According to our sources, it has been confirmed that Linux users will be able to get their hands on the newest version of GNOME Shell (i.e., v3.32) from 13th of March 2019. The most significant feature of this version of GNOME Shell is expected to be a drastic improvement in its speed.
GNOME 3.32 Speed Boost
Ubuntu, Fedora, Manjaro and a number of other operating systems heavily use GNOME Shell, even though there are other desktop environments that are much faster. At this point, it is a well-known fact that the GNOME Shell is accompanied by really slow speed. Not only that — it also uses a lot of memory and the CPU, which results in a lagging UI.
Having said that, Georges Stavracas, who has played a vital role in the development of this new version, claims that a number of these problems will be solved in the latest version of GNOME Shell.
The users of operating systems that are based on Linux should expect the following:
Stability in Frame-rates
In the previous versions of GNOME Shell, the desktop environment was heavily dependent on ‘ShellGenericContainer’, which is responsible for sending signals for a variety of virtual functions. However, Georges Stavracas states that this approach was flawed in that it is difficult to enter and exit the Java territory and it increased the complication of the JavaScript code.
Accordingly, Jasper St. Pierre was able to enable overriding virtual functions in GJS, as per Georges Stavracas’ blog. Because of this development, the users are expected to get a better frame rate.
Decrease in Loading-time for Icons and Start-up Animations
In GNOME Shell, the traditional way to cache textures was through StTextureCache. For this process, it was necessary to depend on a ClutterTexture object, which was causing problems.
Because of this, Georges Stavracas states that he had to make the GNOME Shell independent from ClutterTexture. Hence, the users will experience better start-up animations and decreased loading-time for displaying icons.
Faster Builds
It was previously reported that Jonas Ådahl had been working on Meson port of Mutter. This feature was added to the GNOME Shell after getting adequately reviewed. However, the only thing it lacked was installed tests.
Georges Stavracas mentions in his blog that he incorporated installed tests to the Meson build and removed Autotools as well, resulting in faster builds.
Alongside all of these new features, there are reports that the new GNOME Shell will come with a number of other benefits as well.
