Following System76's launch of Pop!_OS 24.04 LTS with the stable Rust-based COSMIC desktop, we explore the installation process, onboarding, customization, hybrid graphics, app ecosystem, gaming performance, and remaining rough edges in this Ubuntu 24.04 LTS-based release powered by Linux kernel 6.17.
The installation is user-friendly, offering clean installs with simple partitioning or advanced custom options. A password strength checker and animated spaceship background enhance setup, culminating in a reboot.
First boot launches an onboarding wizard for accessibility, network, language, keyboard, and timezone. Themes like Nebula Dark and layouts (e.g., top panel with bottom dock) are selectable. COSMIC Epoch 1 excels in window tiling across workspaces/displays, with Super key shortcuts and a top-left switcher.
Desktop settings allow extensive customization: colors, panel positions, dock behavior. The top panel features notifications, battery/power profiles, GPU status, and audio applets. COSMIC apps include Files, Store (integrating System76/Flathub, Deb/Flatpak), Terminal, Text Editor, Media Player, and Screenshot.
Hybrid graphics auto-assigns discrete GPUs to demanding apps, with manual controls. Gaming tests with ARC Raiders on Steam (Proton Experimental) showed solid performance post-tweaks, despite initial lags/monitor issues; anti-cheat functioned on Linux.
Rough edges include audio issues with external earphones, generic dock icons until restart, and OBS screen recording failures (use Kooha instead).
Four ISO variants: Standard (Intel/AMD/older NVIDIA), NVIDIA (16+ series), ARM, ARM+NVIDIA. Minimum: 4GB RAM, 16GB storage, 64-bit CPU. Upgrades from 22.04 LTS start January 2026. System76 CEO Carl Richell called it a major milestone.
