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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- COSMIC desktop has unleashed Frosted Glass.
- This effect is what Apple's Liquid Glass should person been.
- Anyone moving Pop!_OS tin bask this caller look.
When you deliberation astir which desktop has the astir beauteous UI, MacOS is astir apt the archetypal 1 that comes to mind.
If you were a Linux user, you'd cognize better, acknowledgment to KDE Plasma -- which is gradually catching up to what Apple has to offer.
But then, you mightiness besides cognize astir what's been cooking successful the metaphorical labs astatine System76. Back successful 2024, the institution announced it was moving connected thing called Frosted Glass. When I archetypal heard astir it, I'll admit I was moderately excited. After all, what System76 has done with COSMIC successful specified a abbreviated magnitude of clip is mind-blowing. This comparatively caller Linux desktop situation (built from the crushed up with Rust) has travel a agelong mode precise quickly.
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What I didn't recognize was conscionable however astonishing Frosted Glass would crook retired to be. In fact, I'll conscionable authorities this present and now: COSMIC's Frosted Glass is what I thought MacOS's Liquid Glass was expected to be.
Frosted Glass is gorgeous.
Over the years, I've talked astir however immoderate fig of Linux desktop environments could instrumentality the rubric of the astir beauteous connected the market. Well, that each changed the 2nd I upgraded COSMIC and enabled Frosted Glass. Now, each desktop situation has taken a backmost spot to COSMIC.
Yes, the tables person turned. System76 has upped the ante truthful acold that I cannot ideate different desktop situation catching up to COSMIC.
What is Frosted Glass?
The caller Frosted Glass diagnostic successful COSMIC desktop adds an elegantly soft, blurred transparency to windows and assorted UI components. If you've ever seen the blurred inheritance effect utilized successful login screens, the Android App Drawer, oregon definite menus successful MacOS, you'll cognize what I'm talking about.
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Take, for instance, the COSMIC terminal app. With Frosted Glass enabled, the full terminal is treated to a softly blurred background. The aforesaid attraction is applied to assorted different apps, specified arsenic the COSMIC System Monitor, COSMIC File Manager, COSMIC Text Editor, and the COSMIC App Launcher.
A terminal has ne'er looked truthful good.
This layered quality is stunning, and I judge it is what Apple was aiming for with Liquid Glass.
How to get Frosted Glass?
Getting Frosted Glass is simply a elemental substance of upgrading COSMIC desktop to the latest release. If you're moving Pop!_OS 24.04, you tin bash this done the accustomed method of opening the COSMIC Store (which besides gets the Frosted Glass treatment), clicking Updates, and past applying the upgrades.
How tin you not emotion this look?
Once you've tally the upgrade, reboot your instrumentality and log backmost in.
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To alteration Frosted Glass, unfastened Settings (which also gets the treatment) and navigate to Desktop > Style > Frosted Glass. In the sidebar, alteration the diagnostic for the elements of your choice, and past alteration the frost thickness and solid opacity to your liking.
Even the Settings app has been frosted.
It took maine each of 2 minutes to person my desktop looking arsenic elegant arsenic I've ever seen an OS desktop look. I enabled Frosted Glass for each element, due to the fact that I'm brainsick for a bully blur effect.
The extremity effect is gorgeous.
Sorry astir your luck, Apple
Apple had a cleanable accidental to instrumentality the desktop to caller heights with Liquid Glass. I'm not saying its UI is ugly… it's not. I really similar Liquid Glass and person applied it to some my MacBook Pro and Apple Studio. However, present that I've seen what System76 has done with COSMIC, Liquid Glass looks drab and boring by comparison.
Now that Frosted Glass has been unleashed, it looks similar Apple's got a overmuch higher barroom to scope than it did conscionable a fewer days ago. Even if the institution goes backmost to the drafting committee with Liquid Glass, I cannot ideate it volition beryllium amended than what System76 has done.
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To each of the designers and engineers astatine System76, I applaud the enactment you've done. Once again, you've proved that Linux is the ruler of the desktop, and that's not going to alteration immoderate clip soon.
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