After staying in beta for the last month, the latest version of Pop!_OS, i.e., 21.10, is finally out. The release brings new features, improved UI, and a new Raspberry Pi variant which we will be discussing later in this article. Here’s everything new in Pop!_OS 21.10 and how to upgrade to the same from Pop!_OS 21.04.
Pop!_OS 21.10 Features: What’s New?
Application Launcher
One of the release highlights is the addition of the “Application Library.” You might remember that the GNOME application menu covers the entire screen, making it harder to see the files and shortcuts you have on your desktop. The Application Library in Pop Desktop is more like a Windows 11-styled application lister, but unlike the same, it’s a floating window without any connection to the dock.
It can be opened by clicking on ‘Applications’ in the top left corner, with a four-finger right swipe on the trackpad, or by using the Super (Windows) + A keyboard shortcut. Here are its characteristics and everything that you can do using it.
- The search bar at the top allows you to search for both installed apps and apps that are available in the Pop!_Shop.
- Apps are listed in alphabetical order, which should make it quicker and easier to find apps.
- You can drag and drop apps into custom folders that you can access directly from the bottom as they act like tabs.
- For those with multiple monitors, the app library will open on the monitor where the mouse focus is.
Refresh Install
The refresh install feature allows you to reinstall Pop!_OS without losing your essential files in the home directory if Pop!_OS is installed from the recovery partition. This should make things easier if something goes wrong while using the OS.
RIP Launchpad. Welcome GNOME 40, New Kernel, and NVIDIA Driver
System76 repositories have replaced Ubuntu’s Launchpad. This decision was made to push package updates faster and control them.
Pop has finally moved to GNOME 40. Here’s a list of features that GNOME 40 ships with. Some of the additions are Wi-Fi sorting in settings and Auto-completion in files. System76 devs are developing an in-house desktop environment in Rust programming language for Pop!_OS. It’ll be interesting to see the results when it arrives.
Aside from that, Pop!_OS 21.10 is based on the latest Linux kernel 5.15.5 and brings the latest NVIDIA drivers into the mix.
Pop!_OS 21.10 For Raspberry Pi 4
Lastly, the hackable mini-computer is finally getting some Pop!_OS treatment to make it a more viable mini desktop computer. If you own a Raspberry Pi 4 and want to install 21.10, here’s how to do it.
Other Changes
- The restore partition is updated before upgrading the OS. This is to ensure that the refresh option in the recovery partiin can install the latest release in case something goes wrong.
- User-add PPAs will be disabled during the upgrade as they’re known to to cause issues.
How To Upgrade To Pop!_OS 21.10?
There are two ways to upgrade — Using the Terminal and from the settings.
Type in the following commands and hit enter to update using the terminal.
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrdeAfter entering the password, type this command and hit enter.
pop-upgrade release upgrade
You should also see the update in your settings. All you need to do is open the Settings app, head to the “OS Upgrade and Recovery” menu, and click on download/upgrade.
What are your thoughts about the release? Let us know in the comments section below.
