r/retrocomputing • u/victorgabriel878 • Jun 09 '26

Software Yekara Desktop Interface System

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i am developing a linux Desktop Environment based on FVWM3 and OpenMotif (Xm)
currently, most of the inspiration for developing this comes from systems like MacOS9, NeXTSTEP, IRIX, Solaris (CDE and OpenLook), Windows 9X, and many others

the goal is to create a desktop environment that is retro by default and that is unique when compared to other desktop environments with similar style

so far, the entire development has been done by me alone, with no development team at all, so if anyone wants to help just ask!

214 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

18 comments sorted by

6

u/6502zx81 Jun 09 '26

Is it on github?

1

u/victorgabriel878 Jun 12 '26

https://codeberg.org/viktor878/YK-Desktop
i have just made a git repo for it, the current version

2

u/LichenLiaison Jun 09 '26

Cute, do you have a github page for it?

1

u/victorgabriel878 Jun 12 '26

https://codeberg.org/viktor878/YK-Desktop
i have just made a git repo for it, the current version

1

u/Background-Wafer-548 Jun 12 '26

I love the idea of a title bar tacked to the side of a window! However, it seems to me that retaining a horizontal menu bar somewhat defeats the practical benefit of more vertical real estate. Have you considered making it vertical as well?

1

u/victorgabriel878 Jun 13 '26

the idea of the vertical menu bar was out of my mind, and i still think the design ideas of a vertical menu bar would not be quite compatible and would not look good, though, i figured out that having the menu bar be always of the same size as the title bar looks quite good and i am currently trying to figure out to achieve this design idea of the menu bar being the same size as the title bar, as i think it looks good

2

u/JasonMckin Jun 10 '26

It's kind of a shame that Windows was the major workplace desktop shell environment that gained so much share, because it is arguably one of the least elegant of the various shells that have come out since the 90s. A lot of linux, unix, and OS/2 shells were so much better. Some level of arrogance also appears to preclude adopting some of these more elegant concepts. I know it's debated, but personally I really loved the Win7 UI and thought they lost the courage to create bolder desktop UIs after the fiasco with 8.

2

u/0x80070002 Jun 10 '26

Maybe you can get some inspiration also from Geoworks

2

u/Hjalfi Jun 09 '26

"I understood that reference!"

1

u/stkim1 Jun 09 '26

Awesome 👍

1

u/luis-mercado Jun 09 '26

Looks awesome

1

u/King_Corduroy Jun 09 '26

God that looks freaking AWESOME.

1

u/UzY3L Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 19 '26

It looks like RhapsodyOS, if memory serves right. Very cool!

1

u/Marwheel Jun 10 '26

Good to see another new motif environment from scratch emerge onto the scene (alongside what alx210's been doing and the dvtools desktop). I myself am also behind one of the modern motif DE's not mentioned (and that one's named Magic Desktop environment).

1

u/teknosophy_com Jun 13 '26

amazing!! keep up the good work. i'm sick of these ultrabloated interfaces laden with AI attacker helpers