They're focusing on establishing the aesthetics of the OS

Aug 9, 2017 21:12 GMT  ·  By

Just like Canonical, System76, the computer reseller specialized in the sale of laptops, desktops, and servers powered by Linux-based operating systems, is doing a great job at providing transparency to their development of Pop!_OS.

In the latest weekly update, System76 reveals the fact that they're currently focusing on establishing the aesthetics of their upcoming Ubuntu-based Pop!_OS Linux distribution, so they've promoted elementary OS co-founder Cassidy James Blaede to System76 UX Architect position.

In he's new role, the elementary OS developer will try to lead the company's effort on determining which features will land into Pop!_OS before its final release this fall, immediately after the release of Ubuntu 17.10 (Artful Aardvark) on October 19, 2017. The team also plans on adding productivity tools for professionals to Pop!_OS Linux.

"Our work up until October 19th centers on establishing the aesthetics of the OS, developing the build and QC process, upgrade path, default apps, and installer along with some GNOME Online Accounts improvements. This cycle is all about creating a solid platform to build on," said System76 on the blog post.

Pop!_Theme 2 now available for public testing

As expected, System76 will have their way with the looks and feels of Pop!_OS, which will also be using the GNOME Shell user interface as default desktop environment, and they've recently created a special theme called Pop!_Theme 2, which is now available for public testing.

The Pop!_Theme 2 appears to be based on the Flat-Plat theme, which will reduce RAM usage, but also allow the users to have greater control over various aspects of the theme. System76 tweaked the theme to feature nice colors for a more professional look and much greater usability.

They also plan on offering both light and dark variants of theme, with dialog boxes and pop-ups that'll use light-colored backgrounds for an extra layer of consistency. Additionally, the theme will feature brighter colors for active sidebar elements to bump the contrast.

System76's Pop!_Theme 2 can be easily installed on Pop!_OS Linux or any other Ubuntu-based operating system that supports PPAs. However, if you want to help and report bugs, it is recommended that you install in on Pop!_OS, so use the commands listed below on a terminal emulator for that.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:system76/pop
sudo apt update && sudo apt install pop-theme