From a few months ago you may recall Starling as the new Linux desktop written with its own Wayland compositor, using the Swift programming language, and written in large part via AI with Claude Code. Out today is Starling 0.5 with this desktop now gaining an optional 3D desktop mode.

The optional 3D desktop mode for Starling is self-described in today's release announcement as:

"Starling keeps the familiar 2D desktop and adds a walkable 3D waterfront city. Open the control panel and choose 3D Desktop to change perspectives. The city includes moving boats, traffic and clouds, a clock tower, sunset lighting, and cream, bronze and sage window chrome.
...
Chrome, Video Player, Files, Terminal and the other desktop apps remain real windows. Switch between them with Alt + Tab, or bring a live preview forward from the rail. Double-click a window's outer title bar to center the view on it. Popups follow their parent window in the scene.

Each display has its own scene and camera. Walking, turning or pointer-driven parallax on one display leaves the other display's view unchanged. Scene rendering shares a backend while keeping each output's camera and render target independent."

Claude Fable 5.1 worked on this new Starling release.

This 3D desktop option for Starling reminds me a bit of Sun Microsystem's Project Looking Glass covered on Phoronix 20 years ago: see screenshots of Looking Glass for that wild throwback.

Starling 0.5 also now supports Windows through WSL2 with Ubuntu 26.04 and using the RDP display mode.

Those curious can learn more about the Starling 0.5 desktop release and its optional 3D city mode via GitHub.