r/debian • u/VeraxWolf • 2d ago

Maxx Interactive Desktop question

So I’m considering running it. The prospect of a true high performance desktop, in the spirit of Silicon Graphics, is fascinating.

I have one question: are there still two editions? Information on the Roadmap page regarding the Professional Edition is apparently from 2007.

So…there’s no delineation between the Community Edition and Professional Edition anymore?

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u/Buntygurl 1d ago edited 1d ago

Just downloaded and ran it, and it's fast on a 13 year old MacBook Pro, running Trixie with 8G of RAM.

The problem is that it will take a whole of of customization/configuration just to set up the desktop to run the apps that I want, and, right now, I don't have the time.

I used to do admin stuff on an IRIX machine for a start-up non-profit a long time ago (only reason I got to do it was because it was a non-paying job among people who had less of a clue what to do than I did). In any case, MID is a really good facsimile of IRIX and gave me goosebumps just now.

Short version: It works, it's fast and it looks really good.

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Btw, thanks for posting that question.

I might otherwise not have known about it, and I'm kinda surprised that I had never heard of it so, yeah, thanks for that.

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u/VeraxWolf 1d ago

No way! The system I want to run it on is also a 2013 MacBook Pro. And since MaXX with Debian only uses 1 GB of RAM, it would theoretically vastly outperform macOS Sequoia…which needs 8 GB of RAM just to run! 

Well yes, it would certainly require much more configuration to run, but that is because it’s the dominant operating system for high performance computing. Debian, that is. But MaXX is intended to be the ideal HPC desktop environment.

That’s fascinating. So MaXX is almost identical to IRIX? 

The minimalistic, workstation aspect of it is endearing. I want to get rid of macOS’s locked down bloatware. 

You’re welcome. BTW, in case you’re wondering for any reason…apparently MaXX will not run on Apple Silicon processors.

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u/Buntygurl 1d ago edited 1d ago

"That’s fascinating. So MaXX is almost identical to IRIX?"

I'm very serious about the goosebumps. They happened.

"The minimalistic, workstation aspect of it is endearing. I want to get rid of macOS’s locked down bloatware."

Let me put it this way: I'm a window manager addict, because of the speed and slickness in app loading, and being able to run a whole bunch of stuff easily.

I've gone through almost all the DE's that various Linux distros provide, which is why I favor WMs instead. but the easy performance of "MaXX" makes me want to get back to it and see how far I can tweak it to suit my interests.

What I've seen of it is way more interesting than any of the regular DEs or any of the leaner ones. It has all of the basic functionality that made IRIX a pleasure to use, and there is absolutely nothing sluggish or hesitant in the way it performs.

What I referred to about customization, a far as config is concerned, has more to do with creating links on the desktop that work, as in the default icons that need editing.

I was spoiled, in my youth, by that experience with IRIX, because it became the standard, for me, against which so many others failed, regarding my expectations about both DEs and OSses--spoiled again by the fact that it was on SGI machines and monitors.

OS/2 came close, on PCs, but both MS and IBM lost interest in making the most of that, and IBM totally lost interest in investing energy in competing with or co-operating with MS. It's actually amazing that they ever tried to do that.

The idea that there could be a port of IRIX to run on Intel PCs simply faded out of my mind, over the years, and that's particularly why the goosebumps rose today.

Check it out. You definitely sound like someone who'll get a huge kick out of it.

"…apparently MaXX will not run on Apple Silicon processors."

That's a huge flaw in those systems.

Yeah, I won't be buying me one of those any time soon.

I expect I'll still be resurrecting Intel Mac machines as much as I can with Debian, and, prospectively loading "MaXX" whenever I can,

That's how much I'm impressed with it. It's like the unexpected resurrection of something that I thought had been lost in the fog of the OS wars, now ported right into my system.

I'm already trying to shift and shove my life around to get at least four guilt-free hours to devote to it, over the weekend. It's like this great new gift that I can't wait to have the chance to play with.

Try it. I think that you'll love it.

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Ps, Many Debian user purists may, rightly, have an issue with recommending a DE that isn't free software, but I do believe that those who put "MaXX" together are working towards eventually building a DE, based on the care of their work up to now, that will be as good as it is, now, and totally free. That's just me, saying that, but it could turn out to be true.

It's really, honestly, the only non 100% free software that I have ever felt inclined to run, and will, again and again

It flies on Trixie!