mic_none

Unity8 Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity8

Lomiri
Original author(s)Canonical
Developer(s)UBports
Initial release30 July 2014; 10 years ago (2014-07-30) (as Unity 8)
Preview release
0.5.0[1]Edit this on Wikidata / 5 May 2025; 53 days ago (5 May 2025)
Repositorygitlab.com/ubports/development/core/lomiri
Written inC++ and QML[2]
Operating systemLinux
TypeGraphical user interface
LicenseGPL v3, LGPL v3
Websitelomiri.com

Lomiri (formerly Unity 8) is a graphical user interface originally developed by Canonical for Ubuntu as a successor to the Unity shell. In 2017, development was discontinued by Canonical and it has since been maintained by UBports as part of Ubuntu Touch and ported to other Linux distributions.

History

[edit]

Development of Unity 8 started in 2013 and the first preview build was published on 30 July 2014.[3] It was intended to be introduced as a primary user interface in Ubuntu 16.04 LTS,[4] but it was ultimately an optional downloadable package as it was not yet ready for production use.[5] Canonical later announced that the following short-term release of Ubuntu would use Unity 8 as the main interface but Unity 7 continued in this role while the later version remained as a preview.[4][6]

On 5 April 2017, Mark Shuttleworth announced that Canonical's work on Unity and the associated Ubuntu Touch mobile operating system would end and that the following LTS release of Ubuntu would use the GNOME 3 desktop instead.[7] The UBports project subsequently continued development of Unity 8 along with Ubuntu Touch.[8]

On 27 February 2020, UBports announced that Unity 8 would be renamed to Lomiri to prevent confusion with the Unity game engine and the separately-maintained fork of Unity 7.[9] It has been ported to other Linux distributions including Debian,[10] Arch Linux, Manjaro,[11] and postmarketOS.[12] In April 2024, Ubuntu Unity, an official Ubuntu version using a fork of the Unity 7 desktop, introduced early support for Lomiri with version 24.04.[13]

Design

[edit]

Users can access the whole system by swiping from the edges of the screen. A short swipe from the left edge allows for instant access to applications pinned to the launcher, while swiping all the way across reveals the home scope, which can be set by the user. This menu is available from the home screen and any running app.[14]

Other running applications are accessed by swiping the finger from the right edge of the screen to the left, which switches to the previous application (short swipe) or shows all open apps (long swipe). Swiping up from the bottom is used to show or hide tools specific to the app being used.[15]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Release 0.5.0". Retrieved 5 May 2025.
  2. ^ Ryan Paul (17 October 2013). "Ubuntu 13.10 review: The Linux OS of the future remains a year away". Ars Technica. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Publishing history : "unity" package : Ubuntu". 22 June 2018. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b Chris Hoffman (5 May 2016). "Convergence delayed: Unity 8 won't be the default desktop in Ubuntu 16.10". PC World. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  5. ^ Joey Sneddon (3 April 2016). "Unity 8 Takes Shape, Here's How To Install It on Ubuntu 16.04". OMG! Ubuntu!. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  6. ^ "Ubuntu 16.10 Won't Use Unity 8 By Default". 3 May 2016. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  7. ^ Kieren McCarthy (5 April 2017). "Ubuntu UNITY is GNOME-MORE: 'One Linux' dream of phone, slab, desktop UI axed". The Register. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  8. ^ Tim Anderson (18 March 2021). "UBports community delivers 'second-largest release of Ubuntu Touch ever'". The Register. Retrieved 17 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Lomiri: New Name, Same Great Unity8". UBports Foundation. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 14 May 2021.
  10. ^ Liam Proven (27 February 2024). "Official: Lomiri desktop now runs on Debian". The Register. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  11. ^ Liam Proven (29 November 2022). "Fresh versions of Ubuntu Touch, Mir display server, and Unity arrive". The Register. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  12. ^ Liam Proven (29 March 2024). "Had enough of Android? First 'Focal' based Ubuntu Touch is out". The Register. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  13. ^ Liam Proven (9 May 2024). "Experimental remix finally brings the former Unity 8 back to Ubuntu". The Register. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  14. ^ "UI model | Ubuntu Design". Ubuntu Design. Archived from the original on 26 March 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
  15. ^ "Content views | Ubuntu Design". Ubuntu Design. Archived from the original on 17 March 2013. Retrieved 10 April 2013.
[edit]