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Make Linux look like Star Trek LCARS
That's one seriously Next Generation desktop environment right there...
January 22, 2024
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“Star Trek: The Next Generation” introduced a custom user interface for their computer systems known as LCARS — the “Library Computer Access/Retrieval System”.

Originally designed by Michael Okuda — It was a somewhat bizarre system, with a unique style, workflow, and color theme that became almost instantly iconic. It looked almost nothing like traditional computer window managers and desktops.

And, while there have been several attempts at recreating that LCARS look on almost every major computer platform —including on Linux — there have been few implementations that went beyond simple window border and control theming.

But, boy howdy, has the “LCARS Desktop Environment” for Linux really kicked it up a notch!

The Opera web browser running on LCARS Desktop Environment

I mean, look at that!  About as close to an authentic Star Trek LCARS display as you can get on a real computer!

If Wil Wheaton does not use this on all of his computers, then there is no sense of whimsy left in the world.

LCARS DE has packages available for Ubuntu and Arch — with instructions on building for other distributions available. The developers describe the system thusly:

LCARS Desktop Environment or short lcarsde is an open source desktop environment for Linux systems. The main goal for this project is to create a desktop experience that looks somewhat like a LCARS interface.

The desktop environment consists of a window manager that is based on Xlib as well as a set of tool applications, which are a menu of active open applications, the status bar, a program selection and an application for logout, shutdown, etc.

One of the things that makes this LCARS implementation really stand out is the custom status bar display. It helps to integrate the common status items (volume, clock, battery life, etc.) into the LCARS display. (Which has often been a shortcoming of many LCARS theme attempts over the years.)

LCARS DE even has a custom application launcher that sticks with the LCARS look.

That look is, admittedly, simple. Very text-heavy. No application icons being displayed. Simple, solid colors on a black background.

Just the same… that design instantly transports you to the Star Trek: The Next Generation era starships. Which is pretty gosh darned fun.

But... The LCARS DE is not perfect.

LCARS DE does not perfectly recreate an LCARS system… but it gets very, very close and does a surprisingly good job of finding ways of making traditional desktop components (like the status bar display) look like it would fit on the bridge of the Enterprise next to Mr Data.

Also worth noting… LCARS DE can be a little finicky to install. I’ve found the installation instructions do work. But not always consistently on all systems. I’ve hit scenarios where I’ve really borked up my install and needed to start over.

Functional. But… like I said. Finicky. That finicky-ness has not been, in my experience, consistent. Which is funky. I find it to be funk-ily finicky. Furiously so. For sure.

Alliteration aside, if you’re willing to tinker a bit (and maybe install in a virtual machine first just to work any kinks out on your given system)… it’s definitely worth it.

Making Linux look like other systems is a favorite pastime of The Lunduke Journal. Here are some articles that detail how to make Linux look like… a bunch of different OS's:

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Looking for the Podcast RSS feed or other links?
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Nearly every organization today relies heavily on technology—especially those that derive all or part of their revenue from an Internet presence. In that sense, if your company makes money online, then the team responsible for operating (i.e., “running”) that presence is directly tied to revenue in the same way Marketing or Sales is. A few thoughts:

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50% off The Lunduke Journal (including Lifetime Subscriptions) for one more day!

To all of you amazing nerds who have signed up for a new Lunduke Journal subscription today, thank you! You make The Lunduke Journal possible!

If you haven’t snagged yours yet, the “50% off everything, even the Lifetime Subscriptions” deal is available today and tomorrow (through Saturday, May 31st).

  • 50% off Monthly — Now $3 / Month (was $6 / Month)

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  • 50% off Lifetime Subscriptions — Now $100 (was $200)

All the details on how to grab each type of subscription is right here. There’s also an audio podcast and video of me rambling about it.

Once again, thank you for all of the support. It truly does make a difference.

-Lunduke

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50% off The Lunduke Journal (including Lifetime Subscriptions) through Saturday!

About 3 weeks back we had a deal where every new subscription to The Lunduke Journal was 50% off. Monthly, Yearly, Lifetime… all of it.

And — holy cow! — was that a success. Broke the record for most new subscribers to The Lunduke Journal in a single day. By a mile. Two days in a row.

Never seen anything like it. The amount of support all of you showed for truly independent Tech Journalism was off the charts.

You know what? Let’s try that again. Now through the end of May (which is Saturday, May 31st — the day after tomorrow):

  • 50% off Monthly — Now $3 / Month (was $6 / Month)

  • 50% off Yearly — Now $27 / Year (was $54 / Year)

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Choose whichever option feels right for you. All the details and links are below.

Every one — big or small — directly funds the work of The Lunduke Journal (with zero overhead). Every option includes full access to the community Forum. And, of course, every type of subscription keeps The Lunduke Journal ad-free and Big Tech free.

Remember: 50% off is only through Saturday, May 31st. The next day (Sunday, June 1st) the prices all go back to normal.

50% Off Yearly or Monthly Subscription:

50% off a Yearly or Monthly subscription to The Lunduke Journal are available via both Locals and Substack. (This includes full access to the community Forum.)

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Via Lunduke.Locals.com:

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The Famous Lifetime Subscription:

The "World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription" is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal. For life.

Now, through Saturday, May 31st… you can snag one at a crazy discount. Normally these are $200… but you can grab one for $100. (You can also pay more if you’d like to donate a little extra.)

The Lifetime Subscription can be obtained via Locals, Substack, or using Bitcoin. All three options work great and are super easy. Scroll down and choose your option.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

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If you would also like full, Lifetime access to Lunduke.Locals.com (which is included):

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How to get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

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Send any amount of BTC to the following address:

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You Make This Possible

A huge thank you to all of the subscribers who have made The Lunduke Journal possible. Because of you, we have been able to do true Tech Journalism — to tell the stories that no other Tech News outlet has the cajones to touch.

And to all of you new Lunduke Journal subscribers (which, wow, there’s a lot of you): Welcome to the last bastion of truly independent, Big-Tech-Free, ad-free, non-Woke Tech Journalism.

-Lunduke

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50% off Monthly, Yearly Subscriptions! Lifetime Subs for $100! Let's get everyone subscribing to The Lunduke Journal!

The number of free subscribers to The Lunduke Journal has absolutely exploded — across a bunch of platforms — which is truly amazing. The real Tech News is spreading farther than ever.

In fact, the free subscriber growth is so utterly massive, that if even a tiny fraction of you became a paying subscriber… The Lunduke Journal would become comfortably financially set for a very long time. Able to continue reporting on Big Tech — and corrupt Tech Foundations — well into the future.

All without taking a penny from Big Tech.

With that in mind, let’s do something awesome… something that will make Big Tech really grumpy.

Let’s get as many people subscribing to The Lunduke Journal as possible. Right now. This week. Let’s make this Big-Tech-Free, Non-Woke Tech News publication financially set for a good, long time.

To give everyone a kick-in-the-butt to help make that happen, I’m going to discount absolutely every type of subscription in a crazy way — through Friday, May 9th.

  • %50 off Monthly — Now $3 / Month (was $6 / Month)

  • %50 off Yearly — Now $27 / Year (was $54 / Year)

  • %50 off Yearly MP4 Downloads — Now $27 / Year (was $54 / Year)

  • %50 off Lifetime Subscriptions — Now $100 (was $200)

That Lifetime Subscription one is crazy.

Seriously. Make a one-time donation of $100, and be subscribed to The Lunduke Journal… for life. (This includes full access to the community Forum.)

If even 1% of the new free subscribers who have joined in the last month take advantage of this… The Lunduke Journal will be fully funded through the end of this year. And then some.

Let’s make it happen. Scroll down. Pick which ever subscription type works best for you. Then high-five yourself for making Big Tech grumpy.

Just be sure to do it by the end of the day on Friday, May 9th. The prices all go back to normal after that.

50% Off Yearly or Monthly Subscription:

50% off a Yearly or Monthly subscription to The Lunduke Journal are available via both Locals and Substack. (This includes full access to the community Forum.)

That means $3 / Month. Or $27 / Year (which works out to $2.25 / Month).

Via Lunduke.Locals.com:

Via Lunduke.Substack.com:

The Famous Lifetime Subscription:

The "World Famous Lunduke Journal Lifetime Subscription" is exactly what it sounds like. Pay once and get full access to The Lunduke Journal. For life.

And now, through Friday, May 9th… you can snag one at a crazy discount. Normally these are $200… but you can grab one for $100. (You can also pay more if you’d like to donate a little extra.)

The Lifetime Subscription can be obtained via Locals, Substack, or using Bitcoin. All three options work great and are super easy. Scroll down and choose your option.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Select "Give Once".

  3. Enter "100" (or more) into the amount field.

  4. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

How to get a Lifetime Subscription via Substack:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Substack.com/subscribe.

  2. Select the “Lifetime Subscription” option.

  3. After checking out, Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status. (This usually happens within a few hours.)

If you would also like full, Lifetime access to Lunduke.Locals.com (which is included):

  1. Make a free account on Lunduke.Locals.com.

  2. Email “bryan at lunduke.com” with the email address you use on both Substack and Locals (can be different email addresses).

  3. Lunduke will toss you an email once your account is set to full lifetime status on Locals.

How to get a Lifetime Subscription with Bitcoin:

You can also obtain a Lifetime Subscription via Bitcoin.

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with the following information: What time you made the transaction, how much was sent (in Bitcoin), and the email address you use (or plan to use) on Locals.com or Substack.com.

50% Off DRM-Free, MP4 Downloads:

Want to be able to download every show The Lunduke Journal releases (and watch them on whatever device you like)? Yeah. You can do that. For 50% off.

Note: This DRM-Free download option does not include access to the Forum. This option is strictly for downloading the episodes.

Make a One Time Donation

Subscription not enough (or not your thing)? Want to toss in a one-time donation to The Lunduke Journal? There’s a few great options!

Via BitCoin:

Send any amount of BTC to the following address:

bc1qyjakve8fywm8pz2v99v57yhjj0vzr2vjze6fcq

  • Email "bryan at lunduke.com" with to let us know it was you! You can choose to keep your donation anonymous if you prefer. (Either way, all BTC donations get included in the matching deal.)

Via Locals:

  1. Go to Lunduke.Locals.com/support.

  2. Click “GIVE ONCE”.

  3. Enter any amount you like.

You Make This Possible

A huge thank you to all of the subscribers who have made The Lunduke Journal possible. Because of you, we have been able to do true Tech Journalism — to tell the stories that no other Tech News outlet has the cajones to touch.

And to all of you new Lunduke Journal subscribers: Welcome to the last bastion of truly independent, Big-Tech-Free, ad-free, non-Woke Tech Journalism.

-Lunduke

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