Desktop Tools

This section highlights the desktop tools included in AstrOmakase, offering a variety of applications that cater to office tasks, PDF management, and screenshot needs. Each tool has been carefully selected to enhance your productivity and streamline your workflow.

Office Suite and data handling

OnlyOffice

OnlyOffice is a comprehensive office suite designed to cater to all your document needs. It strongly resemble Microsoft Office 365. It supports a wide array of formats including DOCX, XLSX, PPTX and PDF, making it highly compatible with files from other major office suites like Microsoft Office.

The suite features a clean and intuitive interface that simplifies tasks such as document editing, spreadsheet calculations, and presentation creation.

HDFCompass

HDFCompass is a sophisticated visualisation tool designed to facilitate the exploration and analysis of HDF5 (Hierarchical Data Format version 5) files. HDF5 is a widely used format for managing large amounts of data in a hierarchical structure. HDFCompass provides an intuitive interface that allows users to navigate through the complex hierarchies of HDF5 files, view datasets, and inspect metadata.

Its capabilities extend to data exploration, including viewing and editing dataset values and attributes, making it an invaluable tool for researchers and engineers working with HDF5 data. The application supports various data visualisation options, which enable users to gain insights into their data more effectively.

HDFCompass also offers features for searching and filtering data, which simplifies the process of managing and extracting relevant information from large and intricate datasets. The ease of use and comprehensive functionality make HDFCompass a go-to tool for anyone dealing with HDF5 files.

Kdiff3

Kdiff3 is a powerful file and directory comparison tool that excels in merging and analysing differences between files. It is particularly useful for developers and researchers who need to compare multiple versions of text files or directories, such as codebases or documentation. Kdiff3 supports side-by-side and inline comparisons, making it easy to spot differences and inconsistencies.

One of Kdiff3’s standout features is its three-way merge capability, which allows users to combine changes from multiple sources while preserving the integrity of the original files. This is especially valuable in collaborative environments where multiple contributors may be working on different versions of a document or code. The tool also includes features for conflict resolution, ensuring that discrepancies are managed efficiently and accurately. Its user-friendly interface and robust functionality make Kdiff3 an essential tool for managing and merging file changes.

Zed

Zed is a modern text editor designed to streamline the coding and text editing experience. It offers a clean and efficient interface that supports various programming languages and file formats. Zed is particularly noted for its performance and responsiveness, which enhances productivity when working with large codebases or documents.

The editor provides essential features such as syntax highlighting, code completion, and multi-cursor support, making it a valuable tool for developers who need a reliable and fast editing environment. Zed`s customisation options allow users to tailor the editor to their specific needs, including configuring themes, key bindings, and extensions. Its lightweight nature ensures that it runs smoothly without consuming excessive system resources, allowing users to focus on their work without interruptions. Zed`s combination of speed, functionality, and ease of use makes it an excellent choice for text editing tasks.

Gnome-Sushi

Gnome-Sushi is a lightweight and efficient file previewer designed for the GNOME desktop environment. It provides a quick and seamless way to view the contents of files without needing to open them in their respective applications. By simply selecting a file and pressing the spacebar, users can preview a wide range of file types, including images, PDFs, text files, and more.

The tool`s functionality enhances productivity by allowing users to quickly access and review files, making it easier to manage and organise large numbers of documents. Gnome-Sushi integrates smoothly with the GNOME file manager, offering a convenient preview feature that streamlines file handling and reduces the need for multiple application windows.

LaTeX Studio (optional)

LaTeX Studio is a robust LaTeX editor designed to facilitate the creation of high-quality scientific and technical documents. It offers a rich set of features for editing LaTeX files, including syntax highlighting, real-time preview, and a comprehensive set of tools for document formatting and referencing.

LaTeX Studio is particularly well-suited for academics and researchers who need to produce professional-grade papers, theses, and reports with precise formatting and complex document structures.

PDF Management

Currently, AstrOmakase uses OnlyOffice as default PDF viewer, but it also installs the following tools to enhance your PDF management capabilities.

Okular

Okular is a versatile and feature-rich document viewer that handles various file formats including PDFs, PostScript, DjVu, and more. It excels in its ability to manage and annotate documents, offering tools for highlighting text, adding notes, and even drawing shapes. This makes Okular an invaluable tool for reviewing and marking up research papers, technical documents, or any other text-based files.

Its robust navigation features, such as bookmarks and text search, ensure that you can quickly find and access important information within your documents.

Xournal++

Xournal++ is a versatile application for PDF annotation and note-taking, ideal for both academic and professional use. It offers a range of tools for annotating PDF documents, including highlighting, underlining, and drawing shapes. Xournal++ supports freehand drawing, which is particularly useful for adding personal notes, sketches, or diagrams directly onto your documents.

One of the standout features of Xournal++ is its support for handwritten notes. You can use a stylus or tablet to write directly on the document, making it a great choice for those who prefer taking notes in a more natural, handwritten format. Additionally, Xournal++ includes functionality for managing and organizing your notes, allowing you to create and save multiple notebooks within the application. Xournal++ also supports exporting annotations and notes to various formats, such as PDF and image files, enabling easy sharing and collaboration. The application`s user-friendly interface and extensive annotation tools make it an invaluable resource for reviewing documents, brainstorming ideas, and maintaining organized notes.

PDFsam

PDFsam is a straightforward and efficient utility for managing PDF files. It provides essential functionalities such as merging multiple PDFs into a single document, splitting a large PDF into smaller sections, and rotating pages to adjust their orientation.

The tool’s user-friendly interface makes these tasks simple and accessible, allowing you to easily organize and manipulate your PDFs without needing advanced technical knowledge. PDFsam is ideal for preparing documents for distribution or creating custom PDFs from various sources.

Internet

Chrome Browser

Chrome is a fast, secure, and user-friendly web browser developed by Google. Known for its speed and efficiency, Chrome offers a streamlined browsing experience that helps users navigate the web quickly and easily. Its minimalist design ensures that the browser interface does not distract from your browsing activities, allowing you to focus on the content. One of Chrome’s key features is its robust security measures. The browser includes built-in protections against phishing and malware, and it automatically updates to provide the latest security patches. This helps keep your online activities safe from threats and vulnerabilities. Chrome’s extensive extension library is another notable feature. Users can customize their browsing experience by installing a wide range of extensions and add-ons from the Chrome Web Store. Whether you need tools for productivity, security, or entertainment, Chrome`s extension ecosystem provides a solution for almost any need.

Additionally, Chrome offers synchronization features that allow you to seamlessly access your bookmarks, history, and settings across different devices. This makes it easy to maintain a consistent browsing experience whether you’re on your desktop, laptop, or mobile device. Chrome’s support for modern web standards ensures compatibility with a wide range of websites and web applications, enhancing your overall browsing experience.

Also, please consider set Ecosia as default search engine, as it uses its profits to plant trees around the world.

qBittorrent

qBittorrent is a popular and versatile BitTorrent client known for its simplicity, efficiency, and lack of bloat. It provides an effective solution for downloading and sharing large files over the BitTorrent protocol. With a user-friendly interface and a range of powerful features, qBittorrent is an excellent choice for managing your torrenting needs. One of the standout features of qBittorrent is its built-in torrent search engine. This allows users to search for torrents directly from within the application, eliminating the need to browse external torrent sites. Additionally, qBittorrent supports a variety of advanced torrenting features, such as sequential downloading, bandwidth scheduling, and IP filtering, giving users greater control over their download and upload activities. qBittorrent is also designed with privacy in mind. It includes support for encryption and can be configured to use a proxy server for added anonymity. This helps to protect your privacy and ensure that your torrenting activities remain secure.

The application`s interface is clean and straightforward, making it accessible for both novice and experienced users. The lightweight nature of qBittorrent ensures that it runs efficiently without consuming excessive system resources, allowing you to continue with other tasks while your downloads are in progress. Overall, qBittorrent combines functionality with ease of use, making it a reliable tool for managing your torrenting needs efficiently.

Brave Browser (optional)

Brave is a modern web browser that prioritizes user privacy and security. It blocks unwanted ads and trackers by default, which not only enhances your browsing speed but also protects your personal data from being monitored by third parties. Brave’s built-in privacy features, such as fingerprinting protection and secure browsing modes, make it a valuable tool for anyone concerned about online privacy.

Additionally, Brave offers a clean and fast browsing experience, with support for all modern web standards and extensions. Brave is also able to import all the preferences from Chrome, and allows for the creation of different users.

Also, please consider set Ecosia as default search engine, as it uses its profits to plant trees around the world.

Note

Ecosia (optional - search engine)

Ecosia is a search engine that uses its profits to plant trees around the world. Please consider using it as default search engine, as it is a great way to contribute to environmental causes while browsing the web. We cannot set it as default search engine, but you can do it manually following the instructions in this link .

NordVPN (optional)

NordVPN is a leading virtual private network (VPN) service that provides robust security and privacy features for online activities. It is designed to protect your internet connection by encrypting your data and masking your IP address, thereby enhancing your privacy and security while browsing the web. One of NordVPN’s key features is its extensive server network, which spans numerous countries around the world. This allows users to connect to servers in different locations, bypass geographic restrictions, and access content that may be blocked in their region. NordVPN’s advanced encryption protocols ensure that your data remains secure and private, protecting it from potential threats such as hackers and surveillance. In addition to its core VPN functionalities, NordVPN offers additional features such as a built-in ad blocker and malware protection, which further enhance your browsing experience by reducing unwanted ads and safeguarding against malicious sites. The service also includes options for split tunnelling, allowing you to choose which apps or websites use the VPN connection and which use your regular internet connection.

NordVPN’s user-friendly interface and cross-platform compatibility make it an excellent choice for users who require a reliable and easy-to-use VPN solution for both personal and professional use. Its commitment to privacy, combined with its comprehensive feature set, ensures that users can enjoy a secure and unrestricted online experience.

Desktop management Tools

Flameshot

Flameshot is a powerful and flexible screenshot tool that enhances the screenshot-taking experience with a range of advanced features. It allows you to capture your screen in various ways, including full-screen, window, or selected area. Once a screenshot is taken, Flameshot provides an array of editing tools to annotate the image directly—adding text, arrows, shapes, and blur effects to highlight specific areas.

Its intuitive interface and extensive customization options make it an excellent choice for creating detailed and informative screenshots for reports, tutorials, or documentation.

gdm-settings (optional)

gdm-settings is a utility for configuring the GNOME Display Manager, which controls the login screen and user session management in GNOME-based environments. This tool allows you to customize various aspects of the login screen, such as background images, layout settings, and themes. By using gdm-settings, you can personalize your login experience to better match your aesthetic preferences or organisational requirements, providing a more tailored and engaging user interface.

remmina (optional)

remmina is a feature-rich remote desktop client designed for connecting to remote systems using various protocols such as RDP, VNC, SSH, and more. It provides a user-friendly interface that allows users to seamlessly manage multiple remote connections, offering support for scaling, multi-monitor setups, and clipboard sharing. remmina is ideal for system administrators, IT professionals, and users who need to access remote desktops and servers efficiently. Its extensive plugin support and customisable settings make it a versatile tool for remote access and system management on Linux systems.

SuperPaper (optional)

SuperPaper is a specialized tool for managing wallpapers across multiple monitors. It allows you to set different images on each screen, creating a customized and visually cohesive desktop environment. With SuperPaper, you can select and display high-resolution wallpapers that span across your monitors or choose unique images for each display. This tool is ideal for users with multi-monitor setups who want to enhance their workspace’s visual appeal and organisation.

Scrcpy (optional)

Scrcpy is a powerful application for screen mirroring and controlling Android devices from your desktop. It provides high-resolution, low-latency mirroring of your device’s screen, allowing you to interact with apps, view notifications, and manage your content directly from your computer. Scrcpy’s performance and ease of use make it a valuable tool for developers, testers, or anyone who needs to access their Android device’s interface while working on a larger screen.

Ulauncher

Ulauncher is a fast and lightweight application launcher designed to streamline your workflow on Linux systems. It supports fuzzy search, keyboard navigation, and a wide range of extensions to enhance productivity. With its minimalist interface, Ulauncher allows you to quickly find and launch applications, open files, or run custom commands, all without interrupting your focus. Its extensibility and speed make it an excellent tool for users seeking an efficient and customisable way to access their desktop applications and functions.