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CutefishDE and CutefishOS: New Linux desktop with new distro
Cutefish don't tell you anything?
No problem.
This is a new approach to the Linux desktop, which also comes with its own Linux distro
and is currently still under development.
Today I will show you what Cutefish has to offer.
stay tuned
the desktop Cutefish is from China.
And if you think of Deepin or JingOS, then yes, we have another new project from the
Middle Kingdom.
Whether you like it or not, i won't cover that in this video.
I'm just going to show you here what ideas this desktop has and what we can hopefully
expect.
So I'm not testing CutefishOS yet, but I'm demonstrating the current development version
of Cutefish Desktop Environment (CutefishDE) based on CutefishOS.
CutefishOS is based on Debian Stable.
At first I heard that CutefishOS was based on Ubuntu LTS, but it seems that the decision
has been made.
I didn't choose a specific version and my system is based on Debian Bullseye.
CutefishOS also provides a package source of the same name.
As a desktop, the concept is kept very simple and flat.
A certain similarity to the Deeping Desktop Environment (DDE) cannot be denied.
As already mentioned, it is also somewhat reminiscent of JingOS . Yes, there is no denying
that.
All distros go in the same direction and adapt Apple's operating systems in a modified form.
MacOS is the model for the desktop and iPadOS is the model for the tablet OS.
Is that bad?
I honestly don't know.
Depends on how the whole thing develops in the future.
So we already have two Linux distros that emulate macOS as a role model.
One emulates iPadOS.
That's all well and good, but we don't need other distros that go in this direction now.
It's redundant now.
The basis of CutefishDE
Cutefish is written in C++ in conjunction with QML from the Qt tool kit.
KWin from the KDE Plasma project is used as the window manager.
So CutefishDE uses KDE Frameworks, Qt and KDE Plasma 5.
The CutefishDE desktop and its target group Linux desktop users are addressed as the target
group.
Those who currently or previously used macOS will find many similarities.
The dock at the bottom and the bar at the top should be mentioned spontaneously here.
The top bar also implements the app menu.
This is where Ubuntu ventured with Unity.
Since then, however, no one has adapted it in any significant way.
CutefishDE picks this up again.
But currently this only works with the in-house apps such as the file browser.
It doesn't work with Firefox, for example.
For example, a control center with shortcuts can be called up in the bar at the top right.
The system can also be shut down or restarted here.
But unlike macOS, the window elements are arranged on the right and look more like Windows
10 or 11 than macOS.
The desktop can be adapted to personal requirements.
Via the menu we reach the "Appearance" area.
Here we can toggle the color scheme between light and dark.
There is also the option to adapt the background image to the dark theme.
A few color accents can also be set here.
That's it.
A little further down we find the wallpapers, all of which look great, followed by the bar
menu item.
The dock can be modified with bar.
You can expand it, where we would quickly be at a Windows 10-like desktop, or center
it, which brings back macOS feelings.
In addition to the style, there is also the option to shift the position from the bottom
to the right or left.
Finally, the size can be switched between small, medium, large and huge.
Those who like to hide the dock or the bar will find what they are looking for in the
bottom entry.
Let's look at the dock or bar.
On the left is the launcher.
Clicking takes you to a launchpad.
This might look familiar if you've ever used Gnome.
At least the menu from the DDE has not been adopted here.
So it proposes a different path than DDE.
What I'm missing here is an option to move the window buttons to the left.
There is currently nothing available to set here.
Too bad.
At the time of writing Cutefish was bundled with CutefishOS in version 0.8.
Now you might be wondering, how can you install software on the system?
There is an app store here.
But this is currently more than an empty shell.
Much of the software is not listed.
This is probably due to the current state of development.
Or to put it another way, you can still forgive an unfinished version.
If you need more, you should get further with Synaptic.
Flatpak and Snap were not integrated into my system by default.
Special features and interim conclusion The approaches are nice.
Cutefish could be an interesting solution once completed.
But before that happens, homework has to be done.
Yes, it currently seems anything but finished and I would be surprised if it were to be
finished this year.
But I always like to be wrong in the pleasant way.
So go ahead.
What I like is the menu in the bar at the top.
Overall, the desktop becomes fresh and looks very much like macOS.
But if you don't like the legacy of the Aqua interface, you probably didn't stick with
it until this point, but switched off before that.
But what makes me a little suspicious is how you can then stand out from DDE.
The developers will face the same insinuations or accusations, at least I think so.
If you are now very keen on CutefishDE, then I can only advise you to keep your feet still.
It is not finished.
Rather, it is in development and you can tell that.
So if you're headed in that direction, check out Deepin and if you're having trouble with
Chinese distros, check out UbuntuDDE or an Arch-based distro like Manjaro.
DDE is available in all major distros and is mature compared to CutefishDE.
And even if Cutefish is finished one day, there is still the question of diversification
towards Deepin.But alright, we'll take a look at that when it's done.
We can currently note it as a new concept for the Linux desktop.
It could appeal to those switching, but whether it will have a chance remains to be seen.
I'm cautiously optimistic.
However, I don't see any added value to my preferred Pantheon desktop at the moment.
Now I would be interested in your opinion on Cutefish and CutefishOS.
If you have something to say about it, then put it in the comments.
Thanks for watching,
I hope you enjoyed this video,
If you did hit that thumbs up button, it helps me to make good content for you, other then
that, I will see you in tomorrow's video, peace out.