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Desktop environments & utilities

Overview

Desktops

Desktop Utilities

How do I run DietPi-Software and install optimised software items?

To install any of the DietPi optimised software items listed below run from the command line:

dietpi-software

Choose Browse Software and select one or more items. Finally select Install.
DietPi will do all the necessary steps to install and start these software items.

DietPi-Software menu screenshot

To see all the DietPi configurations options, review the DietPi Tools section.

Return to the Optimised Software list

LXDE

LXDE is highly optimised and ultra lightweight desktop. It works well with computers on the low end of the performance spectrum such as new generation netbooks and small computers, or older resource-constrained machines.

LXDE screenshot

After installation, desktop can be run by typing

startx

To start different programs when the system boots, run from the command line:

dietpi-autostart

To see all the DietPi configurations options, review DietPi Tools section.

Official website: https://www.lxde.org/

LXQt

Optimised lightweight desktop without the bloatware. Slick and fluid GUI, however, more resource heavy than LXDE.

LXQt screenshot

Source: LXQt, CC BY-SA 3.0, wikimedia.

After installation, desktop can be run by typing

startx

To start different programs when the system boots, run from the command line:

dietpi-autostart

To see all the DietPi configurations options, review DietPi Tools section.

Official website: https://lxqt-project.org/ Source code: lxqt/lxqt

MATE

Popular Gnome2 based desktop environment.

MATE screenshot

After installation, desktop can be run by typing

startx

To start different programs when the system boots, run from the command line:

dietpi-autostart

To see all the DietPi configurations options, review DietPi Tools section.

Website: https://mate-desktop.org

Xfce

Xfce screenshot

After installation, desktop can be run by typing

startx

To start different programs when the system boots, run from the command line:

dietpi-autostart

To see all the DietPi configurations options, review DietPi Tools section.

Website: https://wiki.debian.org/Xfce

GNUstep

GNUstep screenshot

After installation, desktop can be run by typing

startx

To start different programs when the system boots, run from the command line:

dietpi-autostart

To see all the DietPi configurations options, review DietPi Tools section.

Website: http://gnustep.org

Desktop utilities

Chromium

Chromium screenshot

Overview

The Chromium kiosk mode is a Chromium feature that allows your device to be used in a single-window resp. single-app kiosk mode. Generally, any access to the rest of your system is locked.
The mode can be used to set the web browser to these properties:

  • Full screen
  • No menu bar, no toolbar, no address field,…
  • No option to exit the browser resp. change the tabs

Two examples using the mode are to use your system

  • as a display of only one or several web pages (via tabs) without access to the whole system
  • as a browser based smart home GUI

The kiosk mode can be distinguished to the Single App Kiosk Mode, where the user is locked into one single particular site having a fullscreen mode that can’t be changed or exited.
Following is an example of a kiosk mode screenshot for the example site dietpi.com:

Chromium kiosk mode screenshot

Activate Chromium kiosk mode

To put your Chromium browser into kiosk mode the following steps have to be achieved:

  1. Install Chromium browser via 

    dietpi-software install 113

    If Chromium is not installed, you will get a startup error message that the file /var/lib/dietpi/dietpi-software/installed/chromium-autostart.sh is not found if you activate Chromium kiosk mode via dietpi-autostart.

  2. Select Chromium kiosk mode (with automatic login) via

    dietpi-autostart

    and select 11 : Chromium - Dedicated use without desktop in the main dialog.
    In the following dialog enter the autostart web page which shall be displayed initially.

  3. Reboot to the Chromium kiosk mode

Deactivate Chromium kiosk mode

To deactivate the kiosk mode, e.g. login to the system via ssh and execute dietpi-autostart to switch away from the kiosk mode.

Tweak kiosk mode behaviour

The kiosk mode behaviour is defined by the contents of the file
/var/lib/dietpi/dietpi-software/installed/chromium-autostart.sh
which can be tweaked by editing it.

There are some hints how to achieve tweaking:

To enable the support for Widevine DRM protected content, these options exist:

Where can I check the status of GPU acceleration?

Once Chromium is running, simply go to the following address: chrome://gpu

Firefox

Firefox logo

Firefox Browser, also known as simply Firefox, is a free and open-source web browser developed by the Mozilla Foundation and its subsidiary, the Mozilla Corporation.

Similar to Chromium, Firefox has been made a separate install option. For desktop installs users can choose between Chromium, Firefox or no web browser.

Firefox screenshot

GIMP

MS Paint on steroids. If you need to edit pixels with a vast number of tools, GIMP is the only program you’ll need.

GIMP screenshot

Website: https://www.gimp.org

QuiteRSS

QuiteRSS is an open-source cross-platform RSS / Atom news feeds reader, with the main idea to be fast and comfortable to the end-user.

QuiteRSS screenshot

Xfce Power Manager

Enables laptop users to set up a power profile for two different modes on battery power and on AC Power while still allowing desktop users to at least change the DPMS settings and CPU frequency using the settings dialogue.

Xfce Power Manager screenshot

Return to the Optimised Software list