Full gui Desktop


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I propose Unraid support or add a full gui desktop mode.  Since I could not do that with the current version of Unraid I decided to use Xubuntu.  I wanted the ease of use of setup that Unraid had to offer however I wasn't able to get it to work as well.  Please consider adding or changing the current gui mode.

 

I realize Unraid started as a gui-less server however the technology has evolved and this should be seriously considered.  Or perhaps I am not Unraid's target audience.  Anyway this is what it would take to get me to reconsider Unraid.

 

Peace

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Probably not going to happen, as unraid runs totally in RAM, and is unpacked fresh from the USB license stick on bootup. There are plenty of people running a VM with hardware passthrough on unraid as their main desktop already, and that accomplishes pretty much the same thing as a full DE built into the OS.

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Thank you for the reply.  I wish my post had been received in a positive manner.

 

With my setup I can run one VM with GPU pass through and as many VM OSes as I have resources for.  I have had two VMs running with a third VM running pass through mode, concurrently.  Try that with Unraid and only two GPUs.  I suppose you could go headless and run two VMs but not three.  So my setup fits my needs better.  I am only encouraging you to improve your product before someone else makes a completing product and makes you play catch-up.

 

That is a good point about the USB stick.  My install runs completely in RAM, booting from the SSD.  I checked and that is 12 GB of space on the SSD.  However I haven't optimized my setup, haven't had time yet.  I know Unraid uses a lot less ram than my setup.  Mine runs in 2.5 GM ram of which I have no idea how much is unneeded bloat.  I suspect not much since XFCE is light weight which is why I choose it.  So a 16 GB USB stick would be plenty large enough running with 2-3 GB ram.  I think it is doable and makes Unraid more desirable as a KVM server.  Another plus is WiFi support, builtin keyboard support for alternate languages, etc.

 

This is likely my last post here.  I wish Unraid all the best!

 

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7 hours ago, Tjlejeune said:

There's already a full desktop. Boot into gui mode

I would disagree that Unraid gui mode is a full desktop.  Where is the WiFi, change keyboard layout, audio, etc. support?  I know you can do all of these without a gui desktop.  However a full gui desktop includes all of these and more.

 

I am reply to you in a VM running Xubuntu.  This VM doesn't use pass through and plays videos without stutter.  Across the top of the server just above the VM window for server monitoring I have Network, temps (5 drives + CPU + MB), CPU load by thread, overall CPU load, free space on root, drive activity, memory and swap space usage, time up, RAID health, notifications for fan speeds, smart monitoring on the drives, and temps.  With Virtual Machine Manager I can monitor each VM, memory usage, disk I/O, and network I/O.  Unraid could make this type of setup possible through user friendliness.  It took me 2-3 weeks to build this hybrid server because I needed to learn much of it as I went.  I was looking toward Unraid to make this setup possible so I wouldn't have to spend 2 weeks learning.

 

I haven't installed containers, haven't seen a need yet however I may in the future.

 

I think this is doable for a small company if they leverage an existing linux distribution.

 

Okay, peace, time for me to go!

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Unraid is based off of slackware, so you should be able to install whatever software you want. A headless server doesn't really need a WiFi manager or a way to change keyboard layout, but I'm sure it's doable with a few quick Google searches. Installing software isn't as easy as Ubuntu based distros, but it's doable.  Using a VM is the better option though. The performance loss using KVM is barely noticeable.

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A full desktop stack is not a small undertaking and would have a significant ongoing maintenance burden, for what may well be a very small percentage of the user base.  I'm perfectly happy running headless with VMs for the times I need a desktop other than my laptop and wouldn't want to see Unraid migrate to essentially a desktop OS. 

 

One of the reasons the current desktop implementation is so limited is to keep the potential attack vectors down, hence the recommendation that the Firefox browser included isn't used for routine internet browsing.

 

Like everything in tech/life, it's about using the right tool for the right job and it's my belief that a server OS isn't the right place for a full unrestricted access to a desktop environment machine on the same bare metal.

 

Whilst I can see where the OP is coming from, and as a desktop Linux user myself, we also have to realise that a huge majority of the Unraid user base do not actually use/or wish to use a desktop Linux as their primary desktop computing OS, preferring to stick with Windows or MacOS.

 

For the reasons above I can't see that this makes a lot of sense either on a practical or commercial basis for LT to dedicate resources to, however, I don't work for LT and this is purely my own point of view. 

 

It's possible (although I suspect highly unlikely) that @limetech pick this idea up and run with it.  But I wouldn't hold my breath.

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Thank you both for the reply.  My post was intended to notify LimeTech why they lost this sale and what they could have done to acquire a sale.  The resistants was exactly as I expected.  I am moving on.

 

Clearly this is the right choice for you based on your needs.

 

Developing the GUI into a full desktop OS would be incredibly resource intensive and not likely in the realm of possibility for a small operation such as Limetech, assuming they even had a desire to go down that path. The effort would not be worth it for the relatively small amount of incremental sales (assuming there are others with your viewpoint) that would result from this fundamental change in philosophy, especially given the increased complexity and support costs that would follow.

 

For the vast majority of UnRAID uses, the product is currently what they want and expect it to be; a lightweight yet highly-functional sever platform with unique storage management capabilities and a solid foundation for docker containers and VMs.

 

If Limetech tried to turn it into a full GUI desktop OS, these forums would likely be flooded with “I am abandoning UnRAID because Limetech have lost their focus and over-complicated what was once a great product.” posts.

 

As is usually the case with technology, it can’t be all things to all people.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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23 hours ago, SonWon said:

Thank you both for the reply.  My post was intended to notify LimeTech why they lost this sale and what they could have done to acquire a sale.  The resistants was exactly as I expected.  I am moving on.

Sometimes these "resistances" are also sound business decisions. Chasing every potential sale is a fools errand since sooner or later it will just not become financially viable due to the increased production and maintenance/support costs compared to additional sales. And as Hoopster said, it could alienate more existing customers than bring in new ones.

Othertimes it's more of a "why add something only a single person wants" kinda thing. These kinds of "resistances" are to a certain degree needed to keep a project spiraling out of control with feature bloat.

 

I can't say for certain if a full DE would be that point for Limetech but I suspect it is too close for comfort.

 

There is nothing wrong with voicing your concerns or wishes but if you want them to seriously consider something you have to make a case that it will be worth it for them to do it, and one factor would be more sales than just you. Outside of an effectively maintenance free distro for your specific use-case (that is a desktop distro with pre-installed KVM environment) I just don't see the big appeal of this for the larger community. 

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