How to install Cutefish Desktop in Ubuntu and derivatives

CutefishOS is a new free and open-source desktop environment for Linux operating systems that focuses on simplicity, beauty, and practicality. Its goal is to create a better desktop experience for Linux users.

Cutefish OS is one of the newest projects in desktop environments. And because it was born at a time when KDE aesthetics were leading the way in UI/UX for Linux users, its design is strikingly similar.

Given the goal of creating a better desktop, the team uses the KDE Frameworks, KDE Plasma 5, and Qt. I assume Qt is the source of its “cute” name. It looks like they’ve been actively collaborating with JingOS, a beautiful Linux OS designed for tablets.

I’ve done a review on this wonderful system before. At first they made an OS based on Manjaro, but after a while they changed their mind and built a system based on Debian.

You can even download Cutefish OS Ubuntu from the link below, but if you don’t want to install the system from scratch, follow the instructions below to install a Cutefish working environment on Ubuntu.

Cutefish OS Ubuntu

Install the Cutefish desktop in Ubuntu

In my quest to install the Cutefish desktop environment, I have come across several ways. One involves installing this environment via source code, but there is also another, easier way, with the addition of an official PPA repository.

The first way to install Cutefish Desktop from source code

Open a terminal, and run all the commands

sudo apt install -y git devscripts build-essential cmake ninja-build
sudo apt install -y qtbase5-dev qtquickcontrols2-5-dev libkf5networkmanagerqt-dev modemmanager-qt-dev debhelper extra-cmake-modules libkf5kio-dev libkf5screen-dev libqt5sensors5-dev qtdeclarative5-dev qttools5-dev qttools5-dev-tools libxcb-icccm4-dev qtbase5-private-dev kwin-dev libkdecorations2-dev libqt5xdg-dev libdbusmenu-qt5-dev libxcb-ewmh-dev libicu-dev libxcb-randr0-dev libsm-dev libxcb-xfixes0-dev libxcb-damage0-dev libxcb-composite0-dev libxcb-shm0-dev libxcb-util-dev libxcb-image0-dev libxtst-dev libpulse-dev libpolkit-qt5-1-dev libpolkit-agent-1-dev libqt5x11extras5-dev qml-module-qtquick2 qml-module-qtquick-controls2 libkf5bluezqt-dev libkf5bluezqt-dev libqt5opengl5-dev libxcursor-dev

mkdir -p ~/Downloads/cutefish
cd ~/Downloads/cutefish

git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/libcutefish
cd libcutefish
dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/fishui
cd fishui
dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/kwin-plugins
cd kwin-plugins
dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/launcher
cd launcher
dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/qt-plugins
cd qt-plugins
dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/wallpapers
cd wallpapers
dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
sudo apt-get install -y ./*.deb

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/dock
cd dock
dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/filemanager
cd filemanager
dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/settings
cd settings
dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/statusbar
cd statusbar
dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/core
cd core
dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b

cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
sudo apt-get install -y ./*.deb

## no debian directory
cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/calculator
cd calculator
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make
sudo make install

## no debian directory
cd ~/Downloads/cutefish
git clone https://github.com/cutefishos/icons
cd icons
mkdir build
cd build
cmake ..
make
sudo make install

After installation, reboot your system, and select “Cutefish Desktop” on the login screen

The second way to install Cutefish Desktop in Ubuntu and its derivatives

I didn’t try the first way, but immediately used the second way. I have Kubuntu 21.10 installed, so if you have a different system, I can’t know if it will work for you or not.

Open a terminal and first add the repository signature key

wget -nc http://packages.cutefishos.com/key/cutefishos.gpg.key

sudo -H gpg -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/cutefishos.gpg --dearmor cutefishos.gpg.key

Add the official cutefish repository

sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://packages.cutefishos.com bullseye main"

Update the list of packages, and install the Cutefish desktop

sudo apt update
sudo apt install cutefish

After successful installation, restart your computer, and on the login screen, select “Cutefish Desktop”

Your desktop should start up

Have you tried this system? Share your thoughts in the comments below.