[altlinux-announce-en] Distribution Release: ALT Workstation 11.0

[Мария Фоканова]

Hello!

11 update of ALT Workstation operating system is available. New 
distribution release is based on Platform 11 (p11 Salvia stable branch).

The build is available for x86_64 and AArch64, based on the 6.12 (LTS) 
kernel.

More about the distribution images and updates:
https://packages.altlinux.org/en/p11/images/alt-workstation

Download the release image:
https://download.basealt.ru/pub/distributions/ALTLinux/p11/images/workstation/
http://ftp.altlinux.org/pub/distributions/ALTLinux/p11/images/workstation/
http://mirror.yandex.ru/altlinux/p11/images/workstation/


System Environment

* GCC 14 compiler suite.
* systemd 255.18.
* glibc 2.38.
* glib2 2.82.

The new distribution retains the ability to boot ALT Workstation in 
LiveCD mode. The LiveCD uses Nouveau drivers, while the installed system 
defaults to NVIDIA drivers.


Key features of release on Platform 11:

* Redesigned system theme.
* Switched from MATE to GNOME desktop environment.
* Numerous new GNOME-compliant applications.
* Updated documentation.


Installer

Revamped installation workflow and UI. Software selection now occurs 
prior to disk partitioning. Updated GRUB menu and installer interface 
with a glassmorphism aesthetic. More informative installation process. 
Migration to Qt 6.


Desktop Environment

The most significant change in Workstation is transition to GNOME DE.
GNOME components: GTK4 4.16, Libadwaita 1.6, gnome-shell 47.4.

During installation, the "Other" category provides optional system 
configuration tools:
* gdm-settings – for GNOME's Login/Display Manager, GDM;
* gnome-tweaks – for customizing GNOME desktop.

Upon first login, ALT Tour launches — an introduction to the new GNOME 
environment. It offers:
* Interface mode selection:
** "GNOME Mode" (with extensions for system tray and clipboard management);
** "Panel Mode" (emulating the Tenth Platform Workstation layout).
* Theme customization: light/dark variants, accent colors.
* Optional window control buttons.

Alt-panelmoded service enables switching between "GNOME" and "Panel" 
modes without session logout, preserving user-enabled extensions.

Default dock applications: Files (Nautilus), Text Editor, GNOME Software 
Center, Chromium.

New branded wallpapers feature abstract designs and landscapes of Russia.

Group Policy Support implemented via Samba 4.20 
(https://lists.samba.org/archive/samba-announce/2024/000663.html) and 
gpupdate 0.12 (Thunderbird mail client management, automount rules added).


Package Updates

- GNOME Console (kgx) as default terminal.
- NetworkManager 1.50 for network configuration.
- NFS 2.7 for file sharing.
- Chromium (with GOST patches); Firefox ESR for AArch64.
- Thunderbird 128.8.
- Foldy 3.8 (full-screen application folder manager).
- LibreOffice 24.8.
- gImageReader 3.4 (OCR utility).
- Recoll 1.39 (local file indexing/search).
- Updated creative suites: GIMP 3.0, Inkscape 1.4, Blender 4.3.
- Shotcut 24.04 (nonlinear video editor).
- FFmpeg 7.1 (multimedia processing).
- Audacity 3.7 (audio editor).
- PipeWire as default sound server (improved performance, new devices 
support).
- Wine 9.0 (Windows compatibility layer).
- Impression 3.3 (a tool to write images to portable drives, now 
supports ALT OS family).
- New proprietary tools:
** "Surguch" (PDF digital signatures);
** "Kopidel" (automated system anonymization tool, developed by BaseALT 
LTD).


More

Release of Platform 11:
https://lists.altlinux.org/pipermail/altlinux-announce-en/2024/000039.html

Please find our distributions at:
https://getalt.org/en/