Buddies of Budgie Releases Budgie 10.10.4 Desktop Update
- Budgie 10.10.4 arrives as the fourth maintenance update for the Wayland-based desktop.
- New auto-hiding panel features allow maximized windows to occupy the full display.
- Panel CPU usage is reduced by 36% through optimized application information loading.
- Users can now toggle panels and Raven sidebar views with new keyboard shortcuts.
- The update resolves a regression where applets disappeared in non-English languages.
This release follows exactly one month after the previous iteration, Budgie 10.10.3.
The update provides maintenance for the Wayland-based desktop platform.
Enhanced Wayland panel auto-hiding features
Budgie 10.10.4 introduces enhanced panel auto-hiding features that allow windows to occupy the full display.
The auto-hiding functionality includes an Automatic mode for any maximised window and an Intelligent mode for focused maximised windows. These panels feature a 3-pixel activation area at the screen edge.
The Buddies of Budgie team also reworks the dock mode as part of this update.
New keyboard shortcuts for navigation and sidebar control
Linuxiac.com and 9to5linux.com both reported that the Super+T shortcut now allows users to toggle all panels and display them while using full-screen applications. Users can also reveal hidden panels over full-screen content by moving the pointer to the screen edge.
The Raven sidebar now supports the Super+A shortcut for widgets and Super+N for notifications, according to Linuxiac.com and 9to5linux.com. Multi-monitor window movement is restored using the Super+Shift+arrow keys, Linuxiac.com reported.
Performance gains and system optimization
Panel startup is faster because the list of installed applications is loaded once and shared across the panel, 9to5linux.com reported. This change contributes to reductions in resource consumption.
Linuxiac.com reported that optimized application loading reduced panel CPU usage by 36% during the first 90 seconds. The same update decreased scanning time from 200 milliseconds to 22 milliseconds and lowered temporary memory allocations by 59%.
Screen locking and power management updates
Users can now configure screen-dimming delays ranging from 30 seconds to 30 minutes, or disable the feature entirely, according to Linuxiac.com and 9to5linux.com.
The update also allows users to choose between the gtklock or swaylock screen lockers, 9to5linux.com reported. Linuxiac.com confirmed that this selection is available to users.
Bug fixes for applets and virtual machine compatibility
Linuxiac.com reported that the update addresses a regression from version 10.10.3 where applets failed to appear in non-English languages. This fix also resolves issues where panels remained hidden if an applet failed to load.
The update corrects problems with panel startup, positioning, and dropdown menus. Panels no longer move off the primary monitor or suffer startup crashes when no panel position is stored. The Budgie Menu no longer covers panels that do not reserve screen space.
Users can now use the Bluetooth applet settings button to open Bluejay, Blueman, or the Budgie Control Center. Crystal Dock has been improved to support JPEG XL wallpapers on a wider range of distributions. The mouse pointer is now visible in VMware virtual machines, while older Qt applications and AppImages lacking Wayland support can launch via XWayland.
Availability in Linux software repositories
The Labwc bridge update now allows users to move windows between monitors using the Super+Shift+arrow key combination.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Budgie 10.10.4 Desktop Environment Improves Wayland Panel Auto-Hiding (linuxiac.com)
- Budgie 10.10.4 Desktop Environment Released with More Improvements (9to5linux.com)
- MATE (desktop environment) (Wikipedia — background) (en.wikipedia.org)
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