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

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ZDNET key takeaways

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

NebiOS is a unique Linux distribution for several reasons. First off, it offers a beautiful desktop UI (NebiDE) that opts to use the Wayfire compositor, which is based on Wayland. NebiDE is a highly customizable, extendable, and lightweight desktop environment that is modular, which means you can tweak it and even add plugins for more functionality and greater flexibility with appearance.

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Another aspect that makes NebiOS unique is that it works seamlessly with NebiCloud (more on the status of this below), which is an alternative cloud storage service. NebiCloud uses Nextcloud as a UI to create a Google Workspace alternative that includes:

• Files
• Calendar
• Photos
• Activity
• Contacts
• Phonetrack
• Notes
• Music
• Announcements
• Forms
• TV Shows
• Tasks
• Podcasts
• Password Manager
• And more

NebiProblems

NebiCloud offers free accounts, which give you 10GB of file storage. The NebiCloud account is where I ran into 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 being developed). NebiCloud is open source, and the most recent activity on its GitLab page was from 2024.

I was still able to use NebiCloud and Nextcloud, but locating information on the versions being used was not forthcoming. What does that mean for NebiOS? Although you can connect NebiOS to NebiCloud, I would do so with great caution. Given NebiCloud hasn't been in active development for some time, chances are good that it's vulnerable. To that end, I wouldn't recommend connecting NebiOS to the cloud service.

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That doesn't mean NebiOS isn't a viable option. It is. The OS is still in active development, and NebiDE is very much worth giving a try.

NebiDE

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

NebiDE consists of the following:

• A system tray in the top right corner.
• Expo (a workspace overview) in the top left corner.
• An app menu (bottom left corner).
• An expandable panel (bottom center).
• Access to Settings (bottom right corner).
• Desktop widgets.

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

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NebiDE runs very well, but it does give you the feeling that it's still in early development. Even during the installation, there were issues with drop-downs and buttons, either missing or erratic. Once the OS was installed, things settled down a bit and felt far more stable.

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

NebiDE does feel incomplete. For example, I couldn't figure out how to change the display resolution. As is, the icons were comically large, which had the side effect of taking up a bit too much screen real estate.

There is one oddity that I came across. When you open apps, you'll find that the Close button is on the left side of the title bar, and the minimize button is on the right.

This takes a bit to get used to, and I've not found a way to change that.

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 by way of the Apt command line tool.

Bundle Store, however, is limited to Flatpak.

Should you try NebiOS?

If curiosity is your gig, I would highly recommend you give NebiOS a try; it's fun, unique, and gives you an idea of what the future of the Linux desktop might look like. If, on the other hand, you're looking for your next daily operating system, NebiOS isn't what you want.

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