GNOME’s new ‘client side decorations’ give developers the chance to play around with the way Linux apps look and behave.
One such app taking full advantage of them is Budgie – a new, lightweight media player.
Notice that I said ‘media’ player and not ‘music’ player? That’s because this ornithologically-named newcomer handles video in addition to regular audio.
As a relatively recent hatchling (read: it’s in development, yo) Budgie lacks the plume of features offered by bigger, more mature apps like Rhythmbox or Clementine. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s more nimble than those – lean, with a swift start-up time.
Features currently on offer include:
- GStreamer 1.0-based
- Audio & video playback
- Modern UI design
- Random/shuffle function
- Search function
Early Days
I, at this juncture, find the look of Budgie to be a little too ‘spreadsheet like‘. As I explained recently, I prefer the ability to visually browse my collection through album art.
The good news is that album art – along with several other features, including track seeking, media ripping and iPod support – is on the roadmap.
For more information on Budgie check out the official website for it by tapping the link below or head over to its GitHub page to take a glance at its innards.
Arch users (don’t be shy, we know there a number of you who stop by) can install Budgie from the Arch User Repository.