A stable version of Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS is finally available for download, and System76 says this release is more than a version bump. It is the start of something new. In a letter shared by founder Carl Richell, he describes this moment the point where Pop!_OS and its new COSMIC desktop break from old limits and push into a fresh chapter for Linux users. After three years of design and engineering, the company now sees COSMIC as the foundation for the next twenty years of its Linux journey.
Richell explains that COSMIC exists because System76 decided it had reached the limits of what it could do within existing desktop environments. With the company turning twenty this year and Pop!_OS now seven years old, the team felt a clean slate was the only way forward. That fresh start produced a desktop that is modular, composable, developer friendly, and open in a way meant to let others build their own user experiences.
He also highlights something Linux fans on NERDS.xyz will appreciate. COSMIC is entirely funded by Linux hardware sales. Every laptop, desktop, or Thelio purchase directly supported the engineering behind this new desktop environment. There are no outside investors pushing an agenda. Instead, System76 customers helped make the Linux desktop they want to use.
Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS ships with the first full COSMIC experience. Window tiling is easier thanks to mouse friendly controls, clear visual hints, and simple keyboard shortcuts. Workspaces can run horizontally or vertically, span multiple displays, stay pinned, and be rearranged with a drag. Multi-display behavior is smoother because scaling is automatic and settings return when a display is plugged back in. COSMIC also offers deep customization so users can place panels, docks, and applets anywhere and theme the environment without hunting through obscure tools.
Pop!_OS now has an ARM build too. It officially supports the System76 Thelio Astra and offers community support for non System76 hardware through Tow-Boot. A new refresh install feature lets users reinstall the operating system without touching files, settings, or Flatpak apps. It can be triggered by holding Space at boot or from the installation media.
Hybrid graphics get smarter in this release. There is no manual mode switching. Apps that ask for the discrete GPU will automatically use it, and users can choose a GPU by right clicking an app icon. Linux laptop owners have wanted this kind of simplicity for years.
COSMIC’s applications such as Files, Store, Terminal, Media Player, Text Editor, and Screenshot should all feel faster and more responsive. COSMIC is written in Rust for memory safety and performance, which helps these apps feel more modern than what users may be used to from older Linux desktops.
Richell closes his letter by thanking the community for its patience during the long development cycle. He says Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS does not feel like moving forward three years. It feels like moving ahead a decade. He encourages users to take this new foundation, create with it, and push their own limits in the coming years.
