ROX Desktop

Desktop environment for X Window System

ROX Desktop

A screenshot of the ROX desktop

Repository| github.com/rox-desktop/
Written in| C, Python, GTK
Operating system| Unix-like
Type| Desktop environment
License| GNU General Public License
Website| rox.sourceforge.net/desktop/
Lxterminal (one of many Linux terminal or console applications) running neofetch, showing AntiX Linux 21 running ROX Desktop 2.11.

The ROX Desktop is a discontinued[1] graphical desktop environment for the X Window System. It is based on the ROX-Filer, a drag and drop spatial file manager. It is free software released under the GPL-2.0-or-later. The environment was inspired by the user interface of RISC OS (not to be confused with RISC/os).[2] The name "ROX" is derived from "RISC OS on X Window System". Programs can be installed or removed easily using Zero Install, a decentralized software installation system.

The project was started by Thomas Leonard as a student at the University of Southampton in 1999[3][4] and was still led by him in 2012.

## Software components

[edit]

See also: List of GTK applications

The ROX Desktop is a desktop environment based on the ROX-Filer file manager. Files are loaded by applications using drag and drop from the filer to the application, and saved by dragging back to the filer. Applications are executable directories, and thus can be installed (copied), uninstalled (deleted), and run directly through the filer interface. ROX has a strong link with Zero Install, a system for identifying and executing programs via a URL, which aims to make software installation automatic.

The desktop uses the GTK toolkit, similar to the GNOME and Xfce desktops. The design focuses on small, simple programs that use drag-and-drop to move data between them. For example, a user might load data from a compressed file from the web into a spreadsheet by dragging the file from the web browser to the archiver, and then from the archiver into the spreadsheet. A program could be installed similarly, by dragging the archive from the web to the archiver, and then from the archiver to the applications directory in the filer.

Drag-and-drop saving allows a user to save a file to any directory, or directly to another application, such as an archiver on the panel.

## ROX Filer

[edit]

ROX-Filer

Screenshot of ROX-Filer

Original author(s)| Thomas Leonard
Repository|

* github.com/rox-desktop

Operating system| Unix-like
Type| File manager
License| GPL-2.0-or-later
Website| rox.sourceforge.net/desktop/ROX-Filer.html

ROX-Filer is a graphical spatial file manager for the X Window System. It can be used standalone or as part of the ROX Desktop. It is the default file manager in certain Linux distributions such as Puppy Linux and Dyne:bolic, and was used in Xubuntu until Thunar became stable.

ROX-Filer is built using the GTK+ toolkit. Available under the terms of the GPL-2.0-or-later, ROX-Filer is free software.[5]

## Zero Install

[edit]

Zero Install

Zero Install ready to run a downloaded program

Developer(s)| Thomas Leonard
Stable release|

2.17[6] / May 4, 2020; 5 years ago (2020-05-04)

Repository|

* github.com/0install/0install

Written in| OCaml
Operating system| Linux, Unix, macOS, Windows
Type| Package manager
License| LGPLv2.1
Website| 0install.net

Zero Install (or 0install) is a multi-platform (Windows, Linux, macOS) system for running applications, enabling decentralized publishing (without using a traditional central repositories, directly from project websites).[7] Unlike simple xcopy deployment[original research?], Zero Install retains the advantages of repositories, such as shared libraries, automatic updates, and validation of digital signatures.[8]

Zero Install uses metadata (sometimes called the feed format) written in XML. Similar to xcopy deployment,[original research?] each application gets its own directory, and there are no side effects on the OS. This eliminates the need for administrative rights, and different versions of the same application can be run side-by-side without special modifications.[8]

To run an application, the user uses a launcher in ROX-Filer. This launcher instructs the system to run the application specified by a URL within the launcher's script. The first time it is launched, the system uses the URL to download the program and save it. On subsequent launches, the system does not download it again. This mechanism is referred to as 'Zero Install' because the launcher aims to run the program directly rather than performing a traditional installation process.[9]<[non-primary source needed]

## See also

[edit]

* Free and open-source software portal

* Comparison of X Window System desktop environments
* Package manager

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kenlon, Seth (16 December 2019). "Relive Linux history with the ROX desktop | Opensource.com". opensource.com. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
2. ^ "ROX founder: Why I brought RISC OS to Unix". Archived from the original on 20 November 2007.
3. ^ "RISC O-X?". Acorn User. No. 214\. December 1999. p. 10. Retrieved 16 August 2013.
4. ^ "comp.sys.acorn.misc – Re: ROX desktop". Archived from the original on 10 July 2012.
5. ^ "COPYING". Archived from the original on 23 July 2012.
6. ^ "Releases · 0install/0install". GitHub.
7. ^ Khurshid, Usman (12 September 2013). "Run Windows Programs Without Having to Install Them". Make Tech Easier. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
8. ^ a b Eicher 2011, p. 8.
9. ^ "Zero Install and AddApp | ROX Desktop". ROX Desktop. 20 November 2007. Archived from the original on 20 November 2007. Retrieved 21 June 2024.

## Sources

[edit]

* Eicher, Bastian (2011). Desktop Integration Management for Portable, Zero-Install and Virtualized Applications (PDF). Department of Computer Science (BS thesis). Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.

## Notes

[edit]

* Bruce Byfield (7 February 2007) ROX Desktop provides light, quirky alternative to GNOME and KDE[permanent dead link], Linux.com
* (in German) Jo Moskalewski (July 2002) ' RISC rocks. Jo´s alternativer Desktop: ROX LinuxUser

## External links

[edit]

* ROX Desktop on SourceForge

* v
* t
* e

Desktop environments and window managers based on X11 or Wayland

Desktop
environments
(comparison)|

| GTK-based|

* Budgie
* Cinnamon
* GNOME
* 1
* 2
* 3
* GPE
* Java Desktop System
* LXDE
* MATE
* ROX Desktop
* Sugar
* Xfce

|

Qt-based|

* Deepin DE
* KDE SC
* 1
* 2
* 3
* 4
* Lumina
* LXQt
* Razor-qt
* Trinity
* UKUI

Motif-based|

* CDE
* IRIX Interactive Desktop
* VUE
* X.desktop

* COSMIC
* Looking Glass
* OpenWindows (XView\- and OLIT-based)
* UDE (Xlib/XCB-based)

Graphical
shells|

* GNOME Shell
* KDesktop
* KDE Plasma
* 4
* 5
* 6
* Plasma Bigscreen
* Plasma Mobile
* Lomiri
* Maynard
* Phosh
* Unity

X window
managers
(comparison)|

| Compositing|

* Compiz
* Enlightenment
* KWin
* Metacity
* Metisse
* Moksha
* Muffin
* Mutter
* Project Looking Glass
* Xfwm

|

Stacking|

* 4Dwm
* AfterStep
* amiwm
* Blackbox
* CTWM
* cwm
* Fluxbox
* FLWM
* FVWM
* IceWM
* Matchbox
* Motif Window Manager
* olwm
* Openbox
* Qvwm
* Sawfish
* swm
* twm
* tvtwm
* vtwm
* Window Maker
* WindowLab
* wm2

Tiling|

* awesome
* dwm
* i3
* Ion
* larswm
* ratpoison
* StumpWM
* wmii
* xmonad

Wayland
compositors|

* Enlightenment
* Gala
* KWin
* Mir
* Mutter
* Muffin
* Budgie-wm
* sway
* Weston

Related|

* Display server
* Desktop metaphor
* GUI
* GUI widget
* Painter's algorithm
* Resolution independence
* Shell
* Virtual desktop
* Widget toolkit
* WIMP
* Windowing system

* v
* t
* e

Free and open-source software

General|

* Alternative terms for free software
* Comparison of open-source and closed-source software
* Comparison of source-code-hosting facilities
* Free software
* Free software project directories
* Gratis versus libre
* Long-term support
* Open-source software
* Open-source software development
* Outline
* Timeline

Software
packages|

* Audio
* Bioinformatics
* Codecs
* Configuration management
* Drivers
* Graphics
* Wireless
* Health
* Mathematics
* Office suites
* Operating systems
* Routing
* Television
* Video games
* Web applications
* E-commerce
* Android apps
* iOS apps
* Commercial
* Formerly proprietary
* Formerly open-source

Community|

* Free software movement
* History
* Open-source-software movement
* Events
* Advocacy

Organisations|

* Free Software Movement of India
* Free Software Foundation

Licenses|

* AFL
* Apache
* APSL
* Artistic
* Beerware
* BSD
* Creative Commons
* CDDL
* EPL
* Free Software Foundation
* GNU GPL
* GNU AGPL
* GNU LGPL
* ISC
* MIT
* MPL
* Python
* Python Software Foundation License
* Shared Source Initiative
* Sleepycat
* Unlicense
* WTFPL
* zlib

| Types and
standards|

* Comparison of licenses
* Contributor License Agreement
* Copyleft
* Debian Free Software Guidelines
* Definition of Free Cultural Works
* Free license
* The Free Software Definition
* The Open Source Definition
* Open-source license
* Permissive software license
* Public domain

|

Challenges|

* Digital rights management
* License proliferation
* Mozilla software rebranding
* Proprietary device drivers
* Proprietary firmware
* Proprietary software
* SCO/Linux controversies
* Software patents
* Software security
* Tivoization
* Trusted Computing

Related
topics|

* Forking
* GNU Manifesto
* Microsoft Open Specification Promise
* Open-core model
* Open-source hardware
* Shared Source Initiative
* Source-available software
* The Cathedral and the Bazaar
* Revolution OS

* Portal
* Category

* v
* t
* e

File managers (comparison)

Cross-platform|

* Dired
* Dolphin
* Double Commander
* Graphics Environment Manager
* Midnight Commander
* MuCommander

Unix-like|

* emelFM2
* gentoo
* GNOME Commander
* GNOME Files
* Konqueror
* Krusader
* Nemo
* nnn
* PCManFM
* ranger
* SpaceFM
* Thunar
* Xfe

DOS|

* DOS Navigator
* DOS Shell
* Norton Commander
* PathMinder
* PC Shell
* ViewMAX
* Volkov Commander
* XTree

OS/2 etc.|

* DOS Navigator
* Norton Commander

Windows|

| Official|

* File Manager
* File Explorer / Windows Explorer

|

Unofficial|

* Altap Salamander
* Directory Opus
* DOS Navigator
* Explorer++
* Far Manager
* Norton Commander
* STDU Explorer
* Total Commander
* WinSCP
* xplorer²
* XTree
* XYplorer
* ZTreeWin

Macintosh OSs|

| Classic Mac OS|

* Finder

|

macOS|

* Commander One
* Finder
* ForkLift
* Path Finder
* Xfile

BeOS etc.|

* OpenTracker
* Tracker

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