Dank Linux Rebrands as Dux Labs, Shell Renamed to Dux Shell
The Wayland desktop environment and its companion applications have undergone a comprehensive rebrand, with DankMaterialShell becoming Dux Shell and the parent project shifting to Dux Labs. The move accompanies the release of version 2.0, codenamed "Heisenberg."
Dank Linux, a Wayland desktop suite centered on DankMaterialShell (DMS), has announced its transition away from the Dank branding with a final post under that name on X. The announcement coincides with the arrival of DMS 2.0, codenamed "Heisenberg," which became available on GitHub hours after the rebrand announcement.
The shell itself is built on Quickshell and Go, functioning as a replacement for utilities including waybar, swaylock, mako, and fuzzel. The broader ecosystem encompasses a greeter, calendar application, system monitor, and search functionality.
What began as a hobby project shipped its initial release in December of the previous year. Subsequent updates have introduced desktop widgets, a redesigned launcher, and spring-based motion effects.
Comprehensive rebrand across the suite
The rebrand extends to every component within the ecosystem. DankMaterialShell is now Dux Shell, while the greeter, search tool, system monitor, and calendar have become Dux Greeter, Dux Search, Dux GOP, and Dux Calendar respectively.
Dank Linux itself transitions to Dux Labs, which serves as both the new identity for the overall project and the umbrella name for all applications in the collection.
Dux Files represents the sole entirely new addition rather than a renamed component. This standalone file manager provides functionality such as tabs, split views, trash support, and network share access. When the shell is active, it automatically adopts the DMS theme.
Dux functions as the suite's mascot, with the name drawing inspiration from Linux's penguin mascot, Tux. Beginning with the letter D also preserves the existing command names: dms, dcal, and dgop.
The developers justified the rebrand by noting that a name centered on a single product no longer reflects a suite comprising multiple distinct applications and an active plugin ecosystem.
The preceding release, DMS 1.6, retained the Dank branding and included a roadmap mentioning a standalone file browser and phone integration support, though no rebrand was previously indicated.
What's new in version 2.0
The 2.0 release brings substantial additions, including a Material 3 Expressive design overhaul, dashboard and dock plugins, and a customizable lock screen with arrangeable widgets.
The update also introduces Dux Dot, a floating companion or bar alternative capable of displaying notifications, weather information, media controls, and wallpaper options alongside the control center, dashboard, and launcher.
Infrastructure changes
The project has relocated from the AvengeMedia organizational structure to a new GitHub organization under the Dux Labs name.
Multiple repositories previously identified by their Dank names now appear under new designations: dux-shell (formerly DankMaterialShell), dux-gop (formerly dgop), dux-search (formerly danksearch), dux-calendar (formerly dankcalendar), and dux-greeter (formerly dank-greeter).