Almost two years have passed since the release of elementary OS Loki , the fourth stable version of this popular Linux distribution that arrived in September 2016, and finally it seems that we are closer to a big update: elementary OS Juno should be available in 2018 and his team has allowed us to take a look at some of the novelties that lie ahead .

The one that for some has been becoming one of the most important distros, for others it is too slow. In elementary they have always had a development model without clear dates to avoid unfulfilled promises. The “will be ready when it is ready” is its main motto, but it is a double-edged sword, especially in the software world, where if you are not constantly pushing changes and developments you can easily be forgotten.

Personally I have followed the life of this distribution more closely than any other since its inception. I have tried all the versions, but it’s been over a year since I got excited about elementary OS, between Freya and Loki, although there was a lot of work, users did not feel many changes or new features, and now the distro feels old and somewhat stagnant .

elementary OS Juno smells fresh , smells of novelty, and although they have already explained that it will not come at any time before the release of Ubuntu 18.04 in April 2018, surely it will be this year, a few months after the arrival of the latest LTS version of your mother distro.

elementary OS 5.0 “Juno”

In elementary they have also decided to change the number of versions , jumping from 0.4 to 5 directly. They felt it was time to put a rounder number that better reflected the jump between versions instead of continuing with a 0.5 that gives the impression of not even being the first big version.

elementary OS operates according to tasks performed instead of temporary releases. The first beta of Juno is almost ready, and when we have it between us, there will be only one small step for the stable launch. In the blog of the distro, Daniel Foré, founder of the project, has shown us some of the news and the truth is that it looks pretty good .

Of course, much of what has been discussed has to do with the design of the distro and the changes in the interface, after all we are talking about the strongest point of this system. elementary OS is one of the most beautiful and well-maintained Linux distributions available. Keep your torches KDE fans.

With Juno, a search icon has been added to the application panel and a message that shows the keyboard shortcut needed to launch the menu. They have also shown several examples of how the wallpaper determines whether the new mode of translucent light is activated or not .

This means that depending on the background you have the top panel will change color to a lighter or darker, or completely transparent.

The system will automatically detect if the upper area of ​​the wallpaper is lighter or darker and will adapt. They have also improved system indicators by adding animations to some, such as the notification bell that now moves.

Typical applications of elementary OS such as Music and Photos have received several improvements and their code has been cleaned, in addition to finally resolved the problem with the album covers.

New color combinations for the terminal have also been added, as well as support for high-definition minuatures in the Photos app. An important feature that will make its debut in Juno is the night light , which you can program according to the time to adjust the color temperature of the screen.

In elementary they are also giving special love to their application center , one of their main objectives is to enrich their own ecosystem of apps, and they are always highlighting the work of developers who create apps specifically for elementary OS.

Date of arrival: “Not before April 2018”

Few distros are so interested in having quality apps that also look good and are consistent with the design of the operating system . It has always been one of the elementary pillars, but it is a very difficult mountain to climb.

At the moment elementary OS Juno continues in constant development and the only date we have so far is simply “not before April 2018”, but if you are showing images, it is close and looks great .