Aero7 Beta 2 — release notes
Released 22 September 2026. The exact final online and offline images passed fresh-install VM acceptance. GitHub publishes the source tag and release notes without ISO attachments; installation media and checksums are distributed only through the official Aero7 website.
The approved website handoff supplies website copy, download-card requirements, feature explanations and announcement text. The QA status record is the evidence index. Historical candidate results must not be presented as tests of a later image.
Installation images
- Offline ISO — recommended. Includes the installation package dependency
closure and a checksum-pinned local repository. Installation works without internet and avoids mirror/download delays. Actual duration still depends on the computer and storage device.
- Online ISO. Smaller download; retrieves the distribution dependencies
during installation and requires a stable connection. Corrected Aero7 components remain pinned by the candidate manifest.
Both variants configure repositories for updates after installation. The ISO files and checksums are intended for the Aero7 website, not GitHub Releases. The accepted local identities are:
| Variant | Filename | Exact bytes | SHA-256 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Offline — recommended | aero7-beta2-offline-2026.09.22-x86_64.iso | 3,407,151,104 | f44c52bf8171fd2842e2c6150909e9ca70a577f4e3ac9f6444baeea45f1676a5 |
| Online | aero7-beta2-online-2026.09.22-x86_64.iso | 1,604,804,608 | e1744b3be9692af6252bfdc42b83a1bc4c309f33f300771dd3b26cfeacafc936 |
The release date is 22 September 2026. Website publication must re-hash the hosted bytes before download buttons are enabled.
Desktop and application changes
- Dedicated Aero7 Desktop Wayland session, with AeroThemePlasma/Plasma fallback
sessions retained.
- Factory taskbar layout and Recycle Bin-only production desktop. Diagnostic
test images additionally create the requested physical-install log folder.
- Aero7 Professional login/lock-screen branding, session selection and supported
login accessibility controls. This is not the complete Windows 7 pre-login accessibility dialog.
- Windows-style Meta+Shift+S rectangular capture: the overlay closes, a PNG is
saved, image data is copied for paste, and the saved notification opens the image. The editor is not opened automatically.
- Desktop edit-mode suppression and Windows-inspired taskbar, Start, desktop
menus, pinned application identity and window handling.
- Aero7 File Explorer based on the maintained Dolphin fork, with Libraries,
Computer, Recycle Bin, breadcrumbs, storage handling and common dialogs. Raw Linux mounts are filtered where appropriate; this is not complete Windows storage-management compatibility.
- 45-app Control Panel layout, Windows-inspired Screen Resolution and Linux
backends for supported settings. Unavailable features are identified honestly.
- Desktop Gadgets, including improved feed recovery, slideshow playback
preservation, display scaling and desktop/window-layer behavior.
- Approved AeroThemePlasma icon-pack resources bundled with Aero7 applications.
No replacement icon pack or newly drawn application icons was introduced.
- Device Manager naming uses
aero7-device-manager, retaining
linux-devmgmt compatibility for upgrades.
Recent candidate corrections include display Apply/rollback, automatic virtual output-layout repair, screenshot cancellation/recovery, Explorer dialog request isolation, delayed session shutdown handling, and generated-source cleanup. See the linked QA reports for the exact package version and tested scope.
Updates and firewall
Update checks and installation are separate. Users can turn update checking on or off; installing updates requires approval. Unavailable repository information must not be presented as proof that the system is up to date.
Fresh installations use firewalld. Existing UFW installations are preserved, not silently migrated. Unassigned networks default to Public; selecting a trusted network location does not itself create shares or enable remote login. The website handoff documents the implemented Home/Work/Public behavior and its testing boundaries.
Optional features
Open Start → Turn Aero7 features on or off, or Control Panel → Programs → Programs and Features → Turn Aero7 features on or off. Controls reflect package/service state, require administrator authorization and explain retained data and sign-out requirements.
- Programs Center Beta is optional and absent by default. Its bundled package
supports offline enabling/removal/re-enabling; downloading additional software still requires the relevant repositories and connectivity.
- Encrypted Credential Vault is optional and off by default. It adds generic
credential storage through KWallet, not custom cryptography. Enable the feature, sign out and back in, then open Credential Manager. Use a non-empty password. Removal retains encrypted wallet files; re-enabling requires the original password. Account-specific overrides are preserved. No password recovery, browser import, autofill, domain credentials or whole-disk encryption is provided.
The Optional Features guide and website feature reference explain every catalog entry. The catalog has 15 entries: 13 searchable optional features, one protected desktop core and one hidden discontinued CardSpace entry. Not every optional backend is bundled for offline installation.
Installer and diagnostics
The candidate validates package identities, dependency closure and local checksums. Failures stop with a diagnostic instead of continuing through an unverified transaction. Diagnostic test images collect installation, boot, hardware, package, display-manager and session logs in Aero7 Physical Install Logs on the desktop.
The collection avoids deliberate password, connection-profile, personal-file, browser-data and full-memory-dump collection. Logs can still contain identifying information such as device names, usernames and paths: review the privacy notice and collected files before sharing them.
Current local candidate packages
These are local QA selections, not a published repository availability claim. Versions were read from all 19 package metadata records referenced by the local checksum manifest.
| Package | Selected version |
|---|---|
aero7-desktop | 0.2.0-33 |
aero7-file-explorer | 25.12.3-55 |
linux-control-panel | 0.1.0-55 |
aero7-device-manager | 2.2.1.r1.g6d080f8-1 |
aero7-computer-management-git | 0.2.0.r20.g6d7fe79-2 |
aero7-gadgets | 3.0.0-25 |
aero7-kolourpaint | 25.12.3-9 |
aero7-internet-explorer | 0.1.0-5 |
aerothemeplasma-desktop-git | 6.7.0_742.r9c2d850-65 |
aerothemeplasma-icons-git | 11.r96950b8-3 |
aerothemeplasma-sounds-git | 4.r55d2f5f-3 |
spectacle | 1:6.7.4-3 |
plasma-workspace | 6.7.4-3.2 |
qt6-base | 6.11.2-3.1 |
uac-polkit-agent-git | 6.7.0_816.rd8c2262-2 |
kwin | 6.7.4-7.3 |
aero7-programs-center-git (optional) | 0.1.0.r12.g0405a2e-3 |
aero7-credential-vault (optional) | 0.1.0-7 |
kwallet | 6.29.0-1.1 |
Acceptance and publication record
The latest selected manifest adds the accepted Aero7-scoped KWallet presentation package to the required local transaction. The 22 September refreshed-candidate cycle (summarized here; source evidence is not included in the website handoff) now verifies both image variants through installation and first-run setup. The installed systems report kwallet 6.29.0-1.1, retain Vault 7 as an off-by-default optional package, and pass the native Aero7-titled first-use/password dialog replay. This closed the refreshed-image vault gate for the accepted final downloads.
The latest selected manifest passes 160 integration tests, static checks, 19 online candidate-archive checks, 84 offline candidate/dependency-archive checks and 65 offline repository identity/checksum checks. These are local results, not new GitHub CI results.
Fresh installations from both rebuilt 21 September test candidates verify the selected stack after OOBE and password login. Both collector manifests verify 144 of 144 files with zero failed user/system units and no collected coredumps. The detailed report also covers SDDM accessibility/session selection, lock/login branding, Explorer identity, optional package install/removal and the complete screenshot save/clipboard/notification path. Vault 7 retains its separate native overlap, retained-content and isolated backend evidence.
The source bug-test pass and exact-media VM acceptance are complete. The final-media report (summarized here; source evidence is not included in the website handoff) records clean connected-online and no-network offline installation, OOBE, first-login PolicyKit/UAC readiness, optional Programs Center install/removal, reboot/login and pinned File Explorer launch. GitHub publication includes only the tagged source and release notes. Before enabling website downloads:
- Upload both exact artifacts and the matching checksum file to the website.
- Re-download and verify byte size plus SHA-256 for both website-hosted files.
- Add the final HTTPS URLs and release date to the website copy.
- Test download cards, checksum links, responsive layout and help links before
enabling public download buttons.
Physical GPU/hotplug behavior, alternative vault configurations and other unverified backends are not advertised as tested. Full Windows 7 parity and universal bug-free operation are not claimed.
The superseded notes (summarized here; source evidence is not included in the website handoff) preserve the older version table and historical blockers for reference only.
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