Laptop / workstation
Debian → GNOME → 3DVR
Use the mature desktop for demanding work while 3DVR supplies consistent policy and services.
The idea
3DVR should not depend on GNOME, XFCE, Phosh, or any single shell. Those environments can provide windows, input, displays, power management, and hardware integration while 3DVR provides the experience people actually recognize: identity, apps, agent behavior, device policy, sync, and consistent interaction.
Core rule: desktop environments are replaceable system surfaces. 3DVR owns the portable
user experience and the policy that makes the machine behave intelligently.
Layered architecture
3DVR experience · launcher, portal, apps, worlds, identity, preferences
3DVR intelligence & policy · agent, automation, device routing, sync, permissions
Environment adapter · GNOME, XFCE, KDE, Phosh, Labwc/Wayfire, XR shell
Linux platform · Wayland, PipeWire, systemd, NetworkManager, kernel, drivers
Hardware · laptops, phones, RISC-V boards, desktops, headsets, displays
Example targets
Lightweight / RISC-V
Debian → XFCE or Labwc → 3DVR
Keep memory and GPU overhead low without creating a second product experience.
Phone / tablet
Linux → Phosh or another mobile shell → 3DVR
Reuse the same identity, apps, agent, sync, and policies with touch-first presentation.
XR / spatial
Linux or browser runtime → 3DVR spatial shell
Use the same core services while three-dimensional interfaces become the primary surface.
What 3DVR should own
Experience
- Identity and account context
- Launcher, search, apps, and project context
- Notifications and attention policy
- Shared preferences across devices
Intelligence
- Personal agent and automation
- Hardware-aware defaults and routing
- Permission and approval boundaries
- Portable state, sync, and recovery
Why a layer before a fork
Forking a full desktop environment makes 3DVR responsible for years of compositor, accessibility, input, graphics, and hardware maintenance immediately. A portable layer lets us improve the user experience now, upstream fixes where possible, and only replace components when we have a clear reason.
This also keeps 3DVR usable on machines where GNOME is too heavy. The system can scale down without throwing away the agent, apps, account, or product philosophy.
A small example: audio policy
A desktop may expose every audio route correctly and still leave the user managing implementation details. 3DVR can add a simple human rule on top: prefer a plugged-in headset, then an external display, then built-in speakers. The operating system still handles PipeWire and drivers; 3DVR supplies the policy.
This is the pattern:
keep mature Linux infrastructure underneath; add small, understandable policy services above it; move functionality into 3DVR only when doing so produces a clearer universal experience.
Migration path
Portable policy layer. Solve recurring device and UX friction with small services and shared preferences.
Environment adapters. Give GNOME, XFCE, mobile shells, and lightweight Wayland systems a common 3DVR contract.
Shared shell surfaces. Own more of launcher, quick settings, notifications, workspace context, and app presentation.
Minimal 3DVR shell. Run directly on a lightweight compositor where existing desktop environments add little value.
Native universal shell. If the earlier layers prove the need, 3DVR can eventually own the full experience without being trapped by one desktop lineage.
Design constraints
Portable
Do not make core 3DVR services depend on one compositor, toolkit, CPU architecture, or vendor cloud.
Upstream-friendly
Fix Linux components upstream when the problem belongs upstream. Keep 3DVR policy focused on product behavior.
Human first
Expose choices when they matter. Automate routine hardware decisions when a safe preference is already known.
Progressive
Start on mature desktops, scale down to tiny systems, and earn the right to replace deeper layers over time.
Related experiments
This architecture connects existing 3DVR work on phones, personal Linux infrastructure, XR interaction, and the broader roadmap.