14 DAY TRIAL // GNOME 3.18 is expected to arrive in September, but until then developers plan to work to improve it as much as possible. Two components that will get some special attention are File (former Nautilus file manager) and Calendar.
All the previous releases since GNOME 3.10 have been a real success, and there is no indication that the 3.18 won't be the best until now. GNOME has constantly been improving, and each new version arrives with a ton of new features. This is a big project, with a lot of moving parts, and just the fact that they manage to synchronize the release of all of the packages is an accomplishment in itself.
Without a doubt, Files and Calendar are among the most important packages in the GNOME stack. Any changes made to these two components will be immediately spotted by users, so the developers need to be very careful what modifications they make. Now that we can see what improvements are going to land GNOME, well ahead of time, this is a good way of preparing the users for what's coming.
Files and Calendar are just a drop in the ocean
Even if there are two well-known applications, Files and Calendar still make just a small part of the entire stack, and not all of the components will get the same kind of attention.
Georges Stavracas is one of the GNOME developers, and he will implement some new features for Calendar. For example, a new, experimental calendar manager will be added, keyboard navigation will be implemented, a week view will be made available, and a new event editor will be added as well.
Also, Files will get a new Network & Drives page, an improved sidebar will be added, the bookmark management will be refined, and a new dialog for renaming and creating folders and files will become available.
GNOME 3.18 should land on September 23.