The release of the Ubuntu Sway Remix 24.10 distribution is now available, offering a preconfigured and ready-to-use desktop based on the mosaic compositor Sway. This distribution is an unofficial edition of Ubuntu 24.10, designed for both experienced GNU/Linux users and newcomers looking to try a mosaic window manager environment without the need for lengthy setup. Builds are available for amd64 and arm64 architectures (Raspberry Pi).
The distribution environment is based on Sway—a compositor that uses the Wayland protocol and is fully compatible with the i3 mosaic window manager—as well as the Waybar panel, the PCManFM-GTK3 file manager, and tools from the NWG-Shell project, such as the Azote desktop wallpaper manager, the fullscreen application menu nwg-drawer, a script display utility nwg-wrapper (used to show hotkey hints on the desktop), the GTK theme, cursor, and font configurator nwg-look, and the Autotiling script that automatically arranges open application windows like dynamic mosaic window managers.
The distribution includes both graphical applications such as Firefox, Qutebrowser, Audacious, Transmission, Libreoffice, Pluma, and MATE Calc, as well as console applications and utilities like the Musikcube music player, MPV video player, Swayimg image viewer, Zathura PDF viewer, Neovim text editor, Ranger file manager, and others.
Another feature of the distribution is the complete abandonment of the Snap package manager; all programs are provided as standard deb packages, including the Firefox web browser, for which the official PPA repository from the Mozilla Team is used. The installer of the distribution is based on the Calamares framework.
Key Changes:
- The package base has been updated to the Ubuntu 24.10 release;
- Sway now runs as a child process of ssh-agent, which has resolved several issues with ssh-agent (such as generating new SSH keys) when working in different command shells (zsh, fish, etc.);
- Automatic restart of the Waybar panel is ensured when its configuration file is modified;
- The graphical clipboard manager based on the Rofi package has been replaced with nwg-clipman—a GTK-based graphical extension for the Clipman clipboard manager;
- The Rofi application menu has been replaced with a lighter and simpler Fuzzel;
- A keyboard shortcut Mod+Ctrl_R has been added to enable/disable window interception of various key combinations (for example, launching of virtual machines);
- Minor layout and script issues have been fixed, the weather display applet no longer crashes without an internet connection, and application window rules have been improved.
Source: opennet.ru
