A new version of MaXX Interactive Desktop, the true successor to the great IRIX Interactive Desktop, found only on SGI systems, has been released. It's not just a theme or skin over an existing window manager. This project aims to resurrect the IRIX Interactive Desktop and continue its evolution as if SGI still existedβ¦.
This release is the "base". By a basic release, the author means that all efforts were focused on the basic components of the environment, such as libraries, a window manager, a set of utilities, appearance and performance.
The author also focused on preparing and documenting next steps.
Finally, this release will be the last release to use current installation mechanism. It's simple and works, but the author wants to provide a more user-friendly installation mechanism with a new graphical installer. For its implementation, Java was chosen in conjunction with GraalVM to package the installer into an executable file, which will simplify development and distribution.
Major changes:
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All major libraries have been updated to the latest version, including security fixes.
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Full SGI Motif Modern look and feel with some latest fixes.
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Fast and reliable theme switcher. This means you can dynamically switch from classic SGI to a modern look with just one click. No restart.
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Unicode, UTF-8 and anti-aliased text support in 5DWM with user configurable options.
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Added Japanese language support in 5Dwm.
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Improved Xinerama support for reliable multi-monitor experience.
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Operations with windows have been optimized, they now practically do not load the processor at all.
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Reducing the memory load of all components and applications.
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Revised version of xsettingsd pending the introduction of MaXX Settings (expected September 2020).
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New horizontal layout for Toolchest.
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Updated terminal, improved support for UTF-8 and font smoothing.
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Preparing to integrate the MSettings Configuration Management Service and adding configuration panels in the next release due in one to two months.
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MaXX Launcher for better desktop app launch management.
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ImageViewer, an ultra-fast and lightweight image viewer.
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New features have been added to tellwm and 5Dwm.
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The Legacy SGI Motif v.2.1.32 library is no longer part of the distribution, but will be made available as a separate download to allow running older Motif-based applications. Like, for example, the old Maya.
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The GLUT library is also excluded from the distribution. FreeGlut can be installed as a replacement.
Purpose and goals of the project
Source: linux.org.ru