Even though they’re ignored by most day-to-day users, “terminals,” also known as “consoles,” offer a more efficient and direct way of interacting with the OS and even of completing complex or repetitive tasks.
Even though all major OSes out there have their own default terminal apps, they’re not exactly flexible when it comes to configuration and customization.
Tess is a simplistic yet high customizable, open-source and free terminal app. Even though it’s built using web technologies such as Node.JS and Electron, it’s also surprisingly lightweight and responsive.
Reasons to choose Tess
Straight off the bat, Tess is definitely not the most comprehensive terminal app out there. However, despite being a relatively new project, it does have a few advantages over other apps of this sort.
For starters, Tess is cross-platform. This means that you can use it on Windows, macOS, and most Linux distributions with the same results. Secondly, it comes with native support for extensions and themes, which can prove to be quite the departure from typical terminals that aren’t as user-oriented.
Last but not least, Tess is fully configurable within the interface. Couple this with the fact that’s open-source, and you can pretty much change all aspects of Tess to perfectly suit your needs.
Installation and usage instructions
Tess does not boast the most comprehensive documentation section out there. Nevertheless, it’s enough to get you started. The Wiki section contains installation and usage instructions.
For more details about the app, you can join the official Discord server, even though it’s mostly in French.
Verdict
Tess is not the most beginner-friendly terminal out there because of its complex nature. Users looking to extend its functionality will have to do some reading, but there’s no denying that this little app has potential.
