Arch-Based EndeavourOS 21.4 Released With FSTRIM, Btrfs Zstd, PipeWire By Default

EndeavourOS as the two year old Linux distribution project built atop Arch Linux is out with a shiny new release. Beyond package updates, the new release has several default changes like now making use of the wonderful PipeWire. Looking to 2022, EndeavourOS is also exploring the possibility of a gaming-optimized build of their OS.

EndeavourOS 21.4 "Atlantis" was released today as the newest version of their Arch-based operating system. Among the key package versions for EndeavourOS at this time are the Linux 5.15.5 LTS kernel, Mesa 21.2.5 open-source graphics drivers, Mozilla Firefox 94 as the default web browser, and plenty of other package updates.

EndeavourOS "Atlantis"

Among the changes to find with EndeavourOS 21.4 include:

- Sanity checking for the NVIDIA driver and Linux kernel updates to help avoid compatibility issues and ensuring everything will jive accordingly for those using the proprietary NVIDIA driver stack.

- Expanding the capabilities of EndeavourOS' information utilities with additional details and more. There is also a new schedule configuration window for the EndeavourOS update notifier.

- The systemd FSTRIM timer for running TRIM/DISCARD for supported devices on a routine basis is now enabled by default.

- The Calamares installer if opting for using the Btrfs file-system will now use Zstd transparent file-system compression on both SSDs and HDDs.

- PipeWire is now enabled by default for audio/video stream management.

Looking ahead, they are looking at adding more desktop environment options like LXDE and UKUI along with restoring the Deepin desktop. A "ready to go edition" of EndeavourOS focused on gaming is also being explored.

More details on the new EndeavourOS 21.4 "Atlantis" release via EndeavourOS.com. For those looking at a easy-to-use, practical out-of-the-box alternative to Arch Linux itself, like with Manjaro the EndeavourOS project is another worth trying out.