Ground-Up Rust Desktop: Version 1.0 of COSMIC on Pop!_OS 24.04

It's been a long journey, but version 1.0 of the first ground-up Rust-based desktop environment, COSMIC, has finally arrived, promising a fresh, fast, and modern user experience for Linux enthusiasts.

The Long Road to Release

Late last week, System76 announced the release of the long-term support (LTS) version of its in-house Ubuntu remix, Pop!_OS 24.04, which now ships with "Epoch 1" of COSMIC, a desktop environment rebuilt from scratch in Rust. After initial beta testing on virtual machines and aging hardware, the latest iteration was evaluated on more recent devices, revealing impressive performance.

Development Milestones and Expectations

The COSMIC project has been in development for over four years, first reported by The Register. The initial alpha appeared in September, followed by a beta, and now, the stable 1.0 release. System76 detailed the vision at the Ubuntu Summit last month, emphasizing COSMIC’s modern design and performance goals.

Hands-On with Hardware

Old vs. New Hardware Testing

On a nearly 15-year-old ThinkPad W520, COSMIC runs surprisingly well, boosting perceived speed despite occasional freezes—likely due to outdated Nvidia Quadro 1000 GPU drivers compatible with Linux three versions ago.

More reliably, testing on a newer Dell XPS 13 9370 showcased COSMIC's multi-monitor handling and responsiveness. The desktop managed dual screens effortlessly, a testament to its robust design.

Installation Challenges

The installation process highlighted some hurdles—most notably with dual boot setups involving Windows 11. Since Pop!_OS uses systemd-boot instead of GRUB, resizing partitions with GParted encountered issues—FAT32 volumes smaller than 1GB are problematic, leading to workarounds like recreating EFI partitions.

Post-installation, the system booted perfectly, but dual booting with Windows and Debian became complicated, requiring manual EFI adjustments.

Configuration and Performance Tweaks

By default, Pop!_OS’s memory management employs ZRAM and encrypted swap files, which may not suit all use cases. The reviewer customized this setup:

• Removed ZRAM to disable its memory compression.
• Enabled Zswap for faster, more efficient swap performance.
• Adjusted /boot/efi/loader/entries/Pop_OS-current.conf to include zswap.enabled=1.

These tweaks resulted in a notably snappy experience, especially under high load.

Hardware Compatibility & Usability

Pop!_OS 24.04 with COSMIC handled external devices gracefully—USB-C monitors, docks, keyboards, and mice—without issue. Sleep, resume, docking, and undocking worked seamlessly.

Running multiple intensive applications, including Flatpak Electron apps, chat clients, and browsers, did not hinder performance, thanks to the efficient window management and virtual desktops.

Interface and User Experience

Design and Settings

While COSMIC is version 1.0 and still has rough edges, it offers a usable and customizable interface. The panel management is flexible, allowing users to choose layouts with or without docks or taskbars. Despite some UI quirks—like sluggish setting changes and limited vertical orientation support—it's a significant step beyond traditional environments.

Productivity Features

COSMIC supports features like:

• Opening terminal windows with Windows+T.
• Using the context menu for file properties.
• Snapping windows and managing multiple desktops.

The environment feels fast and responsive, leveraging Wayland's capabilities effectively—a notable achievement among Linux desktops.

Performance and Stability

The environment's lightweight nature isn't just superficial; it’s evidenced by responsive performance when loading multiple apps and handling different screen orientations. It uses about 1.6 GB of RAM at idle, with minimal disk space consumption (~8 GB).

Visual Design and Usability

While not particularly polished aesthetically, COSMIC's interface is practical. Its menu systems and applets are functional, with some available add-ons like start menus. It is already adopted in multiple distributions, with wider integration expected by early 2026.

Future Outlook

COSMIC proves that the promise of a fast, Wayland-native desktop environment is achievable. It handles resolution changes, scaling, and orientations smoothly, offering tough competition to established environments like GNOME and tiling window managers.

Domain experts are already considering Pop!_OS with COSMIC as a compelling alternative, highlighting System76's growing reputation and the OS's robust foundation.

Conclusion

Although still evolving, COSMIC 1.0 is a promising desktop environment that offers speed, flexibility, and modern features in a lightweight package. Its Rust foundation hints at a bright future—and with further development, it could become a leading choice for Linux users seeking performance and innovation.

— System76 and Linux enthusiasts alike can look forward to more refining iterations, making COSMIC a noteworthy contender in the Linux desktop arena.