[[!meta date="Tue Jan 26 12:34:56 2016"]]
[[!meta title="Tails 2.0 is out"]]
[[!tag announce]]

We are especially proud to present you Tails 2.0, the first version of Tails
based on:

  - GNOME Shell, with lots of changes in the desktop environment.
  - Debian 8 (Jessie), which upgrades most included software and improves
    many things under the hood.

This release fixes [[many security
issues|security/Numerous_security_holes_in_1.8.2]] and users should
upgrade as soon as possible.

[[!toc levels=1]]

# Changes

## New features

- Tails now uses the <span class="application">GNOME Shell</span> desktop
  environment, in its <span class="application">Classic</span> mode.
  <span class="application">GNOME Shell</span> provides a modern, simple, and
  actively developed desktop environment. The <span class="application">Classic</span>
  mode keeps the traditional <span class="guimenu">Applications</span>,
  <span class="guimenu">Places</span> menu, and windows list. Accessibility and
  non-Latin input sources are also better integrated.

  To find your way around, [[read our introduction to GNOME and the Tails desktop.|doc/first_steps/introduction_to_gnome_and_the_tails_desktop]]

  [[!img applications_menu.png caption="The desktop and Applications menu" alt="Tails 2.0 desktop with applications menu unfolded" link="no"]]

  [[!img activities_overview.png caption="The activities overview" alt="Tails 2.0 activities overview" size="512x384" link="no"]]

## Upgrades and changes

- Debian 8 upgrades most included software, for example:
  - Many core GNOME utilities from 3.4 to 3.14:
    <span class="application">Files</span>,
    <span class="application">Disks</span>,
    <span class="application">Videos</span>, etc.
  - <span class="application">LibreOffice</span> from 3.5 to 4.3
  - <span class="application">PiTiVi</span> from 0.15 to 0.93
  - <span class="application">Git</span> from 1.7.10 to 2.1.4
  - <span class="application">Poedit</span> from 1.5.4 to 1.6.10
  - <span class="application">Liferea</span> from 1.8.6 to 1.10

- Update <span class="application">Tor Browser</span> to 5.5 (based on Firefox 38.6.0 ESR):
  - Add Japanese support.

- Remove the Windows camouflage which is currently broken in GNOME Shell.
  We started working on [[!tails_ticket 10830 desc="adding it back"]] but [[your
  help is needed|news/windows_camouflage_jessie]]!

- Change to `systemd` as init system and use it to:
  - Sandbox many services using Linux namespaces and make them harder to exploit.
  - Make the launching of Tor and the memory wipe on shutdown more robust.
  - Sanitize our code base by replacing many custom scripts.

- Update most firmware packages which might improve hardware compatibility.

- Notify the user if Tails is running from a non-free virtualization software.

- Remove <span class="application">Claws Mail</span>, replaced by
  <span class="application">[[Icedove|doc/anonymous_internet/icedove]]</span>, a
  rebranded version of <span class="application">Mozilla Thunderbird</span>.

## Fixed problems

- HiDPI displays are better supported. ([[!tails_ticket 8659]])

- Remove the option to open a download with an external application in Tor
  Browser as this is usually impossible due to the AppArmor confinement.
  ([[!tails_ticket 9285]])

- Close <span class="application">Vidalia</span> before restarting Tor.

- Allow <span class="application">Videos</span> to access the DVD drive.
  ([[!tails_ticket 10455]], [[!tails_ticket 9990]])

- Allow configuring printers without administration password.
  ([[!tails_ticket 8443]])

For more details, see also our [changelog](https://git-tails.immerda.ch/tails/plain/debian/changelog).

# Known issues

* Tor Browser 5.5 introduces
  [protection against fingerprinting](https://trac.torproject.org/projects/tor/ticket/13313)
  but due to an [oversight](https://labs.riseup.net/code/issues/11000)
  it is not enabled in Tails 2.0. However, this is not so bad for
  Tails users since each Tails system has the same fonts installed,
  and hence will look identical, so this only means that it's easy to
  distinguish whether a user of Tor Browser 5.5 uses Tails or
  not. That is already easy given that Tails has the AdBlock Plus
  extension enabled, unlike the normal Tor Browser.

See the current list of [[known issues|support/known_issues]].

# Installing

We also redesigned completely our download and installation instructions to
make it easier to get started with Tails.

For example, you can now verify the ISO image automatically from Firefox using
a special add-on.

You can also install or upgrade Tails directly from Debian or Ubuntu using the
`tails-installer` package.

[[Try our new installation assistant.|install]]

[[!img assistant.png link="no"]]

# Upgrading

Tails changed so much since version 1.8.2 that it is impossible to provide an
automatic upgrade. We recommend you [[follow our new manual upgrade
instructions|upgrade]] instead.

# What's coming up?

The next Tails release is [[scheduled|contribute/calendar]] for March 6.

Have a look at our [[!tails_roadmap]] to see where we are heading to.

We need your help and there are many ways to [[contribute to
Tails|contribute]] ([[donating|donate]] is only one of
them). Come [[talk to us|about/contact#tails-dev]]!
