Upon first finding out about elementary shipping a new release under the versioning scheme of 0.4.1, your might reach the conclusion it’s no more than a small, insignificant update, a security patch possibly.
Yet despite it’s version numbering, elementary team maintain that 0.4.1 is no ordinary update but a “major” one. Given the number and quality of features presented in this release it might be hard for you not to agree with them.
What’s New in elementary OS 0.4.1
Being based on the long term supported version of Ubuntu 16.04, elementary OS 0.4.1 code-named Loki now includes many of the goods that comes with Ubuntu. Thanks to the changes made on the latest release (16.04.2), Loki now ships with a newer kernel – 4.8 and also supports more types of hardware.
Aside from the core stuff (all the things that are under the hood and are normally not visible to the average user), Loki also includes a bunch of updates to the user applications, most notably:
“a significant upgrade to Epiphany, several fixes in Files, a redesigned metadata sidebar for Photos, new Bluetooth settings, a microphone indicator and bluetooth device controls in the sound indicator, a brightness slider in the power indicator, the ability to start an AppCenter search from the applications menu” and better support for CJK languages input methods.
But perhaps beyond all these new features, what elementary really seems to consider as the icing on the cake, is a brand new version of AppCenter (elementary’s App Store equivalent) which supports 3rd-paty apps submitted to their AppCenter Dashboard developers platform.
elementary OS 0.4.1 AppCenter now supports 3rd-party apps
As of current, the AppCenter features:
“a number of beta testers’ apps [that] are available for purchase and download […] you’ll also notice big, beautiful app banners, a new pay-what-you-want download button for apps that have opted in”.
According to elementary, the new AppCenter capability may serve a crucial role in paving the road for the future of the OS.
Get elementary OS 0.4.1
To install the latest version of elementary, existing users may simply use the AppCenter’s “Update All” option (a reboot would be required to complete the process).
Other users who wish to install elementary from fresh, possibly even for the first time, may do so by downloading a copy straight from project’s homepage.
And remember, inserting a zero in the “Pay What You Want:” – “Custom” field is still viable, though keep in mind that developers got to make a living.
