What the Future Holds
I promised an update this week so here it is 
Where we are heading….
Aurora is not aiming to be the “best” Linux distribution , it’s not trying to re-invent the wheel, it’s not trying to do something new. Aurora is here to put the pieces together and make a great product. We have thought long and hard about what that entails and have had SERIOUS version 1.0 feature creep but we think we have finally bolted down our requirements and have the end in our sights!
Gnome 3
We’ve decided that to ensure a stable base with continued development ( and a quicker / easier development lead time ) to focus on using Gnome 3 – aiming for version 3.2 for stable release This decision will mean that these are so many changes to the distribution that it really isn’t feasible to upgrade from ANY old version – the reasons behind this are simple – we are developing a “Semi-Rolling Release” mentality which needs a VERY stable base to build off. We don’t feel those users who attempt an upgrade will benefit and enjoy the stable base and it will cause problems overtime.
So whats a “Semi-Rolling Release”????
I’m sure we could come up with a better title for this but it is as follows….. We will provide the ability to have a Stable code distribution ( which will only receive bug fixes or new versions after heavy testing ) and a testing branch ( newest versions as available , tested then pushed to stable ).
In addition to a stable / testing option for the “core” of Aurora we will also have a stable option for applications ( you won’t get the latest applications straight away but will get the most stable version we deem suitable for our users) or testing applications – getting the latest / greatest applications as they become available for Aurora. We know you don’t want to be stuck on an old version of Firefox or Shotwell just because you want a stable distribution so now you don’t have to be! BSD based distributions have had this idea right all along so its about time Aurora was the same!
Our unique twist on the rolling release idea is that you can pick what you want Aurora to be like for you!
The Aurora DE concept
So you want to know our plans for the Aurora DE? Well we have been working hard on what makes a DE great and came to 3 simple conclusions :
1. It should make you quicker and more productive at what you want to do
2. It should help you and be obvious to use
3. It should get out of your way
That’s the core of the Aurora experience – it should complement what you are doing at all times! By no means will we get this right 100% to start but we will work with users – taking patches , ideas and feedback from the community to make this happen!
So based on the 3 points we have developed what we believe Aurora should be like : here are our mock-ups 
I understand that this is a very sketchy mock-up so I will try to explain our ideas ….
1. Launch Control – The Top Left corner launches the search bar , menu and drawer.
2. Search only appears when you need it – lets you search the web, your applications and your documents in one simple place
3. Application Blocks – when an app has a notification tray icon is will appear here : you can select obvious to use features in each app i.e – email can compose a new message.
4.The Drawer – you can drag your favourite documents , websites or applications down here – it hides off-screen and is only in view if you hotspot the top left corner or the bottom of the screen. This is our alternative to the gnome dash ./ favourites in shell.
5.Your Desktop – just as you expect it to be
6.The Menu list – a familiar menu system broken down by category of application – you can click-through the menu’s as you see fit
Some more mockups showing closer detail of our core 6 sections of the desktop.
Showing the Launch Control , Menu system and Search functionality – all of these components are only visible when you need them! The rest of the time they slide out of your way
The Drawer – A easy way of managing your favourite things to do – we don’t discern between a “file” or a “website” or even applications! In our book anything can be a favourite so you can put it in your drawer
Application Blocks – How they behave! we also have ditched the typical “pop-in your face” notifications for a style adapted from Android – Notifications roll down in the panel and only take focus if you click on them Launch control will also show a history of these notifications if you missed them
Teaser time!
We are working very hard to make the above mockups a reality – while they might not be 100% implemented in the first release we will definitely have the outline of our goal in place – the finishing touches to functionality and behaviour will come from your feedback on these…… so as a final treat this is exactly 100% running system of what Aurora currently works like
