New Graphical Interface for Ubuntu on ARM
Linux is the operating system of choice for devices with ARM processors. Unfortunately problems with graphics appear in most cases. Ubuntu wants to fix this with a new GUI.
No matter if a smartphone, smart netbook or embedded device, most hardware with an ARM CPU is currently running Linux. It's natural that Ubuntu therefore wants a large slice of the ARM pie, but, like many GUIs, is running into resistance from graphics drivers that in many cases don't support direct rendering
To address the problem, a team at Ubuntu around developer Jamie Bennett is working in Ubuntu 10.04 on a new netbook interface based on the Enlightenment Foundation Libraries (EFL). The ARM port from Lucid Lynx checks during installation whether the computer is running with active 3D acceleration. If so, the normal netbook interface gets applied, if not, the new 2D GUI comes into action.
Apart from the classic netbook interface, the new EFL-based GUI provides at least one other benefit. Thanks to themes files in Edje format, fairly attractive themes can be generated without much programming. The EFL 2D launcher also provides a few very nice effects.
As is the case with many free software projects, the EFL launcher is not restricted to a particular architecture, so that it's available for i386 and x86_64 systems as well. To try out the new interface with Ubuntu's upcoming alpha version, use the command
sudo apt-get install netbook-launcher-efl
Changing back to the standard launcher simply requires
sudo apt-get remove netbook-launcher-efl
Details on the new GUI are in Jamie Bennett's blog.
Issue 268/2023
Buy this issue as a PDF
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Find SysAdmin Jobs
News
-
Escuelas Linux 8.0 is Now Available
Just in time for its 25th anniversary, the developers of Escuelas Linux have released the latest version.
-
LibreOffice 7.5 has Arrived Loaded with New Features and Improvements
The favorite office suite of the Linux community has a new release that includes some visual refreshing and new features across all modules.
-
The Next Major Release of Elementary OS Has Arrived
It's been over a year since the developers of elementary OS released version 6.1 (Jólnir) but they've finally made their latest release (Horus) available with a renewed focus on the user.
-
KDE Plasma 5.27 Beta Is Ready for Testing
The latest beta iteration of the KDE Plasma desktop is now available and includes some important additions and fixes.
-
Netrunner OS 23 Is Now Available
The latest version of this Linux distribution is now based on Debian Bullseye and is ready for installation and finally hits the KDE 5.20 branch of the desktop.
-
New Linux Distribution Built for Gamers
With a Gnome desktop that offers different layouts and a custom kernel, PikaOS is a great option for gamers of all types.
-
System76 Beefs Up Popular Pangolin Laptop
The darling of open-source-powered laptops and desktops will soon drop a new AMD Ryzen 7-powered version of their popular Pangolin laptop.
-
Nobara Project Is a Modified Version of Fedora with User-Friendly Fixes
If you're looking for a version of Fedora that includes third-party and proprietary packages, look no further than the Nobara Project.
-
Gnome 44 Now Has a Release Date
Gnome 44 will be officially released on March 22, 2023.
-
Nitrux 2.6 Available with Kernel 6.1 and a Major Change
The developers of Nitrux have officially released version 2.6 of their Linux distribution with plenty of new features to excite users.