Use ptyxis (formerly Prompt) as the default terminal

[travier]

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.

Prompt is a terminal for GNOME with first-class support for containers.

Flatpak is the intended and preferred distribution mechanism.

See:

• https://blogs.gnome.org/chergert/2023/12/14/prompt/
• https://gitlab.gnome.org/chergert/ptyxis (https://gitlab.gnome.org/chergert/prompt)

Describe the solution you'd like

Replace the default terminal application with Prompt, or at least include it by default.

Describe alternatives you've considered

N/A

Additional context

Suggested for Workstation:

• https://pagure.io/fedora-workstation/issue/261#comment-888447
• https://pagure.io/fedora-workstation/issue/417

If Fedora Workstation does not want to include it, we can consider including it on top of the default terminal in Silverblue.

[chrisawi]

I'm a big fan of Prompt already, but I don't think it should be shipped along with gnome-terminal. Having two similar terminals in the menu would be unpolished. If Silverblue doesn't want to diverge from Workstation here, this should go on hold until they make a decision (which may mean waiting for GNOME, apparently).

From the quoted text, I presume you intend to ship it as a flatpak. That seems reasonable, however, I think there should still be something in the base image in case flatpak is broken somehow (rolling back wouldn't help if the problem is in /var). I immediately thought of weston-terminal as an ultra-basic fallback. It's currently part of the weston package, but I guess it could be split out. It's also officially only a demo but would be better than nothing, and as long as it continues not to ship a .desktop file, it wouldn't be exposed in the UI, only usable via Alt+F2.

[travier]

From my perspective, there must be a terminal app available at all times from the base image.

So for me there are only two options:

• We replace the current one (unlikely given the accessibility issues mentioned in the ticket linked)
• We add Prompt, either as a Flatpak or in the image

[almereyda]

Prompt has been renamed to chergert/ptyxis.

[travier]

Looks like the accessibility issues are being sorted out: https://blogs.gnome.org/chergert/2024/02/29/accessibility-in-ptyxis/

Testing welcomed!

[A6GibKm]

Imho Silverblue should just follow what workstation does in this regard.

[chergert]

The necessary VTE patches are available in Fedora 40 now (including a11y patches). Presumably Ptyxis package will land shortly.