Rhino Linux's Lomiri snapshot recalls the glory days of Unity

Rhino Linux is preparing a major change: a new Lomiri desktop that aims to revive the convergence idea behind Ubuntu’s Unity. The developers have released an early snapshot of that build, and it can be booted as a live image for testing. As a snapshot, the build is unfinished and quite buggy.

Some apps open and then resize until they are unusable; titlebars can’t be accessed to move windows, and menus barely function. I could use a few apps (System Settings, Mugshot) and LibreOffice Writer would open, but parts of its toolbars were missing, rendering it effectively unusable.

The System Settings layout underscores the mobile focus, with Airplane Mode and Rotation Lock prominent even on desktop systems. On the positive side, Lomiri clearly echoes Unity with a side panel and top bar, and its simple app menu resembles a mobile app drawer.

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