Linux comes with more system control applications than any other operating system. But the individual tools typically only focus on specific components of a computer. For example, programs such as the Gnome disk utility or the KDE partition manager take care of the connected mass storage devices. The system monitor for the KDE Plasma desktop environment and the system monitoring tools for other desktop environments such as MATE or LXDE keep an eye on the CPU, RAM, and network throughput, but no more. Many of the tools integrated into the respective environments for monitoring individual components also look a little jaded.

Compared to them, System Monitoring Center [1], which is available as a Flatpak and can therefore be used independently of your choice of distribution, offers a comprehensive overview of all important system statuses. A DEB package with an older version of the 1.43.x branch is available for download from the project's GitHub page [2].

Installation

To install the Flatpak you need the appropriate runtime environment on the system. You can set this up on most distributions using the built-in package manager. Then search for System Monitoring Center in KDE Plasma Discover, Gnome Software, or mintinstall and set it up by clicking Install. The routine also creates a starter in the desktop environment's menu. Clicking on the starter opens the main application window (Figure 1).

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