For an excellent variety of years, there was a desktop working system (OS) based mostly on FreeBSD known as PC-BSD. It was supposed as an OS for normal use, which was noteworthy as a result of BSD improvement principally focuses on servers. For most of its life, PC-BSD shipped with the KDE desktop by default, however the extra KDE got here to rely upon Linux-specific know-how, the extra PC-BSD migrated away from it. PC-BSD turned Trident, and its default desktop is Lumina, a group of widgets written to make use of the identical Qt toolkit that KDE relies upon, working on the Fluxbox window supervisor.
You might discover the Lumina desktop in your Linux distribution’s software program repository or in BSD’s ports tree. If you put in Lumina and also you’re already working one other desktop, it’s possible you’ll end up with redundant purposes (two PDF readers, two file managers, and so forth) as a result of Lumina features a few built-in purposes. If you simply need to attempt the Lumina desktop, you’ll be able to set up a Lumina-based BSD distribution in a digital machine, reminiscent of GNOME Boxes.
If you put in Lumina in your present OS, you could log off of your present desktop session so you’ll be able to log into your new one. By default, your session supervisor (SDDM, GDM, LightDM, or XDM, relying in your setup) will proceed to log you into your earlier desktop, so you could override that earlier than logging in.
With GDM:
With SDDM:
Lumina desktop
Lumina delivers a easy and light-weight desktop atmosphere. There’s a panel on the backside of the display containing an utility menu on the left, a taskbar within the center, and a system tray on the correct. There are icons on the desktop offering fast entry to widespread purposes and places.
In addition to this primary desktop construction, Lumina includes a customized file supervisor, PDF viewer, screenshot software, media participant, textual content editor, and archive software. There’s additionally a configuration utility that will help you customise your Lumina desktop, and you’ll find additional configuration choices by right-clicking on the desktop.
Lumina is similar to a number of Linux light-weight desktops, particularly LXQT, besides with none reliance upon Linux-based desktop frameworks like ConsoleKit, PolicyKit, D-Bus, or systemd. Whether or not that holds any benefit for you will depend on the OS you are working. After all, should you’re already working Linux with entry to these options, utilizing a desktop that does not make the most of them might not make a lot sense and price you options. If you are working BSD, then working Fluxbox with Lumina widgets might imply not having to put in the Linux-compatible libraries from ports.
Why you must use Lumina
Lumina is straightforward sufficient in design that it does not have many options you’ll be able to’t implement by yourself by putting in Fluxbox alongside together with your favourite parts (PCManFM for file administration, a wide range of LXQt apps, Tint2 for a panel, and so forth). But that is open supply, and customers of open supply love to search out methods to keep away from reinventing the wheel (virtually as a lot as we love reinventing the wheel).
The Lumina desktop is a shortcut to a fast and smart Fluxbox-based desktop with all of the issues you’ll be able to’t stay with out and only a few of the finer particulars you will need to configure your self. Give the Lumina desktop a attempt to see if it is the desktop for you.