We are pleased to announce new Synex semi-rolling images, available in KDE Plasma, GNOME, and XFCE editions. This update continues the work started in the Debian testing-based branch, aimed at offering newer versions of the kernel, desktop environments, and main system components while keeping a simple and coherent experience with the rest of the Synex ecosystem.
The main focus of this release is Synex Package Manager, which continues to consolidate itself as the central tool for software management in Synex Desktop.
Synex Package Manager 0.5.6
Synex Package Manager arrives in this update with a series of improvements focused on daily use, especially around Flatpak integration, the update indicator, and known repository management.
The tool keeps its central goal: unifying APT updates, Debian packages, APT repositories, Flatpak, and update notifications from the system tray into a single application.
This version does not change the general concept of the application, but strengthens it: Synex Package Manager is now faster, more comfortable to use, and more consistent across the different desktop editions.
Flatpak improvements
The Flatpak section received several important improvements.
It is now possible to browse applications by category without entering a search term. Categories are presented in a grouped and user-friendly way, including Internet, Communication, Office, Multimedia, Graphics, Games, Development, Education, Science and engineering, System, Utilities, and Other.
An explicit Flatpak application listing was also added, along with sorting by visible name in A-Z and Z-A modes, and clearer navigation for searching applications, runtimes, and extensions.
In addition to the visual and functional changes, Flatpak search performance was optimized. AppStream category metadata is loaded only when needed and kept in memory as long as the metadata files do not change. Update candidates are also no longer checked during normal searches, and are only queried when the upgradable filter requires it.
In real-world tests, these optimizations reduced Flatpak search times by 30% to 50%, depending on the type of search and scenario. The improvement is especially noticeable when browsing full categories or working with broad result sets.
More integrated update indicator
Synex Update Indicator also received important adjustments.
The first refresh handling was fixed for cases where the system refresh marker is created after the indicator starts, which is especially important in live sessions or fresh installations. This ensures that the first refresh executed by the systemd timer is correctly reflected in the tray.
The indicator icon handling was also improved. Synex Package Manager 0.5.6 adds scalable SVG icons to improve GNOME AppIndicator compatibility and places status icons in the proper hicolor theme contexts, improving resolution and integration across different desktop environments.
Known repositories and branch detection
Known repository management also moved forward.
Synex Package Manager now detects the system branch using information from /etc/synex-release and uses that data to show compatible repositories when appropriate. This makes it easier to differentiate between Synex stable and Synex semi-rolling, avoiding suggestions for repositories that do not match the installed branch.
The known repository catalog was also expanded with new workstation-oriented options, including repositories such as Docker, Tailscale, VSCodium, GitHub CLI, LibreWolf, Syncthing, Zabbix, Opera, and Insync, among others.
The application keeps its conservative approach: it uses Deb822 format when appropriate, handles dedicated keyrings, validates signed-by, avoids duplicates, and can repair existing entries instead of creating redundant configurations.
Updated components
The new images share an updated base on Debian testing / Forky.
Main components include Linux kernel 7.0.7, systemd 260.1, OpenSSL 3.6.2, Mesa 26.0.6, PipeWire 1.6.4, WirePlumber 0.5.14, Firefox ESR 140.10.2, and Flatpak 1.16.6.
The installer remains based on Calamares 3.4.2 with calamares-settings-synex 1.0.24.
The KDE Plasma edition includes Plasma Desktop 6.6.4, Plasma Workspace 6.6.4, KWin 6.6.5, and KDE Applications 26.04.0 such as Dolphin, Konsole, Ark, Kate, and Gwenview.
The GNOME edition includes GNOME Shell 49.5, GDM3 49.2, GNOME Session 49.2, Nautilus 50.1, and GNOME Control Center 50.1. GNOME Flashback 3.58 is also included as an alternative for users who need an X11 session.
The XFCE edition remains on the XFCE 4.20 series, with xfce4-panel 4.20.7, xfce4-session 4.20.4, xfwm4 4.20, and Thunar 4.20.8.
Considerations
The semi-rolling branch is intended for users who want newer versions of the desktop environment, kernel, and system components. Since it is based on Debian testing, it may receive more frequent changes than the stable edition and may occasionally require adjustments between updates.
For environments where long-term stability is the priority, the Synex stable branch remains the recommended option.
Availability
The new Synex testing images for KDE Plasma, GNOME, and XFCE are available for download from SourceForge.
As always, we recommend verifying the checksums of downloaded images before creating the installation media.
Download Synex semi-rolling here.