, no more freezing, and the same efficient layout the desktop already has.

Yeah…I can’t wait.

Same ol’ same ol’ but better

As I mentioned earlier, if you were to look at the current alpha of COSMIC, you’d swear you were seeing just another distribution that uses the GNOME desktop. It doesn’t take long to realize that it’s something quite different. The developers and designers have gone a long way to making the next incarnation of Pop!_OS makes sense. Given how operating systems (no matter who makes them) never fail to make you think, “Why did they do that?” one might think you’d find something in an alpha version to make you ask the same question. 

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Au contraire mes ami. Everything System76 has done makes perfect sense. I haven’t come across a single design choice that has me scratching my head. That is exactly why I believe Pop!_OS with COSMIC desktop could supplant every distribution on the market as the best OS for all types of users. 

System76 has improved everything from the previous iterations. The app store opens almost immediately, the freezes are a thing of the past, performance is out of this world, and customizing the look and feel is easy. COSMIC is everything I’ve wanted GNOME to be but assumed it would never happen.

I’ve been testing the alpha version of the release and I’m seriously impressed. Even for an alpha, this thing is stable. Don’t get me wrong, I would never use an alpha release for anything but testing purposes but this baby portends serious reliability and performance to come.

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With that said, I would only recommend you try the alpha release as a virtual machine or installed on a spare computer. Do not use this for everyday purposes… no matter how stable it may seem.

Benefits to new users

In simplest terms, COSMIC desktop takes everything that was good about GNOME and improves on it to make a desktop that is so cohesive anyone could use it. And given how stable the alpha is already, the full release will be even better.

Benefits to seasoned pros

If you’re already a seasoned Linux user, you probably know that System76 understands your needs. To that end, COSMIC will be just as efficient and developer/admin friendly as Pop!_OS was. You’ll find plenty of developer tools in the app store, Flatpak support, an outstanding text editor (that even includes vim bindings), and more.

Also: I’ve tried a zillion desktop distros – it doesn’t get any better than Linux Mint 22

If you’ve been looking for a new Linux distribution, or want to migrate from MacOS or Windows, hold off until System76 launches the official release. Trust me when I say you will be impressed.

For those who can’t wait to see what System76 has done, you can download the ISO for the alpha release now. 

And remember, in space, no one can hear you scream… for joy.