Matchbox facilitates X11 applications on non-desktop embedded platforms by offering a flexible and lightweight user environment.
Matchbox is an Open Source software that provides a lightweight and flexible user environment for X11 applications on non-desktop embedded platforms. It is specifically designed for devices that have limited screen space, input mechanisms, and system resources like set-top boxes, handhelds, kiosks, and other similar gadgets.
Matchbox has a variety of interchangeable and optional applications that can be customized to enhance the user experience in a constrained environment. The core and most developed application is a window manager that has a classic stack-based PDA-like management policy. It supports modern window management standards, advanced theming, different window types, and cutting-edge X capabilities.
Aside from the window manager, Matchbox also includes a panel with numerous example applets, a PDA-style desktop launcher, a shared utility library, and other software input mechanisms. All applications are designed to be fast, light, and flexible, without being tied to any GUI toolkit. Dependencies are also controllable at build time.
Matchbox is used as a base for various handheld user interface environments such as Maemo used on the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet and GPE, a popular Open Source GTK-based Palmtop Environment. It also extends to other non-desktop devices like the Drewtech ScanDAQ, Web Kiosks, and set-top boxes. Moreover, Matchbox is included in embedded distributions like OpenEmbedded and Familiar and general-purpose Linux distributions such as Debian.
The latest release of Matchbox includes improvements to theming, a maemo-related tweak, and various minor enhancements throughout. With its flexibility and lightweight design, Matchbox is an excellent option for developers who are looking for optimal performance and resource management in a constrained environment.
Matchbox has a variety of interchangeable and optional applications that can be customized to enhance the user experience in a constrained environment. The core and most developed application is a window manager that has a classic stack-based PDA-like management policy. It supports modern window management standards, advanced theming, different window types, and cutting-edge X capabilities.
Aside from the window manager, Matchbox also includes a panel with numerous example applets, a PDA-style desktop launcher, a shared utility library, and other software input mechanisms. All applications are designed to be fast, light, and flexible, without being tied to any GUI toolkit. Dependencies are also controllable at build time.
Matchbox is used as a base for various handheld user interface environments such as Maemo used on the Nokia 770 Internet Tablet and GPE, a popular Open Source GTK-based Palmtop Environment. It also extends to other non-desktop devices like the Drewtech ScanDAQ, Web Kiosks, and set-top boxes. Moreover, Matchbox is included in embedded distributions like OpenEmbedded and Familiar and general-purpose Linux distributions such as Debian.
The latest release of Matchbox includes improvements to theming, a maemo-related tweak, and various minor enhancements throughout. With its flexibility and lightweight design, Matchbox is an excellent option for developers who are looking for optimal performance and resource management in a constrained environment.
What's New
Version 1.0: N/A