qqX - quickemu quickget X terminal project

• Adds fixes, tools and general improvements to the Quickemu system

• for the easy running of Linux, Windows, MacOS, etc with Qemu / KVM

• Offers a complete menu system within a unique hybrid interface

• More up-to-date and easier to mod than Gnome Boxes or VirtualBox

• Much easier than the complex Qemu front-ends based on LibVirt.

• Easy installation

Latest release 1.11.03

Another large code update with lots of new features and Quickemu improvements.

• new feature allows mounting of qcow2 drives in a file manager

• adds fixes for Arch hosts EFI and for Windows downloads

• extended testing includes tiling WM's and all major desktops

• adds new handling routines for KDE6, XFCE, LXQT and Gnome3

More in the release notes and wiki pages

Launch from the Linux desktop or from the command line

No need to wait for Quickget to add in the distros or releases that you want.

• Download, right click and install

• Or at the terminal, simply qqX /path/distro.iso

Search the distro lists with alphabetical zooming

• Simple list browse, download, and organise countless distros

• Includes distro homepage browser, link checker and download size reportage

Simple and Straightforward

• Multiple display modes, utilities, optimizers and tools

• Choice of Custom Menus or 5 built-in menu styles

• Always up-to-date text translation

Get the latest fixes

No need to wait for Quickemu bug fixes to make their way through the system either.

• Built-in code releases ensure that any new input from the quickemu community can be quickly put to work.

Start the main menu via the desktop or command line

• For tiling VM's simply type qqX at the terminal

Or start specific VM's straight from the filemanager

Range of utilities and functions

• Backups and snapshot management

• Controls for Secondary storage

• Configuration tune-up wizard

• Qcow2 repair, resize and diagnostics

• Boot manager and ISO boot selector

• Custom boot parameters and the ability to run Arm64, Risc-V +

• .conf updater for rename and move

• Controls for screen size and days count on 'daily-live' ISO's

How to Install

For standard Linux, most users will only need to install qemu spice-gtk and qqX

• Some distro versions may need curl 7z jq bc and possibly xrandr

• The qqX latest release is available here

That's it.

• Un-installer included .....

Start from scratch. Or safely test out the qqX difference on your existing VM's.

• Quickemu and Quickgui may be installed but are not essential.

• Full installer details in the wiki pages

Release notes

@ Nov 27th Beta 1.11.0.2

• New feature mounting of qcow2 drives in a file manager ....

• adds several quickget distro updates

• adds a fix for Arch hosts EFI

• adds a new version manager and checker

• adds some improved menus and menu sub-features

• improves vm selector transfer speed

• further improves terminal handling on Qt based desktops

• plus tweaks for i3 and gnome3

• adds a fix for Arch hosts EFI

@ Dec 23 Release 1.11.02

• Extensive testing has now been completed, including in a wide range of tiling window managers

• The fix for Windows downloads, recently pushed to Quickemu via Pete Batard's work at Fido has now been merged

• The updater and installer has been adjusted and is generally improved. Direct downloads will not be affected but depending on your current updater version you may need to navigate to the download folder using your file manager and run the installer from there until the changes work through system.

@ Dec 31 Release 1.11.03

• fix for Quickget hanging on URL checks when server or internet is slow

• also fixes issue where quickget occasionally outputs multiline release and edition data

• updates FreeSpirit to latest Quickemu 4.9.7/8 > adds proxmox and a couple of other items not in 1.11.02

Enjoy the end of year festivities 🚀

Reliability

• Testing is always carried out on a variety of mainstream distros before release. (more so on 1.10)

• All scripts are carefully Shellcheck linted & have full error handling routines.

• qqX always makes backups, as is standard good practice with any software.

Fixes for Quickemu

• Available via qqX's FreeBird or FreeSpirit or in the qqX code itself

• Fixes problems causing Intel processors to run MacOS very slowly.

• Fixes the problem where telescoped/nested VM grind to a halt.

• Windows language fixes mean that all the downloads work, not just English

• And qqX's config autotune fixes Windows boot issue #1387

See FreeBird wiki page for details on the built-ins

FAQs and Help

• Lots of Quickemu Help available in the qqX wiki pages too, not just qqX

• Full Quickemu MacOS installation guide and walk through

• Qemu / qqX guide to disk resizing and disk maintenance

• And more ...

Also try the Quickemu forum at https://discord.gg/sNmz3uw

Why Bash?

Bash, or similar, is automatically there on the Linux command line. Most users already know or can understand at least a little of it.

• Improving your knowledge of Bash is always time well spent.

Keeping it Simple

• The qqX coding is clear and annotated sufficiently for newcomers to find their feet.

Quickemu currently uses simple Bash scripts. QEMU / KVM does all the heavy lifting.

• Much easier for community contributions. Much easier to edit and easy to fix.

qqX uses a more modern writing style but is much the the same.

• Anything in quickemu can be easily modded, shaped and improved.

... and Straightforward

There are none of the complexities that LibVirt creates by using only machine readable configurations.

And none of steep learning curves that come with languages such as Rust, C or Vala.

• Even seemingly simple LibVirt front-ends like Gnome Boxes can contain whole learning curves for the most basic of things, like moving the default VM folder for example. Forget anything more

Development and Roadmap

See the specific wiki for more details and for what's happening in future releases

Why the Vinyards?

I live in a wine growing region of Italy, in a castled village dating from the 1300's

For me, qqX is something to do when it's too hot or it's raining and I can't be outside. So, Linux development amongst the Vinyards, with the Olde English spelling of " Vine Yards " to match

1533 (1651 pub.), Henry Cornelius Agrippa, De Occulta Philosophia:

therefore they who are more religiously and holily instructed, neither set a tree nor plant their vinyard, nor undertake any mean work without divine invocation

why 'X' ?

Traditionally Linux has used the X window system from X.org and classically the 'Xterm' command line interface.

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayland_(protocol)

Technically speaking, qqX runs in a 'terminal emulator' and can also run with Wayland display systems as well as with 'X'