7 Modern and Innovative Linux Terminals

A complete guide to the new Linux terminals that bring innovative features and an improved user experience.

1. Wave Terminal

Wave is a cross-platform, open-source terminal emulator that offers unique features such as graphical widgets. It feels like an IDE such as VS Code, in the best sense of the term.

Wave Terminal Features

• Built-in editor for editing local and remote files
• Command blocks to isolate and monitor individual commands
• File preview (Markdown, images, videos)
• Customizable themes and background images
• Built-in web browser

Installing Wave Terminal

# Installation via Snap
sudo snap install --classic waveterm

# Installation via AppImage
chmod +x waveterm.AppImage
./waveterm.AppImage

2. Cogno

Cogno is a free, open-source terminal emulator that offers handy features such as self-learning autocompletion.

Cogno Features

• Context-aware autocompletion
• Configurable shortcuts
• Support for tabs, panes, and workspaces
• Theme editor with preview
• Paste history

Installing Cogno

# Installation via AppImage
chmod +x cogno.AppImage
./cogno.AppImage

3. Rio

Rio is a GPU-accelerated terminal emulator written in Rust. It is designed to run both as a native application and in the browser.

Rio Features

• Hardware acceleration
• Multiple windows and split panes
• Image support (iTerm2 and Sixel protocol)
• Hyperlink support
• Vi mode

Installing Rio

# Installation via AppImage
chmod +x rio.AppImage
./rio.AppImage

4. Contour

Contour is a modern, GPU-accelerated terminal emulator with high-resolution support. It focuses on speed, efficiency, and productivity.

Contour Features

• GPU acceleration with high-resolution support
• Font ligature support
• Complex Unicode support (including emojis)
• Live configuration reloading
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts

Installing Contour

# Installation via AppImage
chmod +x contour.AppImage
./contour.AppImage

# Installation sur Fedora
sudo dnf install contour-terminal

5. Alacritty

Alacritty is a modern terminal emulator with extensive configuration options. It is a GPU-accelerated terminal written in Rust.

Alacritty Features

• GPU-accelerated terminal
• Hyperlink support
• Multi-instance support
• Vi mode
• Cross-platform support

Installing Alacritty

# Installation sur Ubuntu
sudo apt install alacritty

# Installation via AppImage
chmod +x alacritty.AppImage
./alacritty.AppImage

6. Hyper

Hyper is a terminal emulator built on open web standards. Written in TypeScript, this extensible terminal focuses on speed and stability.

Hyper Features

• Extensible through NPM plugins
• Customizable keyboard shortcuts
• Cross-platform support
• Configuration via JavaScript

Installing Hyper

# Installation via AppImage
chmod +x hyper.AppImage
./hyper.AppImage

7. Kitty

Kitty is a modern, fast, and highly configurable terminal emulator.

Kitty Features

• GPU acceleration
• Support for tabs and windows
• Image support
• Python scripting
• Customizable themes

Installing Kitty

# Installation sur Ubuntu
sudo apt install kitty

# Installation via AppImage
chmod +x kitty.AppImage
./kitty.AppImage

Best Practices

1. Choosing a Terminal

   • Wave for development
   • Rio for performance
   • Alacritty for simplicity
   • Kitty for advanced configuration

2. Optimization

   • Use GPU acceleration
   • Configure keyboard shortcuts
   • Customize themes
   • Install useful plugins

3. Security

   • Verify installation sources
   • Keep everything up to date
   • Use stable versions
   • Configure permissions

Conclusion

Key takeaways:

• New terminals with innovative features
• GPU acceleration for better performance
• Advanced customization
• Cross-platform support

Recommendations:

• Choose based on your needs
• Try several options
• Optimize your configuration
• Stay current with updates