The GNOME 50 Alpha desktop environment is now available for public testing as of January 17, 2026. This release represents a notable architectural shift, as it is a X11.">Wayland-only build and has officially removed X11 session support. Among other enhancements, the Alpha version introduces initial support for session save/restore functionality. This development aligns with the GNOME project's ongoing strategy to transition fully to Wayland as its primary display server protocol for future stable releases, signaling a continued push for Wayland adoption across the Linux desktop.