The Philosophy Behind Tenor
Tenor is a project built by passionate developers. We are software engineers who believe in Linux and use it daily.
Over the years, we've used many systems from Windows 3.11 to the latest Windows versions, MacOS since version 9, as well as AmigaOS, BeOS, QNX Neutrino, OS/2, and most Linux desktop environments from the past 30 years.
Tenor does not try to reinvent the desktop. We focus on delivering a fast, reliable, and practical environment.
We're not trying to please everyone. In the end, trying to please everyone means pleasing no one.
Built to Last
Tenor is designed with long-term viability in mind.
Our technical, aesthetic, and financial choices all serve this goal.
It was created from a blank slate. We deliberately take a different path from the two main Linux environments : GNOME and KDE (and their many variants).
While being open source is essential, it's not enough to ensure the project's future. That's why we plan to explore multiple funding sources to support ongoing development and allow new components and features to emerge.
Technical support and maintenance for businesses is also part of our vision.
Why Create a New Desktop Environment for Linux?
In our view, today’s major desktop environments (GNOME, KDE, XFCE, Pop!_OS, and others) have made a number of questionable technical choices:
- Abandoning X11 too early in favor of Wayland- Shifting UI ergonomics toward touchscreen-first designs
- Prioritizing animations and visual effects over performance
- Relying heavily on C/C++, languages known for introducing bugs and security issues
- Focusing on new features rather than fixing long-standing bugs
- Frequently breaking integration with existing tools and workflows
As of 2025, it's increasingly difficult to find a Linux desktop that is truly stable, ergonomic, remote-friendly (via RDP, x2go, NoMachine), and works well in multi-user setups, whether virtualized or not.
We quickly realized that patching or theming an existing desktop wouldn't solve the deeper issues.
That’s why we chose to start from a blank slate and build Tenor : a desktop designed from the ground up with clarity, consistency, and long-term reliability in mind.
Using Tenor doesn't mean abandoning your existing applications.
Software built for GNOME, KDE, and other environments runs exactly the same under Tenor without modification.