Rio, a new cross-platform terminal written in Rust

2023-08-15 10:15:57

Rio is a terminal that allows you to use a computer thanks to the command lines that differs from other alternatives by its choice of the Rust programming language. Thanks to him, this project, which began publicly in the fall of 2022, but which has only really been usable since last spring, can both be available on all platforms, from macOS to Windows via Linux, but also provide excellent performance. And even if its development is not as advanced due to its young age, it is perfectly functional if you are not satisfied by its competitors.

Rio in action on macOS Ventura, with three windows open and the default theme.

Compared to the terminal built into macOS or an app like iTerm2, Rio has a much simpler approach, or rudimentary depending on your point of view. Its graphical interface is limited to the simplest expression, there are no menus in macOS, not even to manage windows, and there are no visual settings either. The parameters are managed by a text file, by following the documentation associated to find out which settings can be used and which options are accepted.

However, if you want to install a terminal application, it’s probably because you know a little command line. Changing the configuration should then be no problem, even if Vim is used as the default editor. This file does not exist by default, it will have to be created in the right place upstream. The counterpart of this approach, it offers much more flexibility and allows the application to be configured as desired, whether to define keyboard shortcuts or create plugins.

Despite its young age, Rio already contains many functions and it is still evolving rapidly, in particular to improve its performance, one of the main objectives of the project (on my Mac, it’s not quite ready yet, especially when you multiply the windows). Its source code exclusively in Rust is distributed via GitHub and contributions are encouraged.

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#Rio #crossplatform #terminal #written #Rust

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