Out with the old, in with the new

COSMIC desktop update adds new system monitor app

by · omg! ubuntu · Join

A new update to System76’s COSMIC desktop is now rolling out with a new system monitoring tool and a fresh set of fixes and fine-tuning.

COSMIC Epoch 1.1.0 also sees the developers behind the Rust-based desktop opting to “[increment] the minor version regularly in order to allow for mid-release patch versions if necessary”.

The biggest new feature is COSMIC Monitor, a native system monitoring tool built using the same Iced toolkit and widget set the rest of the desktop’s core apps are built in. It will replace the GTK-based GNOME System Monitor in Pop!_OS 24.04, but users can continue to install and use it.

COSMIC Monitor (front), GNOME System Monitor (behind)

Each release brings a slate of bug fixes and feature refinements across the desktop, underlying components and core apps. Of note in COMSIC 1.1.0, cosmic-comp sees changes to “prevent gradual slowdown and rising CPU usage in long-running sessions”.

Sort icon denotes active mode

Recursive scanning for custom wallpaper directories is plumbed in, you can name pinned workspaces via the config file, and the system implements the pointer-warp-v1 Wayland protocol.

COSMIC Files now has proper icons for sorting actions (it was using unicode, but icons change if the desktop font changes), enables page up and page down key navigation, and improves mime type app handling so the files open in compatible apps.

More mimetype icons were added to the stock COSMIC icon set to help users better differentiate between files. There are new glyphs for PDFs, ePubs, executables and a variety of popular coding, developer and programming documents, including .css and .json.

Other changes include a fix for the OSD not showing up when input and output volumes match, handling of non-file URLs on openvpn import and “better output arrangement in screencast dialog” via the XDG Portals.

A handful of the (many) new mimetype icons in Epoch 1.1.0

COSMIC Epoch 1.1.0 is available now, get it on Github.

If you’re on Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS you’ll receive all of the changes as regular software updates (indeed, you may already have them – Epochs just roll them together for packagers).

The unofficial COMSIC PPA for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS should be updated soon.