The GNOME desktop environment features an improved user interface and lots of new features

Sep 25, 2013 10:58 GMT  ·  By

The highly anticipated GNOME 3.10 desktop environment will be officially unveiled later today, September 25, 2013, and it will incorporate lots of new features, new and updated applications, and overall improvements.

With initial Wayland support on-board, GNOME 3.10 enters the Linux scene with a revamped layout of the main panel, unifying all the indicators into a single system status menu, which is more compact, dynamic, and extremely efficient, designed to make your life easier.

In the same department, GNOME 3.10 introduces an improved login screen, packed with prettier notifications, custom background images, nicer transition effects and a better layout, as well as pagination functionality in the application picker of the GNOME Shell overview mode, so you won't have to scroll it anymore.

As we've reported earlier this week, GNOME 3.10 adds a few new applications to its constantly growing collection of apps, such as Clocks, Maps, Music and Software. From their names, we believe that anyone can figure out what each app does. If not, our What Should You Expect from GNOME 3.10 article explains that in detail.

Moreover, GNOME Control Center has been enhanced with new Date and Time settings, new Display settings, new Universal Access settings, user dialog improvements, and the ability to use Flickr content for setting background images.

The GNOME Contacts app brings a nicer contacts list, better selection mode visuals, more attractive contacts pane, and updated setup and accounts dialog. Moreover, the GNOME Tweak Tool has been completely redesigned in GNOME 3.10, with a more logical layout, helping users to better understand its options.

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Earlier mockups of the new system status area in GNOME 3.10 - Image courtesy of afaikblog.wordpress.com
Among other nice features introduced by GNOME 3.10, we can mention support for Google two-step authentication, ownCloud support in GNOME Documents, Telepathy chat accounts integration, DuckDuckGo as the default search engine in Epiphany, improved Accessibility and Djvu support in Evince, and lots of improvements to the GNOME Boxes app, and to the GNOME Chess and Five or More games.

For GNOME 3.12, the GNOME developers plan a Sound Recorder app, full support for the Wayland display manager, as well as screenshots, history and ratings for apps in the GNOME Software tool.