The developers of the distribution of Linux Mint have announced the release of the first version of the library libadapta , which is a fork of libadwaita . This initial release, Libadapta 1.5, is based on Libadwaita 1.5 and focuses on design themes and additional features, while still supporting all functionalities of Libadwaita to ensure a consistent look of applications.
The decision to create this fork was driven by challenges in transferring new capabilities from the project to Libadwaita. This soft fork allows the code base to be periodically updated with the latest versions of Libadwaita while enabling Linux Mint developers to implement new ideas without constraints, even if not approved by Libadwaita developers.
Libadwaita, developed by GNOME, focuses solely on the GNOME platform, rejecting changes related to integrating third-party features and functionalities not present in GNOME. The idea of introducing a library similar to libgranite was also dismissed by Libadwaita developers.
One of the main issues with Libadwaita is its limited support for design themes, offering only the basic GNOME style. This results in applications based on Libadwaita having a consistent GNOME look, making them less compatible with designs from other desktop environments.
Applications built with Libadapta can seamlessly adjust to different design themes in desktop environments that support them. The library checks the GTK design theme directory and applies a custom set of styles from Libadapta if available, falling back to Libadwaita styles if not. A separate header file is provided for easy switching between Libadwaita and Libadapta without modifying the code.
Libadwaita provides a range of UI components following the Gnome Human Interface Guidelines, including widgets and objects for various application elements. These components adapt to screens of all sizes and are used in combination with GTK4. The library’s AdWaita themes, derived from GTK, allow GNOME developers to implement style changes quickly and independently from GTK developers, enhancing flexibility in design modifications.