The vtm project is a text-based desktop environment written in C++ that uses a TUI (Text-based User Interface) grid to represent the entire user interface as a mosaic of text cells in the terminal.
Key Features:
Text-Based Desktop Environment: Allows running multiple console applications simultaneously, organized in windows within a textual desktop environment.
Flexible Rendering: The TUI grid can be displayed in its own GUI window or in compatible text terminals.
Cross-Platform Support: Compatible with Windows (8.1+), GNU/Linux, macOS, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and OpenBSD.
Advanced Configuration: Uses plain XML config files, supporting inheritance and dynamic references.
Built-in Applications: Includes internal apps such as a teletype console, log viewer, and more, all running inside the textual environment.
MIT License: Open-source code under the MIT license.
Additional Resources:
Documentation: Available in the repository, covering architecture, command-line options, UI, configuration, and more.
Binary Downloads: Available for various platforms, including different Windows architectures, *nix-like systems, and macOS.
Installation example for GNU/Linux x86_64
distros:
wget -q https://github.com/directvt/vtm/releases/latest/download/vtm_linux_x86_64.zip
unzip vtm_linux_x86_64.zip
tar xf vtm_linux_x86_64.tar # The .tar is inside the zip
sudo install -v vtm /usr/local/bin/
rm vtm_linux_x86_64.zip vtm_linux_x86_64.tar
Then run:
vtm
For more information, run:
vtm --help
Project repository: https://github.com/directvt/vtm