Deepin has officially released version 23 of their distribution, which includes the Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE) and around 40 user applications. Some of the highlighted applications in this release are the DMUSIC Musical player, DTLK reporting system, installer, and the Deepin Software Center for program installations. The project, originally started by developers in China, has now evolved into an international project with support for the Russian language. The distribution repository boasts over 8,000 packages, all distributed under the GPLV3 license. The bootable ISO-image size ranges from 3.3 to 5 GB and supports AMD64, ARM64, and LOONGARCH64, with preparations underway for assembly for RISC-V.
The desktop components and applications are developed using C/C++ and ugo languages, with the graphic interface built on the QT library. One of the key features of the Deepin desktop is its panel, which supports different operating modes. In the classic mode, there is a clear separation of open windows and applications, along with a system tray display. The efficient mode is reminiscent of Unity, showcasing indicators of advanced programs, selected applications, and control applets for volume/brightness tuning, connected drives, network conditions, and more. The program launch interface offers two modes for viewing selected applications and navigating the catalog of installed programs.
The main innovations in this release include updated contents of the package repository, with added support for architectures ARM64, RISC-V, and LOONGARCH64. The transition to a new system of installation and system updates involves the atomic replacement of systemic images, ensuring the preservation of past states using snapshots. Unlike the traditional A/B circuit scheme, the snapshot-based implementation saves disk space, enables rollback to a previous state in case of problems post-update, and allows users to switch between different versions of the system.