Elementary OS 8.0.2 is out now, bringing a new Linux kernel and better accessibility, amongst other changes. Let"s take a look at the most notable ones.
This version ships with Linux 6.14, which brings better performance, especially when it comes to gaming, thanks to the new ntsync subsystem, which helps emulate Windows NT synchronization for games running through Proton. It also provides reduced power consumption for certain AMD and Intel chipsets.
The kernel also adds support for the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC and introduces a new AMDXDNA accelerator driver for Ryzen AI NPUs, adds support for more gamepads, and brings in new security features.
The installer has been updated to address accessibility after some dedicated testing. The "Before Installing", "Try or Install", "Choose a Disk," and "Encryption" views all have improved labels for screen readers. The screen reader now picks up on things like password quality feedback. The development team also fixed some instances where the screen reader would announce text styling markup. A few crash-prevention checks were added for custom installations with complex partition layouts.
Moving on to the default apps, Music has a handful of new features, including much better queue management and improved performance when dealing with large playlists. You can now search by track name, which is a feature people have wanted for a while.
The app now saves your queue and the last played track when you close it. Small quality-of-life additions include using the "+" shortcut to add new files and having album art properly show up in system media controls.
The Terminal app saw bug fixes like a persistent problem where keyboard focus was not inside the first tab when you opened a new window. Another fix addresses an issue where pasting or dropping text containing a "#" character would get cut off. You should not see incorrect line breaks when pasting text while a process is running, and the app will properly clear the "process finished" icon when you select a tab.
Other small changes include properly marking the main menus in Camera and Videos so they can be opened with the F10 keyboard shortcut. The Calculator app"s "Del" button was replaced with an icon, and the action for opening a new window now shows an icon in settings.
A crash that happened with very tall screenshots has been fixed, and an issue that prevented screenshots from being saved to custom locations has been resolved.
You can learn more from the official announcement blog post.