After four years of development, the MaXX Interactive Desktop 2.2.0 has been released, which is positioned as the first alpha version of a project aiming to recreate the user interface of the IRIX Interactive Desktop (SGI Indigo Magic Desktop) using Linux technologies. The development is conducted under an agreement with SGI, allowing for the complete recreation of all functions of the IRIX Interactive Desktop for the Linux platform. Installation instructions have been prepared for Ubuntu, RHEL, Debian, Manjaro, and Arch Linux.
The source codes are published only for some components, while others are developed in private repositories, accessible by special request and containing a mix of proprietary code (in accordance with the SGI agreement) and code under various open licenses. Efforts are being made to open all source texts, rewrite the remaining proprietary code, and transition the project to a community-controlled development model. All new code and rewritten old code are published under the BSD license.
Initially, the IRIX Interactive Desktop was shipped on SGI-manufactured graphics workstations equipped with the IRIX operating system, which peaked in popularity at the end of the 1990s and was produced until 2006. The Linux shell version is implemented on top of the 5dwm window manager (based on OpenMotif) and SGI-Motif libraries. The environment is built using a modular architecture that employs microservices for the separate execution of desktop components. Among other things, it includes a subsystem for centralized system monitoring (MaXXmonitor) and a configuration management system that provides a command-line interface and API for integration with applications in C, C++, and Java.
The graphical interface works with OpenGL for hardware acceleration and visual effects. Multithreaded processing of operations has been organized to speed up performance and reduce CPU load, offloading computing tasks to the GPU. The desktop is resolution-independent and uses vector icons. It supports desktop expansion across multiple monitors, HiDPI, UTF-8, and FreeType fonts. ROX-Filer serves as the file manager (with optional support for pcmanfm, and development is underway for a proprietary file manager set to be introduced in the next release).
Among the changes in the new release:
- A quick switch option between classic and modern desktop themes has been added.
- Text rendering settings have been added.
- The integration of the Dumpster trash can with the desktop has been enhanced.
- New sound and visual effects tied to events in the file manager and Dumpster trash can have been added.
- The 5Dwma window manager has been upgraded.
- The toolkit for working with 3D graphics, OpenInventor 2.1.5, created by SGI, has been included.
- Support for desktop notifications has been added.
- A task switcher has been added with the Alt+Tab key combination.
- The design in modern mode has been improved.
- The MaXXsettings configurator has been added and integrated with the desktop. Currently, only a CLI interface is available for managing settings, while a graphical configurator is planned for the next release.
- Initial support for Freedesktop specifications (menus, .desktop files, etc.) has been implemented.
- A new window styling reminiscent of the IRIX OS has been proposed.
- The telldesktop utility for selecting the desktop theme style has been added.
Source: opennet.ru
