docs: Update README verbiage & add translation info

2026-08-25 14:53:21 +00:00 · 2025-09-26 09:30:35 -06:00
1 changed files with 91 additions and 89 deletions
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 # COSMIC Desktop
-Currently near feature complete **beta**. We're in the final bug fixing stage for the first release. Testing instructions below for various distributions.
+Currently in **beta** for Epoch 1 (the first release), which is nearly feature-complete and in the final bug fixing stage. Testing instructions for various distributions are below.
 ## Components of COSMIC Desktop
 * [cosmic-applets](https://github.com/pop-os/cosmic-applets)
@@ -42,93 +41,6 @@ Currently near feature complete **beta**. We're in the final bug fixing stage fo
 * [libcosmic](https://github.com/pop-os/libcosmic)
 ## Setup on distributions without packaging of cosmic components
 The COSMIC desktop environment requires a few dependencies:
 (This list does not try to be exhaustive, but rather tries to provide a decent starting point. For detailed instructions, check out the individual projects):
 - [just](https://github.com/casey/just)
 - rustc
 - libwayland
 - mesa (or third-party libEGL/libGL implementations, though interfacing with mesa's libglvnd is generally recommended).
 - libseat
 - libxkbcommon
 - libinput
 - udev
 - dbus
 optionally (though the build-system might currently require these libraries):
 - libsystem
 - libpulse
 - pop-launcher
 - libexpat1
 - libfontconfig
 - libfreetype
 - lld
 - cargo
 - libgbm-dev
 - libclang-dev
 - libpipewire-0.3-dev
 Note: `libfontconfig`, `libfreetype`, and `lld` are packages specific to Linux distributions. You may need to find the equivalent version for your distribution if you are not using Pop!_OS.
 The required ones can be installed with:
 ```
 sudo apt install just rustc libglvnd-dev libwayland-dev libseat-dev libxkbcommon-dev libinput-dev udev dbus libdbus-1-dev libpam0g-dev libpixman-1-dev libssl-dev libflatpak-dev -y
 ```
 and the optional ones with:
 ```
 sudo apt install libsystemd-dev libpulse-dev pop-launcher libexpat1-dev libfontconfig-dev libfreetype-dev mold cargo libgbm-dev libclang-dev libpipewire-0.3-dev -y
 ```
 They can be installed all at once with:
 ```
 sudo apt install just rustc libglvnd-dev libwayland-dev libseat-dev libxkbcommon-dev libinput-dev udev dbus libdbus-1-dev libsystemd-dev libpixman-1-dev libssl-dev libflatpak-dev libpulse-dev pop-launcher libexpat1-dev libfontconfig-dev libfreetype-dev mold cargo libgbm-dev libclang-dev libpipewire-0.3-dev libpam0g-dev -y
 ```
 ### Testing
 The easiest way to test COSMIC DE currently is by building a systemd system extension (see `man systemd-sysext`).
 ```
 git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/pop-os/cosmic-epoch
 cd cosmic-epoch
 just sysext
 ```
 This will create a system-extension called `cosmic-sysext`, that you can move (without renaming!) into e.g. `/var/lib/extensions`.
 After starting systemd-sysext.service (`sudo systemctl enable --now systemd-sysext`) and refreshing (`sudo systemd-sysext refresh`) or rebooting,
 *COSMIC* will be an available option in your favorite display manager.
 If you have SELinux enabled (e.g. on Fedora), the installed extension won't have the correct labels applied.
 To test COSMIC, you can temporarily disable it and restart `gdm` (note that this will close your running programs).
 ```shell
 sudo setenforce 0
 sudo systemctl restart gdm
 ```
 **Note**: An extension created this way will be linked against specific libraries on your system and will not work on other distributions.
 It also requires the previously mentioned libraries/dependencies at runtime to be installed in your system (the system extension does not carry these libraries).
 **Read-Only Filesystem**: If you're not on an immutable distro you may notice that `/usr/` and `/opt/` are read-only.
 this is caused by `systemd-sysext` being enabled, when you are done testing you can disable `systemd-sysext` (`sudo systemctl disable --now systemd-sysext`)
 It is thus no proper method for long term deployment.
 ### Packaging
 COSMIC DE is packaged for Pop!_OS. For reference, look at the `debian` folders in the projects repositories.
 These and the `justfile` inside this repository may be used as references on how to package COSMIC DE, though no backwards-compatibility guarantees are provided at this stage.
 ### Versioning
 COSMIC DE is very much still work-in-progress and thus does not follow a versioning scheme so far.
 We do our best to keep the referenced submodule commits in this repository building and working together, as a consequence they might not contain the latest updates and features from these repositories (yet).
 Notes on versioning and packaging all these components together properly will be added at a later stage once COSMIC DE gets its first release.
 ## Installing on Pop!\_OS
 COSMIC DE is in its first beta release. We're in a bug fixing stage of development with features largely complete for the first release. Using and testing the beta is welcome. 
@@ -255,6 +167,96 @@ Next, install the COSMIC desktop environment and its associated themes:
 Then log out, click on your user, and a sprocket at the bottom right shows an additional entry alongside your desktop environments. Change to COSMIC and proceed with log in.
 For further information, you may check the [Gentoo Wiki](https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/COSMIC) or [Overlay Repository](https://github.com/fsvm88/cosmic-overlay).
 ## Setup on distributions without packaging of COSMIC components
 The COSMIC desktop environment requires a few dependencies:
 (This list does not try to be exhaustive, but rather tries to provide a decent starting point. For detailed instructions, check out the individual projects):
 - [just](https://github.com/casey/just)
 - rustc
 - libwayland
 - mesa (or third-party libEGL/libGL implementations, though interfacing with mesa's libglvnd is generally recommended).
 - libseat
 - libxkbcommon
 - libinput
 - udev
 - dbus
 optionally (though the build-system might currently require these libraries):
 - libsystem
 - libpulse
 - pop-launcher
 - libexpat1
 - libfontconfig
 - libfreetype
 - lld
 - cargo
 - libgbm-dev
 - libclang-dev
 - libpipewire-0.3-dev
 Note: `libfontconfig`, `libfreetype`, and `lld` are packages specific to Linux distributions. You may need to find the equivalent version for your distribution if you are not using Pop!_OS.
 The required ones can be installed with:
 ```
 sudo apt install just rustc libglvnd-dev libwayland-dev libseat-dev libxkbcommon-dev libinput-dev udev dbus libdbus-1-dev libpam0g-dev libpixman-1-dev libssl-dev libflatpak-dev -y
 ```
 and the optional ones with:
 ```
 sudo apt install libsystemd-dev libpulse-dev pop-launcher libexpat1-dev libfontconfig-dev libfreetype-dev mold cargo libgbm-dev libclang-dev libpipewire-0.3-dev -y
 ```
 They can be installed all at once with:
 ```
 sudo apt install just rustc libglvnd-dev libwayland-dev libseat-dev libxkbcommon-dev libinput-dev udev dbus libdbus-1-dev libsystemd-dev libpixman-1-dev libssl-dev libflatpak-dev libpulse-dev pop-launcher libexpat1-dev libfontconfig-dev libfreetype-dev mold cargo libgbm-dev libclang-dev libpipewire-0.3-dev libpam0g-dev -y
 ```
 ### Testing
 The easiest way to test COSMIC DE currently is by building a systemd system extension (see `man systemd-sysext`).
 ```
 git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/pop-os/cosmic-epoch
 cd cosmic-epoch
 just sysext
 ```
 This will create a system-extension called `cosmic-sysext`, which you can move (without renaming!) into e.g. `/var/lib/extensions`.
 After starting systemd-sysext.service (`sudo systemctl enable --now systemd-sysext`) and refreshing (`sudo systemd-sysext refresh`) or rebooting,
 COSMIC will be an available option in your favorite display manager.
 If you have SELinux enabled (e.g. on Fedora), the installed extension won't have the correct labels applied.
 To test COSMIC, you can temporarily disable it and restart `gdm` (note that this will close your running programs).
 ```shell
 sudo setenforce 0
 sudo systemctl restart gdm
 ```
 **Note**: An extension created this way will be linked against specific libraries on your system and will not work on other distributions.
 It also requires the previously mentioned libraries/dependencies at runtime to be installed in your system (the system extension does not carry these libraries).
 **Read-Only Filesystem**: If you're not on an immutable distro you may notice that `/usr/` and `/opt/` are read-only.
 this is caused by `systemd-sysext` being enabled, when you are done testing you can disable `systemd-sysext` (`sudo systemctl disable --now systemd-sysext`)
 It is thus not a proper method for long term deployment.
 ### Packaging
 COSMIC DE is packaged for Pop!_OS. For reference, look at the `debian` folders in the projects repositories.
 These and the `justfile` inside this repository may be used as references on how to package COSMIC DE, though no backwards-compatibility guarantees are provided at this stage.
 ### Versioning
 COSMIC DE is still a work-in-progress and thus does not follow a versioning scheme yet.
 We do our best to keep the referenced submodule commits in this repository building and working together; as a consequence, they might not contain the latest updates and features from these repositories (yet).
 The commits corresponding with the current beta release are tagged `epoch-1.0.0-beta.X.Y`, where `X` is the beta release and `Y` is the minor release.
 ## Translating
 To submit translations for COSMIC in your language, please use Weblate: https://hosted.weblate.org/projects/pop-os/ 
 ## Contact
 - [Mattermost](https://chat.pop-os.org/)
 - [Twitter](https://twitter.com/pop_os_official)