From 43828ebd0358aac543b9f9a9d707a599743e7c53 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Lemmy Date: Sun, 15 Mar 2026 10:20:25 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] chore(readme): updated with scope --- Assets/settings-search-index.json | 9 ++++++ README.md | 53 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++-- 2 files changed, 60 insertions(+), 2 deletions(-) diff --git a/Assets/settings-search-index.json b/Assets/settings-search-index.json index 3b221f39a..5b7ee0c5a 100644 --- a/Assets/settings-search-index.json +++ b/Assets/settings-search-index.json @@ -1197,6 +1197,15 @@ "subTab": 1, "subTabLabel": "panels.hooks.title" }, + { + "labelKey": "panels.hooks.color-generation-label", + "descriptionKey": "panels.hooks.color-generation-description", + "widget": "HookRow", + "tab": 20, + "tabLabel": "panels.hooks.title", + "subTab": 1, + "subTabLabel": "panels.hooks.title" + }, { "labelKey": "panels.hooks.theme-changed-label", "descriptionKey": "panels.hooks.theme-changed-description", diff --git a/README.md b/README.md index 636d64d4a..8c065dac1 100644 --- a/README.md +++ b/README.md @@ -51,6 +51,7 @@ A beautiful, minimal desktop shell for Wayland that actually gets out of your wa - 🔌 30+ plugins available ([explore plugins](https://noctalia.dev/plugins/)) - 🪄 Setup wizard for first-time users - ⚡ Built on Quickshell for performance + --- ## Preview @@ -74,8 +75,8 @@ https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/bf46f233-8d66-439a-a1ae-ab0446270f2d ## 📋 Requirements -- Wayland compositor (Niri, Hyprland, Sway, Scroll, MangoWC or labwc recommended) -- Quickshell +- Wayland compositor (see supported compositors below) +- Quickshell: [noctalia-qs](https://github.com/noctalia-dev/noctalia-qs) - Additional dependencies are listed in our [documentation](https://docs.noctalia.dev) --- @@ -105,6 +106,54 @@ Noctalia provides native support for **Niri**, **Hyprland**, **Sway**, **Scroll* --- +## Scope + +Noctalia is a **desktop shell**, not a full desktop environment. It provides the visual layer that sits on top of your Wayland compositor (bars, panels, notifications, a dock, and widgets) but it intentionally stays within that boundary. Understanding this helps set the right expectations for feature requests. + +### What Noctalia does + +Noctalia focuses on the things a shell is responsible for: + +- **Status bar** with configurable widgets (clock, battery, audio, network, etc.) +- **Panels** for quick access to settings, media controls, notifications, and more +- **Application launcher** with extensible search providers +- **Notification daemon** with history and Do Not Disturb +- **Lock screen** +- **Idle management** with screen locking and idle inhibition +- **OSD** for volume and brightness feedback +- **Theming** with predefined color schemes, automatic color generation from your wallpaper, and more +- **Wallpaper management** with Wallhaven integration +- **Desktop widgets** (clock, media player) +- **Dock** for pinned and running applications +- **Multi-monitor support** + +### What belongs in a plugin + +If a feature is useful to some users but not essential to the core shell experience, it's a great candidate for a [plugin](https://noctalia.dev/plugins/). The plugin system is designed to make this easy: plugins can add bar widgets, panels, launcher providers, desktop widgets, and more. + +Some examples of features that are better suited as plugins: +- Compositor-specific extras (e.g., Steam overlay for Hyprland) +- Hardware-specific controls (e.g., laptop fan profiles, battery thresholds) +- Third-party service integrations (e.g., smart home controls, Tailscale) +- Niche productivity tools (e.g., Pomodoro timer, RSS reader, Docker manager) +- Alternative visualizations or widgets + +If you have an idea that fits this category, consider [building a plugin](https://docs.noctalia.dev/development/guideline) for it! + +### What falls outside our scope + +Some features go beyond what a desktop shell can or should do. These are typically responsibilities of the compositor, a dedicated application, or the system itself: + +- **File management**: use a file manager application +- **Display/login greeter**: this runs before the shell and is managed separately +- **Window management and overview**: workspace switching and window tiling are compositor responsibilities +- **Removable drive mounting**: handled by system services like udisks and desktop applications +- **Screen mirroring/casting**: managed by the compositor or dedicated tools + +We appreciate feature suggestions, but if a request falls into this category, it's likely outside what Noctalia can provide. When in doubt, feel free to ask in our [Discord](https://discord.noctalia.dev). + +--- + ## 🤝 Contributing We welcome contributions of any size - bug fixes, new features, documentation improvements, or custom themes and configs.