NebiOS turns your Linux desktop into a Google Workspace alternative, with a caveat

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ZDNET Highlights

• NebiOS is a unique Linux distribution.
• NebiDE uses the Wayfire compositor based on Wayland.
• NebiOS isn’t ready to be your everyday OS, but it’s fun to try.

NebiOS is a unique Linux distribution for several reasons. First, it provides a beautiful desktop UI (NaBDE) if you choose to use the Wayfire compositor, which is based on Wayland. NebiDE is a highly customizable, extendable, and lightweight desktop environment that is modular, meaning you can make changes to it and even add plugins for more flexibility with more functionality and appearance.

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Another aspect that makes NebiOS unique is that it works seamlessly with NebiCloud (more on its status below), which is an alternative cloud storage service. NebiCloud uses NextCloud as a UI to create Google Workspace options that include:

• files
• calendar
• photos
• action
• Contact
• phonetrack
• notes
• music
• announcements
• form
• tv show
• Work
• podcast
• password manager
• and more

NebiProblems

NebiCloud offers free accounts, which give you 10GB of file storage. The NebiCloud account is where I encountered my only concern about NebiOS. Although NebiOS is still in active development, I wasn’t able to find much information about NebiCloud (including pricing or if it’s still in development). NebiCloud is open source, and the most recent activity on its GitLab page was from 2024.

I was still able to use NabiCloud and NextCloud, but couldn’t find information about the versions being used. What does this mean for NebiOS? Although you can connect NebiOS to NebiCloud, I would do so with great caution. Given that NebiCloud has not been in active development for some time, chances are good that it is vulnerable. To that end, I wouldn’t recommend connecting NebiOS to a cloud service.

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This doesn’t mean that NebiOS isn’t a viable option. it is. The OS is still in active development, and NebiDE is worth a try.

NebiDE

This was the first time I used NebiOS and NebiDE. My initial impression was that it felt like a combination of Hyperland and KDE Plasma (with a dash of GNOME). It’s beautiful and makes it possible for anyone to come to this desktop and feel at home.

NebiDE consists of the following:

• A system tray in the upper right corner.
• Expo (workspace overview) in the upper left corner.
• An app menu (lower left corner).
• An expandable panel (bottom center).
• Access to settings (lower right corner).
• Desktop widget.

The collection of pre-installed apps gives you Firefox, Geary (email), Lollipop (music player), Video, and a GUI app store called Bundle Store. From the Bundle Store, you can install any app you need with a point-and-click GUI.

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NebiDE runs very well, but it gives you the feeling that it is still in early development. Even during installation, there were issues with drop-downs and buttons missing or appearing irregularly. Once the OS was installed, things calmed down a bit and felt much more stable.

Will I use NebiOS as my daily OS? Probably not. But I was intrigued to see what this distro had to offer. The developers have created something special that could become a big player in the Linux distro and DE field. NebiDE really impressed me. The desktop looks modern and beautiful, the animations are very well done, and the desktop layout is very well thought out.

NebiDE feels incomplete. For example, I couldn’t figure out how to change the display resolution. Anyway, the icons were oversized, which had the side effect of taking up too much screen real estate.

There is one oddity I encountered. When you open apps, you’ll find that the Close button is on the left of the title bar, and the Minimize button is on the right.

It takes a little getting used to, and I haven’t found a way to change it.

flatpak and apt

After opening the Bundle Store, I discovered that NebiOS defaults to Flatpak apps. You also have access to the standard Ubuntu repositories through the Apt command line tool.

However, the bundled store is limited to Flatpak.

Should you try NebiOS?

If curiosity is your thing, I would highly recommend you try NebiOS; It’s fun, unique, and gives you an idea of ​​what the future of the Linux desktop could look like. On the other hand, if you’re looking for your next everyday operating system, NebiOS is not what you want.

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I really enjoyed my testing time with NebiOS, and I really hope the developers continue this project because it could really become something special.