The elementaryOS team has unveiled the beta of version 8.1, marking a substantial evolution for the Linux distribution renowned for its intuitive design and approachability. As reported by Jack Wallen for ZDNET, this iteration focuses on three core pillars: bolstering security, refining multitasking, and enhancing app ecosystem transparency—addressing over 1,100 user-reported issues.

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Security Takes Center Stage

ElementaryOS 8.1 shifts to Secure Session (Wayland) as the default environment, enforcing explicit user consent for application access to sensitive system functions like keystroke monitoring or screenshots. Granular permission controls now allow users to precisely manage app privileges. Crucially, sudo authentication dialogs now dim all background elements, mitigating risks from malicious password-capture attempts. As Wallen notes, "This is a necessary improvement to help beef up security" against increasingly sophisticated threats.

Streamlined Multitasking and Window Management

The update revitalizes workspace efficiency. The Dock now displays color-coded dots indicating windows across different workspaces and includes a dedicated button for workspace creation/selection. Background apps are visibly listed via the Background Portal, with configurable permissions in System Settings. Hotcorners—previously disabled in full-screen mode—now function universally, enabling quicker workspace navigation. Wallen observes, "Multitasking is even easier in elementaryOS 8.1," highlighting drag-and-drop workspace reorganization and direct app launching into Multitasking View.

Transparent App Management

App Center integrates Flathub more deeply, supporting proprietary applications like Slack while adding percentage-based user ratings sourced from GNOME Software’s infrastructure. License disclosures are more detailed, encouraging community involvement, and labels have shifted from "Free" to "Install" to clarify app availability. Notations for in-app purchases provide upfront cost transparency. System updates now reside separately under System Settings > System, displaying download sizes—a move reducing clutter in App Center.

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Broader Ecosystem Refinements

The beta extends hardware compatibility with ARM64 support and fractional scaling in Secure Session. Bluetooth settings received a redesign, keyboard focus indicators vanish when inactive, and users can directly block app notifications. New default apps for system monitoring and maps further polish the out-of-box experience. As ZDNET's coverage emphasizes, these changes demonstrate elementaryOS’s responsiveness to its community while maintaining the distribution’s signature elegance.

For developers and tech leaders, this release exemplifies how user-centric design can coexist with robust security—particularly relevant as Linux adoption grows among non-technical users. The beta is available for testing via elementaryOS's official site, with final release timing yet to be announced.

Source: Jack Wallen, ZDNET