Noctalia releases stable 5.0.1 Wayland desktop shell

Noctalia has released version 5.0.1, marking the official stable release of its Wayland-based desktop shell following a 10-beta testing cycle. A central feature of this update is a complete ground-up rewrite from Qt/QML to native C++ using OpenGL ES, which has resulted in approximately six times less memory usage per monitor compared to previous versions.

The new shell is designed to work with various Linux compositors, including Hyprland, Niri, Sway, and its own Umbriel compositor. It provides a comprehensive suite of desktop tools such as a panel, widgets, a launcher, notifications, and a control center.

Key functional additions in this release include support for local vdir calendars and vdirsyncer-based accounts, a Luau-based plugin API, and the ability for applications to use dark or light modes independently of the shell theme. The update also includes various refinements to Bluetooth pairing, window switching, wallpaper management, and fractional scaling support.