NebiOS turns your Linux desktop into a Google Workspace alternative – with one caveat

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ZDNET key takeaways

• NebiOS is a singular Linux distribution.
• NebiDE makes use of the Wayfire compositor, based mostly on Wayland.
• NebiOS is not able to be your each day OS, however it’s enjoyable to strive.

NebiOS is a singular Linux distribution for a number of causes. First off, it provides a ravishing desktop UI (NebiDE) that opts to make use of the Wayfire compositor, which relies on Wayland. NebiDE is a extremely customizable, extendable, and light-weight desktop atmosphere that’s modular, which suggests you may tweak it and even add plugins for extra performance and larger flexibility with look.

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One other side that makes NebiOS distinctive is that it really works seamlessly with NebiCloud (extra on the standing of this beneath), which is an alternate cloud storage service. NebiCloud makes use of Nextcloud as a UI to create a Google Workspace various that features:

• Information
• Calendar
• Pictures
• Exercise
• Contacts
• Phonetrack
• Notes
• Music
• Bulletins
• Kinds
• TV Reveals
• Duties
• Podcasts
• Password Supervisor
• And extra

NebiProblems

NebiCloud provides free accounts, which provide you with 10GB of file storage. The NebiCloud account is the place I bumped into my solely concern about NebiOS. Though NebiOS remains to be in lively growth, I wasn’t capable of finding a lot details about NebiCloud (together with pricing or if it is nonetheless being developed). NebiCloud is open supply, and the latest exercise on its GitLab web page was from 2024.

I used to be nonetheless ready to make use of NebiCloud and Nextcloud, however finding data on the variations getting used was not forthcoming. What does that imply for NebiOS? Though you may join NebiOS to NebiCloud, I might achieve this with nice warning. Given NebiCloud hasn’t been in lively growth for a while, likelihood is good that it is susceptible. To that finish, I would not advocate connecting NebiOS to the cloud service.

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That does not imply NebiOS is not a viable possibility. It’s. The OS remains to be in lively growth, and NebiDE may be very a lot value giving a strive.

NebiDE

This was the primary time I might ever used NebiOS and NebiDE. My preliminary impression was that it felt like a mix of Hyprland and KDE Plasma (with a touch of GNOME). It is stunning and makes it doable for anybody to leap on this desktop and really feel proper at residence.

NebiDE consists of the next:

• A system tray within the high proper nook.
• Expo (a workspace overview) within the high left nook.
• An app menu (backside left nook).
• An expandable panel (backside heart).
• Entry to Settings (backside proper nook).
• Desktop widgets.

The gathering of preinstalled apps provides you Firefox, Geary (e-mail), Lollypop (music participant), Movies, and a GUI app retailer known as Bundle Retailer. From the Bundle Retailer, you may set up any apps you want with a point-and-click GUI.

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NebiDE runs very effectively, however it does provide the feeling that it is nonetheless in early growth. Even through the set up, there have been points with drop-downs and buttons, both lacking or erratic. As soon as the OS was put in, issues settled down a bit and felt way more steady.

Would I exploit NebiOS as my each day OS? Most likely not. However seeing what this distro has to supply has me very intrigued. The builders have created one thing fairly particular that might grow to be a giant participant within the Linux distro and DE area. NebiDE actually impressed me. The desktop seems to be trendy and delightful, animations are very effectively performed, and the desktop format may be very effectively thought out.

NebiDE does really feel incomplete. For instance, I could not work out how one can change the show decision. As is, the icons had been comically massive, which had the aspect impact of taking on a bit an excessive amount of display screen actual property.

There may be one oddity that I got here throughout. If you open apps, you will discover that the Shut button is on the left aspect of the title bar, and the reduce button is on the correct.

This takes a bit to get used to, and I’ve not discovered a strategy to change that.

Flatpak and Apt

After opening the Bundle Retailer, I found that NebiOS defaults to Flatpak apps. You even have entry to the usual Ubuntu repositories by means of the Apt command line software.

Bundle Retailer, nonetheless, is restricted to Flatpak.

Must you strive NebiOS?

If curiosity is your gig, I might extremely advocate you give NebiOS a strive; it is enjoyable, distinctive, and offers you an concept of what the way forward for the Linux desktop would possibly seem like. If, alternatively, you are on the lookout for your subsequent each day working system, NebiOS is not what you need.

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I actually loved my testing time with NebiOS, and I actually hope the builders proceed with the challenge as a result of it might grow to be one thing actually particular.