Manjaro 21.2 is finally out, and it brings lots of improvements and updated desktop environments GNOME, Plasma, and Xfce. In this article, let’s look at the new Manjaro 21.2 features and improvements.
Manjaro 21.2 Features and Improvements
Updated Desktop Environments
The update to Manjaro 21.2 includes major rework as part of GNOME 41.2. A redesigned default layout followed by adjustments include reduced pointer travel for people who use mice. Apart from that, if you prefer a vertical desktop layout in the older Manjaro releases, you get an option to switch to the same. The layouts shipped with gnome-layout-switcher will work in 20.2.
The default browser in the GNOME edition, Firefox, now comes with the gnome-desktop style theme enabled. However, those who prefer the default Firefox look can turn it off.
The Plasma edition, on the other hand, has also been updated to Plasma 5.23. Besides that, Frameworks has also been updated to 5.88 and Applications to 21.12. The default theme has been polished to match Breeze, and there are other UI improvements like checkboxes showing ticks, radio buttons lighting up when clicked on, etc. Scrollbars and Spinboxes sizes have been upscaled to make the touch screen experience better.
The release announcement also mentions that Plasma on Wayland is a top priority for the KDE community as it enables better performance and stability along with new features.
The Xfce variant now has Xfce 4.16, with the window manager receiving the most number of improvements. Fractional scaling has been added to the display dialogue, followed by minor UI improvements. Search capabilities of settings manager have improved alongside Thunar file manager receiving lots of fixes, modifications, and new features.
Manjaro 21.2 Features: Other Additions And Updates
The 21.2 version uses the latest 5.15 LTS kernel and comes with the latest drivers. Apart from that, Calamares sees significant improvements like filesystem selection for auto partitioning and better support for Btrfs.
What are your thoughts on the release? Let us know in the comments section below.
Source: Manjaro
