The folks behind the Numix Project, popular for its GTK and icon themes, have announced that they are working with Nitrux S.A. on a new Linux distribution.
GNOME as a base
"We are basing our shell on Gnome-Shell and we will use Gnome apps. Our shell will be made from extension for Gnome-Shell. That means we are NOT forking Gnome-Shell and we're not moving away from Gnome as a base."
The new Linux distribution will use GNOME apps and GNOME Shell, customized with extensions that change its look and functionality to fulfill the vision of the Numix Project designers, which you can see in the mockups below:
A few explanations for the screenshots above:
- the bottom dock uses intellihide and shows running apps for the current workspace only (but there will be an option to show apps for all workspaces);
- the application launcher has no categories and the apps are ordered by usage;
- dragging an icon from the dock or a window thumbnail invokes the workspace switcher so you can create a new workspace (by dragging the icon to the plus sign on the right);
- the dock and panel lose the background and borders when in Overview mode;
- the notifications and notification center are displayed in the top bar (on the right);
- the Search in overview can run commands (but the ALT + F2 dialog will continue to be available).
The extensions are likely to be available via GNOME's Extensions website or even packaged in the repositories.
The new Linux distribution will target gamers
The operating system will come with Steam preinstalled and it will target gamers, but of course it will also be suitable for non-gaming work. This, mentions Google+ post, is connected to a future announcement related to monetization which Numix will reveal in a few days.
And speaking about monetization, the folks behind this new project will try to make some revenue out of it by either making it a paid distro or by using donations.
It's also important to mention that it hasn't been decided yet which Linux distribution will be used as a base, but Ubuntu 14.04 is one of the options, according to a Google+ comment by the Numix Project.
Developers needed
Numix needs developers to turn the above mockups into reality and they are willing to pay so if you know JavaScript, see the announcement @ Google+ for more information.
What do you think?
mockups / info via G+
