In the Linux desktop ecosystem, docks provide a quick and visually appealing way to access applications without opening launchers or running commands. Many distributions include their own version, Zorin Taskbar in Zorin OS. Others, such as Fedora with GNOME, require extensions such as Dash to Dock (included by default in Ubuntu 24.10 and recent versions) to replicate this function. But before, a dock was very popular that has come back to life under the name of Plank Reloaded.
During years, Plank y docky were popular choices for those looking for a simple and effective dock. However, these projects stopped receiving updates, leaving a void in the community. That's where Plank Reloaded comes in, an initiative that takes Plank's legacy and improves it, especially in environments like Cinnamon.
What is Plank Reloaded?
Plank Reloaded emerges as an evolution of Plank, with a clear objective: to offer a lightweight, customizable dock that is compatible with recent versions of environments such as Cinnamon. Its main developer, Josh Ellithorpe, together with other free software contributors, have worked to provide a stable and fluid tool.
Main characteristics
In addition to maintaining the essence of its predecessor, Plank Reloaded introduces various improvements which makes it an attractive option for Linux users looking for an efficient dock:
- Compatible with Cinnamon: Optimized for this desktop environment, ensuring seamless integration.
- Increased stability: Bug fixes and performance improvements added.
- Docklet holder: small tools that extend your functionality, such as a clock or access to applications.
- Greater customization: Includes four pre-installed themes and various options to modify its appearance and behavior.
User Experience
When testing Plank Reloaded on a virtual machine with Linux Mint 22.1, its ease of use is evident. Its motto, “Still Stupidly Simple”, is largely fulfilled.
To add apps to the dock, simply drag them from the launcher. However, if this method does not work, an alternative is to open the app and then pin it from the context menu using the option “Keep in Dock”.
Removing apps is just as easy: you can right-click and uncheck the “Keep in Dock” option, or simply drag it out of the dock to make it disappear.
As for customization, holding down the key Ctrl and right click on the dock, the menu appears PreferencesFrom there, you can modify things like the theme, position, alignment, and size of the icons. You can also enable the auto-hide feature and adjust timeouts.
Installing Plank Reloaded on Linux
Currently, Plank Reloaded is Available on Arch Linux via AURTo install it, you can run the following command:
yay -S plank-reloaded-git
For users of Linux Mint, Ubuntu y Debian, although it has not been tested on all versions of these distributions, it is possible to install it manually with the following steps:
First, update the system:
sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade
Then, uninstall the old version of Plank if it was installed:
sudo apt-get remove plank libplank-common libplank1
Next, install the necessary dependencies:
sudo apt-get install git meson valac libgnome-menu-3.0 libgnome-menu-3-dev libxml2-utils gtk+-3.0 gee-0.8 libbamf3-dev libwnck-3.0 libwnck-3-dev bamfdaemon
Clone the repository and compile the software:
git clone https://github.com/zquestz/plank-reloaded.git cd plank-reloaded meson setup --prefix=/usr build ninja -C build sudo meson install -C build
Once installed, Plank Reloaded can be run from the application launcher or with the command:
plank
What awaits us in the future?
Currently, the best way to install Plank Reloaded is via the AUR or by manually compiling. However, it has been confirmed that there will be a release date soon. packages in DEB and Flatpak format, which will make it easier to install on more distributions. Support for Wayland, as well as new docklets to expand its functionality.
In the meantime, interested users can check out the source code on GitHub or follow the official documentation to migrate from older versions of Plank if you use distributions like elementary OS.