GNOME 3.16, the latest version of GNOME 3 includes 33,525 changes by 1043 authors. You can download and install GNOME 3.16 on Ubuntu 14.10/14.04 Systems via Live USB CD Image.
Also Read: Download and Install GNOME 3.16 on Ubuntu 14.10/14.04 Systems
GNOME 3.16 brings a brand new notification system and updated calendar design, which helps you to easily keep track of what’s happened, and includes useful information like world times and event reminders. Other features include overlaid scrollbars, updated visuals, improved content views in Files, and a redesigned image viewer.
Major additions have also been made to the GNOME developer experience: GTK+ support for OpenGL now allows GTK+ apps to support 3D natively, a new GLib reference counting feature will help with debugging, and GTK+ Inspector has also had a major update.
GNOME 3.16 Notifications Reimagined
GNOME 3.16 notifications system has been overhauled. The previous Notifications/Message Tray has been replaced by a new message list. The new notifications provides access to previous notifications. The notification banners/pop-ups have also been repositioned which makes them more noticeable. The repositioning also prevents them from interfering with applications. It is possible to quickly and directly respond to notifications through their pop-up banners.
GNOME 3.16 Calendar
The GNOME 3.16 calendar drop down has also been redesigned. It can be accessed from the time indicator in the top bar Not. Besides the notifications history, it also shows event reminders and world times. As reported, the addition of weather information and birthday reminders is planned for the future.
GNOME 3.16 Files/Folders
GNOME 3.16 Files application brings some serious updates. The grid and list views have been improved and they features bigger thumbnails, easier to read rows, and with a more attractive appearance. They now have a new popover for controlling the view. It makes easy to change the zoom level and sort order from a single place. File deletion has also been improved for GNOME 3.16. It now allows files and folders to be moved to the trash using Delete alone, rather than the Ctrl+Delete keyboard combination.
GNOME 3.16 Images
GNOME’s Image Viewer application has been redesigned. The new design significantly reduces the amount of window chrome and gives more space to the images themselves. The new control provides a convenient way to access images, quickly zoom in and out. The new properties sidebar has been refined and comes with easier menu controls.
GNOME 3.16 Interface
GNOME 3’s visuals and interface have been updated. The Activities Overview, login screen, system menus and other system components have been given a new look with crisp and attractive visuals. The new visuals are designed to enable a more seamless UI experience.
GNOME 3.16 New Scrollbars
GNOME 3.16 introduces a new style of scrollbar. Instead of being shown all the time, these overlay scrollbars are only shown when they are needed. A small scroll indicator is shown when the pointer is moved, and a larger bar appears when control is activated. This new style of scrollbar creates a cleaner, less distracting view.
GNOME 3.16 Applications
The GNOME 3.16 features three new preview applications.
- Calendar provides simple and easy to use window on to your online schedule, and is integrated with Online Accounts for seamless setup.
- Characters is a new character map application. Common characters are quick and easy to browse, thanks to category-based browsing. “Type to search” provides a quick and convenient way to find characters, and a recent view presents characters that you have used in the past, for ease of retrieval.
- Books is a new e-book viewer application for GNOME. The initial version allows viewing comic book archives, with ePub support planned for the future.
GNOME 3.16 Improved Maps, Now With Foursquare
GNOME 3.16 Maps features number of improvements. The new features and improvements in Maps include Foursquare check-in, contact search, improved state handling and Route drag and drop. To use Foursquare check-in feature, add your Foursquare account to Online Accounts, and select the current location marker from Maps.
Information bubbles have been added for search results and favorite locations. The maps now show useful information about places, their address, wheelchair accessibility, and links to Wikipedia articles. The new information bubbles also allow setting locations – the start and end points for travel directions. It can also send information to the Weather and Clocks applications, and for marking favorite places.
GNOME 3.16 Smart Playlist
Smart playlists have been added to Music, so you can view frequently played and recently added tracks. It is now also possible to star your favorite tracks.
GNOME 3.16 Codecs
GNOME 3.16 now features automatic codecs installation. The feature has been integrated into Software.
Other Changes
There are many other smaller improvements in GNOME 3.16. These include:
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The GNOME Document Viewer has a nicer sidebar.
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Major performance improvements have been made to Photos and Music.
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Documents now shows different views for recent documents and collections.
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Search has been added to the standard file chooser dialog.
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The initial setup assistant now includes a section on privacy controls. Privacy has also been improved for geolocation (thanks to the use of HTTPS) and the Terminal (as scrollback is now encrypted).