The development of Linux-based desktops, applications, and ultimately, operating systems for mobile devices continues steadily; slowly but surely. The most advanced student may not be the most visually appealing, at least when the classroom is a tablet, but it offers the best user experience. The mobile edition of GNOME recently released a major update, Phosh 0.14.0, which introduces a very striking new feature.
Practically from the beginning, or I have always seen it that way, when opening an application in Plasma Mobile we see a welcome screen, an image that shows the application icon on a background with a similar color. That "splash screen" has officially reached Phosh 0.14.0 in what is the most outstanding novelty. It is not something that improves operation or performance, but it does offer better sensations.
Highlights of Phosh 0.14.0
- App launch / welcome image support.
- Media player widget search buttons.
- Shell fading on startup to prevent flickering.
- Indication of Wifi hotspot mode on the top bar.
- The music player stops when the headphones are unplugged.
- Moved the option "Show all applications" to the bottom.
- Improvements in the interface of the media player widget.
- The app icons in activities are now centered.
- The test suite generates screenshots.
- Better handling of app_id.
- Some improvements in the representation of activities.
- Proximity sensor bug fix.
- Some other leaks and bug fixes.
Phosh 0.14.0 is now available as an update for some systems, such as postmarketOS and Arch Linux ARM, and will soon be available for others like Manjaro. On distributions where it's already available, it can be installed from the new IMG image or by updating from within the operating system itself, which is recommended to be done via the terminal.