14 DAY TRIAL // System76 value-added computer reseller released the Pop!_OS Linux 18.04 operating system for their computer lineup as well as anyone else who wants to install their Ubuntu-based GNU/Linux distribution.
Based on Canonical's recently released Ubuntu 18.04 LTS (Bionic Beaver) operating system series and powered by Linux kernel 4.15, Pop!_OS Linux 18.04 is the second release of System76's Ubuntu derivative and the best so far, featuring lots of changes, including a brand new installer, new power management features, firmware notifications, and proper HiDPI support.
"The installer is the centerpiece of the work that we’ve been busily implementing for Pop!_OS 18.04. It represents an incredible amount of effort from everyone in the country and whose final work we are intimately proud of and something we have repeatedly shown teasers on this blog on the work in progress," said System76 on a recent blog post.
Visual changes, boot improvements, and full disk encryption
Among other noteworthy changes implemented by System76's engineers in the major Pop!_OS Linux 18.04 release, we can mention full disk encryption, as well as a more streamlined boot experience where GRUB is no longer used for managing the boot process. Instead, there's systemd-boot and System76's own kernel stub, which handles the installation and updates of kernels on a UEFI partition.
There are also several user-visible changes in Pop!_OS Linux 18.04 that make this release special compared to the previous version released six months ago. For example, there's now a light version of the Pop! Theme, the dark version received new background colors that are more neutral, the submenu items are now indented for better visualization of information hierarchy.
Last but not least, there's a new, macOS-like "Do Not Disturb" switch in the message center. Of course, there are numerous other enhancements that you'll have to discover yourself when upgrading to or installing a fresh copy of Pop!_OS Linux 18.04 on your personal computer. You can download Pop!_OS Linux 18.04 for 64-bit Intel/AMD or Nvidia systems right here.
