An updated Xfce desktop with Twister UI
Convertible
The ThemeTwister tool, located in the Settings submenu, is one of the highlights in Twister UI. ThemeTwister lets you quickly customize the entire desktop environment with just a few mouse clicks. The developers have based the appearance of the available environments on other operating systems' graphical interfaces, such as Apple and Microsoft Windows. In particular, ThemeTwister allows newcomers to overcome any inhibitions in using Linux by imitating the look and feel of a familiar interface (Figure 3). Under the hood, however, the Xfce desktop remains active.
![](/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/issues/2022/259/twister-ui/figure-3/804434-1-eng-US/Figure-3_large.png)
The visually emulated interfaces' original operating concepts are also largely retained in Twister UI. For example, in iTwister, a clone of Apple's macOS interface, you will also find the macOS controls in the window titlebars.
Matter of Opinion
Twister UI starts the Xfce desktop with the default selected theme, but you can use the LightPad application to display the tile view familiar from the Gnome desktop environment. To this end, the developers added the LightPad launcher to the system. You will find LightPad in the modern desktop themes section of the desktop dock. The tool superimposes the tile view over the conventional desktop when called (Figure 4). To exit it again, just press Esc.
Frugal
Despite many visual effects, Twister UI uses minimal resources. For example, the system only needs about 500MB RAM when idle with the system monitor open. The CPU load is also kept within reasonable limits, which means that Twister UI can be used without problems on older computer systems with less powerful, dual-core processors, and little RAM. A minimum memory size of 2GB is recommended for smooth operation to allow even heavyweight applications such as LibreOffice or Firefox to run without noticeable latencies.
« Previous 1 2 3 Next »
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
![Learn More](https://www.linux-magazine.com/var/linux_magazin/storage/images/media/linux-magazine-eng-us/images/misc/learn-more/834592-1-eng-US/Learn-More_medium.png)
News
-
NVIDIA Released Driver for Upcoming NVIDIA 560 GPU for Linux
Not only has NVIDIA released the driver for its upcoming CPU series, it's the first release that defaults to using open-source GPU kernel modules.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 24.07 Released
If you’re into rolling release Linux distributions, OpenMandriva ROME has a new snapshot with a new kernel.
-
Kernel 6.10 Available for General Usage
Linus Torvalds has released the 6.10 kernel and it includes significant performance increases for Intel Core hybrid systems and more.
-
TUXEDO Computers Releases InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen9 Laptop
Sporting either AMD or Intel CPUs, the TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 is an extremely compact, lightweight, sturdy powerhouse.
-
Google Extends Support for Linux Kernels Used for Android
Because the LTS Linux kernel releases are so important to Android, Google has decided to extend the support period beyond that offered by the kernel development team.
-
Linux Mint 22 Stable Delayed
If you're anxious about getting your hands on the stable release of Linux Mint 22, it looks as if you're going to have to wait a bit longer.
-
Nitrux 3.5.1 Available for Install
The latest version of the immutable, systemd-free distribution includes an updated kernel and NVIDIA driver.
-
Debian 12.6 Released with Plenty of Bug Fixes and Updates
The sixth update to Debian "Bookworm" is all about security mitigations and making adjustments for some "serious problems."
-
Canonical Offers 12-Year LTS for Open Source Docker Images
Canonical is expanding its LTS offering to reach beyond the DEB packages with a new distro-less Docker image.
-
Plasma Desktop 6.1 Released with Several Enhancements
If you're a fan of Plasma Desktop, you should be excited about this new point release.