Get Ready for Pop!_OS 24.04 Alpha Release With COSMIC Desktop

It's been ages since we were first introduced to the new avatar of COSMIC, the desktop environment by the creators of Pop!_OS.

We already knew that the alpha release of COSMIC is arriving around the end of July, but, we didn't have any indication as to when we would see it on Pop!_OS.

Luckily, that has now changed. 😃

In a tweet on X, Founder and CEO of System76, Carl Richell announced that the first alpha release of Pop!_OS 24.04 equipped with COSMIC will be released on August 8.

The first alpha release of Pop!_OS 24.04 with COSMIC will be released August 8th.@jeremy_soller, Maria, and I join the System76 Transmission Log pod to chat about how COSMIC came to be and where it's headed. https://t.co/sJwiYmHDYK
— Carl Richell (@carlrichell) July 22, 2024

If you didn't know, Pop!_OS 24.04 will be based on the Ubuntu 24.04 LTS release, but with many cool bells and whistles, including COSMIC, courtesy of System76.

Sure, I agree that it's just an Alpha release for Pop!_OS, but, it's better than having a release without this redesigned version of COSMIC.

If you would like to learn more about COSMIC, then don't stop reading.

What Can You Expect From COSMIC?

a poster with the new cosmic branding — Source: System76

For starters, the developers recently introduced the branding for COSMIC, in which the “O” represents open source, signifying their commitment towards the same, with them openly embracing the community for taking COSMIC forward.

I must say, the O in the logo reminds me of Wall-E. 🤖

Set to be Wayland-only, COSMIC will have support for X11 apps, and will feature some extensive customization features such as app theming, window styling, advanced window tiling, and more.

There's also a suite of Rust-based native COSMIC apps that will tie together the whole experience, creating a unique ecosystem, that's open in nature (Apple can learn from this).

Some of those apps include:

COSMIC Files
COSMIC Edit
COSMIC Terminal
COSMIC App Store
COSMIC Screenshot Tool

If the above still didn't satisfy your need for knowledge, then you should tune in to our earlier coverage and System76's podcast to dive deeper into their COSMIC world.

💬 This goes without saying, stay tuned for our coverages of COSMIC alpha. If you have any thoughts or questions, feel free to add them in the comments below.