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ZDNET Highlights
- A new Linux desktop is in the works.
- This portable desktop can be run like an app.
- Orbitini is free to use and runs on any Linux distribution.
Leave it to the Linux community to bring something that no other operating system can do. It happens all the time, and the creativity and ingenuity of these developers never ceases to amaze me.
Such is the case with a new desktop environment called OrbitiniThe goal of this new desktop, built from scratch using Qt and C++, is to be both familiar and unique,
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The Orbitini is also modular; If one part breaks, the whole part will continue to function. Orbitini does not have its own window manager; Instead, it runs on top of existing window managers.
runs on top of your desktop
You read that right: Orbitini runs on top of your existing desktop (like KDE Plasma or GNOME) like a regular app. This unique desktop includes the following features:
- The default file manager can search files as well as the contents of files. The search tool is accessible from desktop.
- A desktop panel with plugins expands the feature set. It also includes full drag-and-drop support.
- A built-in clipboard manager.
- A device manager.
- Offers full drag-and-drop support with a comprehensive Start Menu sidebar.
- A dashboard displays running tasks and installed applications.
- Running apps can be accessed from the default desktop environment.
- Desktop gestures allow you to create patterns on your desktop to launch tasks such as starting a program.
- Icons Folder symbols indicate whether you have copied or cut a file or added items to the folder.
- Ability to combine two text files or paste text directly into the file.
The Orbitini can be used as a portable desktop. Copy the necessary files to a USB drive, plug it into a running Linux computer, and run the commands to start it. The desktop will then appear for you to use.
Note that much work is in progress on Orbitini. For now, I suggest you use this desktop only to satisfy your curiosity. Once Orbitini reaches 1.0 status, I suspect it will become quite popular.
How do you use Orbitini?
Using Orbitini is quite simple. Here’s how you do it.
- Download compressed archive from Orbitini SourceForge page,
- Unpack the file with the tar xvzf command orbitini-bin-release.tar.gz
- Change to the newly created directory with cd orbitini-bin-release/orbitini.
- Launch Orbitini with the start-orbitini command.
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The Orbitini desktop will open, presenting you with a completely new environment to work in.
My first impressions of Orbitini
I fully expected to experience a lot of problems and very slow performance. To my surprise, the Orbitini felt quite stable and performed well. Even when running on top of another desktop environment, Orbitini felt as if it were running natively. Everything was fast and worked as expected.
I was surprised when I opened the file manager because it accessed files and folders on the host desktop. This is great because it means you don’t have to keep track of two different folder hierarchies.
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Orbitini File Manager has a lot of great features.
Screenshot by Jack Wallen/ZDNET
From within the Settings app (accessible by right-clicking anywhere on the desktop), you can manage features like appearance, audio, context menus, empty area clicks, general configuration, keyboard shortcuts, left button gestures, startup applications, and more.
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Orbitini impressed me. I can see many use cases for this portable desktop, and given its current stability and speed, I can only imagine how it will perform when it reaches 1.0 status.
If you’re looking for something that only the Linux operating system can do, I highly recommend trying Orbitini. Maybe you keep it on a USB drive, so you always have a familiar desktop to use, regardless of the Linux distribution available.
