Clem Lefebvre has announced via the Linux Mint Blog that the next version of the Linux Mint distribution is in the works and will include a revamp to the Software Manager which “needed attention”. The new Software Manager comes with a more modern look giving users a better user experience.
The new Software Manager has quite a bit of a change log attached to it, here are the details:
- The user interface looks more modern and its layout is inspired by Gnome Software. Its simpler, more consistent than before and it makes the application look much cleaner.
- The software manager no longer uses WebKit. The only toolkit used is GTK and the entire application was ported to GTK3, to bring support for HiDPI.
- The software manager launches three times faster than before. Browsing categories and apps is almost immediate.
- The backend was ported to AptDaemon and the Software Manager now runs in user mode. Consequently you do not need to enter any passwords to browse applications, and if you enter a password to install or remove an app, the authentication is remembered for a little while so you can install or remove other apps without having to enter that password again.
Aside from the new Software Manager, the login screen has been updated to become more configurable than before. Options have been included to allow automatic login as well as give users the choice to hide the user list and enter user names manually.
Linux Mint 18.3 is still a long way off yet, it won’t be ready for download until November 2017. The current version 18.2 was released earlier this month.
Source: Linux Mint Blog