GNOME 2.10 Release Notes

The file manager, also known as Nautilus, is even faster and more stable in GNOME 2.10, thanks to changes to its internal architecture. This should allow software developers to maintain and extend the file manager more easily in future.

Drag and drop with other applications, such as Mozilla and Firefox, now also works more smoothly.

In addition, there are many small changes that demonstrate GNOME's attention to detail. For instance,

Figure 1 clean-cut and powerful, the Nautilus file manager

GNOME 2.10 provides a new selection of pre-installed background images and patterns, so your desktop can become your own.

Figure 2 a selection of simple yet artistic backgrounds

GNOME 2.10 has a new ability that you might not notice at first, implementing another cross-desktop Freedesktop.org standard.

In the past, while typing something into one application when suddenly your instant messenger offered a chat request from your friend, your words would be typed into the chat window. Imagine if you were typing your password at the time. This should no longer happen in GNOME 2.10.

In addition, if an application takes a long time to start, your work will not be interrupted when it finally opens its window.

GNOME 2.10 now includes the popular Totem video player, using GNOME's GStreamer multimedia framework. Totem provides the intuitive user interface that GNOME users expect, with automatic hardware detection instead of complex configuration.

Figure 3 The video player

The much-loved Sound Juicer "CD ripper" easily extracts audio from CDs for later playback on your PC or portable music player. Thanks to automatic downloading of song titles, you won't need to click more than a couple of buttons.

Figure 4 The audio extractor

GNOME's "Epiphany" web browser is based on Mozilla yet integrates fully with the GNOME desktop environment. Improvements in 2.10 include

Figure 5 The web browser

GNOME's integrated Email and Groupware client, Evolution supports traditional mail setups, as well as Novell Groupwise and Microsoft Exchange. With Evolution you can read, write, and manage your emails, contacts, and calendar events.

In GNOME 2.10 it's now easier to work offline with your email, calendar, and contacts if you use IMAP, LDAP, WebCal, Groupwise, or Exchange. Your changes will resynchronize when you go back online.

This new version offers some other calendar improvements:

Figure 6 daily weather forecasts

And yet more new features:

Figure 7 The email client

GnomeMeeting allows users to see and speak to each other via internet telephony (VoIP) and video conferencing. In GNOME 2.10 the address book is now shared with our Evolution email client, so you don't need to enter contact information in more than one place.

Now you can even browse for other GnomeMeeting users on your local network without discovering their contact details first. And you can view your own video output side by side with the video from your conversation partner, so you see what they see.

Figure 8 The internet telephony and video conferencing client

Selecting a keyboard layout is now simpler with the Keyboard control panel. Just click Add to choose from a list of international keyboard layouts. Before making your choice you can see the effect of key presses in the layout preview. The Layout Options section has also been reorganized as a simpler list of choices.

Figure 9 Keyboard Preferences - Layouts

GNOME 2.10 introduces a new applet for controlling your Modem, integrated with GNOME System Tools.

Figure 10 The new modem control applet

GNOME 2.10 features an optional trashcan for your Panel. Just like the trashcan on your desktop, you can now drag and drop files and other items into the trash without minimizing your open windows.

Figure 11 a Trashcan on your Panel

GNOME 2.8 allowed you to easily mount your digital media, such as CDs, DVDs, and USB memory sticks. Now the volume mounter applet helps you to use these volumes without the difficulty of finding their icons on the desktop, behind your open windows. The applet shows the currently mounted (or unmountable) volumes, allowing you to mount them, eject them, or open them in the file manager.

Figure 12 Drive Mount

The weather monitor can now show even more locations than before, and the location names have been translated into non-English languages where appropriate. In addition, the forecast now includes sunrise and sunset calculations for most locations.

Figure 13 Weather Report

A new mixer for your panel (combined with a new-look mixer on the desktop) gets the most from your sound hardware. Using the GStreamer multimedia framework, the mixer is now simpler and more convenient than before. The same multimedia framework powers Totem, Sound Juicer, the GNOME CD player and a variety of third-party applications, so changing the GNOME volume via the panel will change the volume of all these applications.

Figure 14 all new mixer for your panel

The popular Sticky Notes applet now makes it even easier to add PostIt-style notes on your desktop, thanks to a simpler user interface and many bug fixes. For instance, sticky notes will now stay on the correct workspace, or even a different monitor.

And sticky notes now stay on top other windows, so you can't lose them. To hide the notes, simply use the applet's right-click menu.

GNOME now includes an applet to monitor your laptop's processor speed. The CPU Frequency Monitor watches variable-speed processors (such as those with Intel Speedstep or AMD PowerNow) to show their current status. You may even choose a different speed if you don't have automatic frequency scaling enabled.

Figure 16 Monitor CPU Frequency Scaling

Three applets were removed in GNOME 2.10, replaced by better alternatives in most cases.

The CD Player panel applet has been removed, so you will not see a CD player on your panel when you don't even have a CD in your drive. Instead, inserting a CD will now start the GNOME CD Player, which can then be controlled from a notification icon that it places in your Panel.

The dedicated Wireless applet has been removed because the Network Monitor applet, introduced in GNOME 2.8, also includes wireless support.

The Mailbox Monitor has been removed because it was unmaintained and insecure. We hope to have a solution integrated with our Evolution mail client in the future. If you don't use Evolution for your mail, you can use a third party application such as mailnotify.

The GNOME text editor can now highlight the current line and when editing program source code, it highlights matching braces. Spell checking is improved too. It now only highlights misspelled words when you have actually finished typing the word, and many extra languages are supported and automatically identified.

Many people will be glad to see that it no longer suggests saving changes when all changes have actually been undone. And in addition it even starts faster than previous versions.

Figure 17 Text Editor

The GNOME archive manager can now open more types of archive, including AR, Debian, and 7-zip archives, and password-protected RAR archives. And if you use the single-click preference in the file manager, then the archive manager will now use single clicks too.

Figure 18 Archive Manager

The GNOME Dictionary now suggests words when you aren't sure how to spell something. The definitions also contain links to external dictionary web sites, and the definitions can be printed.

Figure 19 Dictionary

The GNOME Floppy Formatter utility now supports removable drives, such as USB drives, using the standard HAL system from freedesktop.org.

Figure 20 Floppy Formatter

The system tools allow you to configure your system clock and your network connection, as well as manage the users and groups on your system. At present, these system tools are most appropriate for single computers rather than large networks of computers.

GNOME 2.10 delivers some improvements, including

Figure 21 The Clock, Network, and Users/Groups tools

The GNOME log viewer has added a handy find feature, and an improved monitor mode. In addition, it can now

Figure 22 The Log Viewer

The Same GNOME game has a major new version, with better graphics, extra board sizes, and an undo feature in case you change your mind.

Figure 23 Same GNOME

Our "Just Works" philosophy is even visible in the Nibbles game. Now you can browse your local network for other people to play against, via the same zero-configuration technique used by GnomeMeeting.

Figure 24 join a network game